Switching to Linux From Windows: 5 Pros and 5 Cons You Need to Consider

Are you tired of Windows but feeling nervous about making the switch to Linux? Wondering if Linux is as good (or bad) as everyone says it is? Well, I've been dual-booting Linux and Windows for a decade now, and here are the main pros and cons you need to know about making the switch.

When you switch from Windows to Linux, expect to see some major changes to your work and how you use your OS. Many of these changes can be a hindrance, especially if you're very comfortable with your previous Windows workflow—I've labeled these situations as potential cons. Likewise, you'll also notice new features and opportunities that you didn't have before—I've labeled them as potential pros.

5 Cons of Switching to Linux

I always like to hear the bad news before the good—so here are the five main cons of switching to Linux as a Windows user.

Many Windows Apps Won't Run

While many Windows apps do work on Linux , some popular ones don't—and this can be a real problem. Most of your actual work doesn't happen on the operating system itself, but rather inside the apps you use. So, if you're switching from Windows, you probably have a set of familiar tools you rely on, and chances are, some won't make the jump with you.

Microsoft Office and the Adobe apps are notorious for lacking Linux support. Some smaller but still popular apps, like the ChatGPT desktop client, also don't have a Linux-native version. Sure, you can try Wine , a compatibility layer that attempts to run Windows apps on Linux, but the performance can be janky, and you may not like relying on it. Instead, I'd recommend you take the time to explore Linux-native alternatives for your unsupported Windows apps .

Most Popular Multiplayer Games Won't Work

Linux gaming has improved dramatically over the past few years—thanks largely to the popularity of the Steam Deck and the Proton compatibility layer . It can run around 80 percent of the top 100 Windows games, which is a huge win! But it's not all good news; most popular competitive titles like Valorant , Fortnite , Destiny 2 , Call of Duty , and Apex Legends simply don't work on Linux!

This is primarily because those games have kernel-level anti-cheat systems like Vanguard, Easy Anti-Cheat, BattlEye, and RICOCHET. Now, anti-cheat systems can work on Linux, and titles like Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Battlefield 4 show it's not a technical limitation. The problem is that most developers don't bother to make their anti-cheat software compatible with Linux. So, while it's not technically a flaw with Linux, it is true that you can't play most popular multiplayer titles on the platform, which counts as a major drawback.

You'll Need to Troubleshoot Problems Yourself

If something breaks while using Windows, you can probably hire a local technician to fix it or call that one tech-savvy friend who knows their way around the system. Unfortunately, with Linux, you'd be hard-pressed to find a Linux-savvy technician in your locality—at least there aren't any in mine. Also, if you're running Linux, chances are you're probably the only Linux user in your friend group—we're a rare breed!

This means that when your Linux system breaks, the responsibility falls on you to fix it yourself. Thankfully, Linux has excellent online resources , and the community is generally super helpful. That said, all of this will only tell you what to do—you still need to put on that DIY hat and get your hands dirty. This can make the OS more technically complicated for folks who just want a simple system to run their apps and do their work.

The Options Can Be Confusing and Overwhelming

Linux gives you absolute freedom, which sounds great until you realize what it entails. You're essentially put into the driver's seat; there are dozens of different paths to drive down, and you're free to choose whichever path you want. The problem is that you don't know where any of these roads lead—everything is new, you have no idea where to go, and every person you ask has a different opinion on which path is best. As you can imagine, this gets overwhelming real fast!

Your first choice is which distro you'll use . Some distros offer multiple desktop environments , so you need to pick one of those. Once installed, you'll need to decide how to install applications— Flatpak, Snap, or the official repository . And this just goes on and on! Sometimes folks just want a curated experience, and while some distros try to deliver that, Linux at large feels like an overwhelming buffet that you leave hungry because you couldn't make up your mind!

There's a Learning Curve (to Unlock All the Features)

Modern desktop Linux is fairly intuitive for casual workloads. Opening the browser, checking your emails, creating documents—it all feels just as familiar as on Windows, especially if you're using a Windows-like distro . That said, if you come to Linux hoping to unlock special features like deep-level system control, extensive customization, and powerful productivity tools, you will face a learning curve.

Take KDE Plasma—it's an incredibly powerful desktop environment with tons of customization options; so much so, that it took me close to two months to understand all the available options and how to use them productively . Since many features are unique to Linux and not present on Windows, I had to understand how they work and what's the best way to productively integrate them into my workflow.

Then there are tiling window managers , which can streamline your productivity with a keyboard-centric window management system—but setting them up feels like a coding exercise as you write text and edit config files to make visual tweaks. And if you're looking for deeper and granular system-level control, you'll have to fire up the terminal and learn commands , which does require a level of technical aptitude.

5 Pros of Switching to Linux

Now that we've covered the challenges, let's talk about why someone might want to face them—what are the rewards?

Your PC Will Be Faster and More Responsive

I don't care what the official minimum requirements say. In my experience, Windows 11 needs at least 16GB of RAM to run smoothly and responsively, along with a quad-core CPU. However, Linux can deliver a similar experience on just 8GB of RAM—and I'm talking about the heavier distributions here. Lightweight distros can run comfortably on a dual-core CPU with 4GB of RAM or even a single-core system with 2GB of RAM. The lower RAM and CPU overhead not only means your OS runs smoother, but it also opens up more resources for your apps!

Furthermore, you have distros like CachyOS that come with specific optimizations to squeeze out maximum performance from modern hardware. I personally ran CachyOS on my Ryzen 5 5600G with 32GB of RAM in a dual-boot configuration with Windows 11 and got noticeably faster and snappier performance from the Linux distro! Windows tends to stutter when I have tons of apps or browser tabs open—especially during its infamous background update processes—but you have none of that nonsense on the Linux side.

You'll Be Able to Keep Your PC Longer

Your computer is an interplay between hardware and software—and sometimes, no matter how carefully you maintain your hardware, bloated software updates can eventually render your PC practically unusable. This is most common with Windows, where the desktop starts to lag and stutter, making you consider upgrading your system every 3–4 years—at least in my experience! Linux, however, is so lean and minimal that it can breathe new life into literally decade-old hardware .

Lightweight distributions like Xubuntu can make an old PC running an Intel Core Duo CPU with just 2GB of RAM feel snappy. Granted, it won't be able to run most modern apps—since those have also increased in system requirements—but it can still run some useful applications. You could repurpose your computer into a homelab or media server, making practical use of perfectly functional hardware without software being the limiting factor. Needless to say, this is great for sustainability and the environment.

You'll Better Understand How Your PC Works

Popular mainstream operating systems like Windows and macOS try to hide all the technical infrastructure powering your computer with abstractions that try to mimic everyday tools. This approach supposedly makes tech more intuitive and is one of the major factors behind the popularity of these OSes. Now, while Linux from back in the 2000s certainly lacked this intuitive user interface, modern-day desktop Linux offers a powerful graphical experience that can easily go toe to toe with the likes of Windows or macOS.

However, the real beauty is how Linux does this without trying to cover up the technical underpinnings. If you search for the technical stats and controls, you can find it easily. I believe this is a better approach to creating a computing system as it gives casual users an intuitive foundation while letting tech-savvy users have a field day exploring everything else. For some, using Linux made them a better Windows user even.

You'll Have Complete Control Over Your System

We technically talked about this in the cons section, but as the saying goes—it's all a matter of perspective. While all the options and deep technical aspects of Linux can be overwhelming to some, they also provide complete control and ownership of the system—which is definitely a pro for tech-savvy users !

Linux allows you to choose every single component that goes into your system. There's utmost transparency about what's going on, especially if you choose all open-source drivers and software—you can monitor everything that's happening. You have complete control over everything to the minutest detail, so your entire operating system works exactly like you want. This level of system control and technical customization simply isn't possible with Windows or macOS!

Better Desktop-Level Multitasking Features

Credit where it's due: Microsoft has done great work with Windows 11's multitasking features. We have a good implementation of virtual desktops and powerful window management options finally baked into the system. That said, it isn't anywhere near what's possible on Linux.

For example, GNOME offers an entire desktop experience built around virtual desktops. On KDE Plasma, you have the pager widget , which lets you switch between virtual desktops and even move windows between them right from the panel itself. Then there are tiling window managers and their keyboard-centric approach to window management—which is a lot faster and more powerful than what Windows offers. You can also configure apps to open in specific layouts on particular virtual desktops. All these features can streamline your multitasking experience and make you significantly more productive.

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If the benefits of the pros seem to outweigh the limitations of the cons, then make the switch—you'll likely enjoy it. However, if it feels like losing too much, check out some ways you can explore Linux without leaving Windows .