Desktop Linux just cracked 10% market share - and Windows 11 is mostly to blame

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ZDNET key takeaways

• The Linux desktop has continued its slow growth.
• Windows blunders have helped Linux make gains.
• People are finally figuring out Linux is easy to use.

Believe it or not, according to StatCounter, a web analytics company that's been tracking end-user operating systems since 1999, desktop Linux has now reached an all-time high of 10.65% in the North American market. Take that, Microsoft! 

But it's important to take StatCounter's numbers with a grain of salt. The firm's numbers are derived from just over a million websites. When someone visits one of its sites, StatCounter records every page view and collects such data as the visitor's browser, operating system, and whether it's from a PC, tablet, or smartphone. However, the company doesn't count traffic from such popular websites as Google, Facebook, or Wikipedia.

Also: How to try out over 85 Linux distros, no installation required - with DistroSea

Still, even with those caveats, Linux's market share growth has been impressive. The last time I looked at the numbers in 2025, Statcounter only showed a high of just over 5%. Linux doubling its market share in just over a year should get everyone's attention.

If you look closer, you'll also see Chrome OS, which is a Linux distro that uses Google's Chrome web browser for its interface, has a 2.07% share of its own. Add that in, and Linux owns 12.72%. 

Beyond StatCounter

I decided to look beyond StatCounter's statistics to see what my preferred data source for operating system numbers, the US federal government's Digital Analytics Program (DAP), had to say.

This site gives a running count of US government website visits and an analysis. On average, there are 1.6 billion sessions over the last 30 days, with millions of users per day. In short, DAP gives a detailed view of what people use without massaging the data. 

DAP Linux desktop market share for the past 30 days (8 August, 2026).

sjvn/ZDNET

DAP gets its raw data from a Google Analytics account. DAP has open-sourced the code that displays the data on the web, as well as its data-collection code. You can download its data in JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) format so you can analyze the raw numbers yourself.

When I last looked at DAP's numbers, the Linux desktop had a 5.8% market share. DAP showed a much more modest gain from 0.5% to 6.3%. 

Also: New to Linux? This 10-day checklist will help you settle in nice and easy

On the other hand, Android, which is also a Linux-based OS, had a 12.1% share, while Chrome OS had a modest 0.6%. Add them together, and you get a 19% end-user Linux share. 

I think we can safely say that Linux is now a significant end-user operating system, and not just something for programmers and nerds.

Why are people leaving Windows?

Back in 2025, I identified five drivers for people switching from Windows to Linux. These were: Microsoft's shift from Windows as a product to Microsoft 365 and cloud services; the increased viability of gaming via Steam and Proton; drastically improved ease of use in mainstream distros; broader hardware support; and rising concern about privacy and data control.

Three other drivers have emerged since then. One is that many companies and users still have perfectly good Windows 10 machines that can't 'upgrade' to Windows 11. ControlUp, a company that would love to help you move to Windows 11, found that about 25% of consumer and business Windows 10 PCs can't be moved to Windows 11. 

Also: Microsoft surprises with its first server Linux distribution: Azure Linux 4.0

StatCounter and DAP's numbers prove this theory. Even though Windows 10 is no longer fully supported, StatCounter's figures suggest the OS still comprises 22.16% of all Windows users. Meanwhile, DAP shows Windows 10 is still the most popular version of Windows at 25% to Windows 11's 14.6%.

Another factor is that many people really, really don't want to move to Windows 11. A UK survey by consumer group Which? in September 2025 found that 26% of respondents intended to use Windows 10 even after updates stopped.

Perhaps the most important reason, though, is one that Ed Bott, ZDNET resident Windows expert, has recently observed: "Windows has become increasingly annoying, not by accident but by design, with monetization as the end goal."

Also: Here's my way of convincing Windows users to switch to Linux 

Bott makes a key point. Windows 11 has become a billboard for Microsoft's services, especially AI.

Now, I'm not an AI Luddite, but I like to choose when and how I use AI. Windows, on the other hand, increasingly forces AI down my throat. I'm not one bit happy about this. And I'm not the only one. On the Reddit thread about Bott's Windows 11 article, the most popular comment reads: "Copilot everywhere not working out, who could've seen that coming?" Well, you, me, and all the rest of the population who are sick and tired of AI everywhere all the time. 

Why are people moving to Linux?

Even now, some people say Linux is hard to use. No, it's not. Bright folks have finally figured out that Linux distros such as Linux Mint, Ubuntu, elementaryOS, Ubuntu Budgie, and Pop!_OS are easy to use. I've taught people in their late seventies, with whom I didn't even share a common language, how to use Linux. If they could learn, you can learn.

Also: This free Linux tool makes it easy to check your PC battery and disk usage - here's how

As for applications, yes, there are a handful of Windows applications you can't run on Linux. Most, however, you can. For games, look to Steam; for office and general-purpose programs, check out Wine. For most Software as a Service (SaaS) business applications, such as Microsoft 365, you can run them on your Linux PC using a web browser. That's what I do on the rare occasion I must use a Microsoft Office application. 

Linux applications are almost always free and easy to install. You don't need to know any shell command magic. To install most programs, you click the application installation button just like you do on your smartphone, and you'll be in business in a few minutes. 

Need a machine to run Linux on? You can run Linux on pretty much any PC you can lay your hands on. If you have a Windows 10 machine, for instance, that can't upgrade to Windows 11, it's simple to move to Mint Linux. 

Also: Need to run Windows or Android apps on Linux? This new release makes it easy

If the very idea of installing an operating system gives you hives, you can buy a PC with Linux already installed from Linux specialist companies such as System76, Tuxedo Computers, and Framework. Or, if you'd rather buy a brand-name computer, Dell offers Linux PCs and laptops, while Lenovo and HP often sell Linux machines.

Finally, Linux has long been more secure than Windows, and it still is today. Yes, AI has led to more security threats than ever, but Windows is still far more vulnerable than Linux is. Don't believe me? Microsoft has recently had to patch more security holes in Windows -- 570 -- than ever before. 

So, why not join the Linux revolution? The system works well, it doesn't cost a thing, and you won't be forced to deal with AI nonsense every time you turn on your computer. Give Linux a try. I think you'll like it.