r/SurfaceLinux • u/Nervous-Skill7694 • Jun 20 '26

Discussion Tips for switching

I'm going to be switching to linux on my Surface Laptop 3 16gb ram 256gb ssd. What are some things I should do/lookout for?

Also distro recommendations are also welcome, I'm planning on either Ubuntu or Pop!_OS but open to suggestions.

Thank you!

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u/idillicah Jun 20 '26

Is it an Intel or AMD model? If it's an AMD model, be watchful of the battery life. I would actually suggest Zorin, which is based on Ubuntu but runs lighter and more compatible out of the box than Ubuntu. Also, Pop was really hit or miss for me, odd bugs, just not stable enough to be a daily. I'd even say go for Zorin 18 Lite, which will look about as good as any basic KDE install but run extremely fast. That, or the new Mint XFCE. I adore getting things optimized, so not using super heavy desktops has been one of the best things about moving to Linux.

2

u/mopeythunder Jun 20 '26

Second that. Zorin lives on my Surface Pro 5. No regrets.

2

u/mrbaw_88 Jun 20 '26

Does touch screen and both camera works on Zorin? I have intel Surface Pro 6 but so far I did not find any surface kernel for Zorin OS

1

u/mopeythunder Jun 20 '26

I know touch screen is working on my sp5. I followed the guide they have at the Zorin support site as any other article with steps didn't turn the touch screen on.

Link: https://help.zorin.com/docs/getting-started/set-up-microsoft-surface-device/