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Why you should move to Linux Mint

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If you use Windows, move to Linux Mint. It is free, it runs on the computer you already own, it does not collect data about you, and on my own computer it has been far more reliable than Windows. You do not need to learn to program to use it. The first half of this post explains why to move, and the second half is a handbook for moving across and installing your apps.

Why move

Windows keeps breaking

Windows 11 has had enough broken updates that Microsoft has publicly promised to fix its quality. In January 2026, updates left some PCs unable to start, alongside bugs with shutting down and signing in. In March, the head of Windows published a commitment to Windows quality, promising better reliability and fewer disruptive updates.

Two problems pushed me off Windows. The taskbar would go blank and File Explorer would stop opening, which left my computer unusable for about five minutes a day. Microsoft has confirmed bugs like this, where the taskbar and File Explorer stop responding. My monitors also disconnected for no reason, several times a day. The same computer running Linux Mint has had neither problem.

Windows collects data you cannot switch off

On Windows 11 Home and Pro, some diagnostic data is always sent to Microsoft, because the setting to turn it off only exists on business editions. Setting up a new PC requires a Microsoft account, and Microsoft has been closing the ways around it. The Start menu recommends apps from the Microsoft Store. When The PC Security Channel tested a new Windows 11 laptop before anyone had used it, it was already connecting to Microsoft's MSN and Bing services and to Comscore, an advertising analytics company.

Linux Mint's developers state that they do not collect any telemetry inside the operating system. Mint is open source, so anyone can read its code and check this.

A smaller target, with safer places to get apps

Linux Mint is not immune to attacks, and scams and phishing work the same on any computer. It does have security advantages for an ordinary user. Far less malware is written for Linux than for Windows, partly because fewer people use it. Most apps come from signed sources that Mint checks before installing anything, and changes to the system need your password rather than a single click.

I have friends who found security flaws in Windows and reported them to Microsoft, and their reports were ignored. Many people argue that because Linux is open source, it is much easier for anyone to report and fix a flaw, without relying on a company to do it.

What about a Mac?

Apple's software is having its own problems. macOS 26 Tahoe drew a year of complaints about its see-through new design, and early users of macOS 27 Golden Gate, released on 14 September 2026, report that Mission Control is badly broken. Mission Control is the screen for switching between windows and desktops. Even so, I would pick a Mac over Windows.

The problem is cost. macOS only runs on Apple's own computers, and Apple's licence does not allow installing it on anything else. The cheapest new Mac in Australia, the MacBook Neo, is A$1,049. If you already have a Mac, it is a reasonable place to stay. If you do not, install Linux Mint on the computer you already have, for free.

How to move without being a tech guru

Linux Mint is the version of Linux to pick if you are coming from Windows, because its desktop works the way Windows does. Nothing in this handbook needs you to learn to program.

Keep Windows at first

Install Linux Mint alongside Windows first, which is called dual booting. Each time the computer starts, you choose which one to use, so you can always go back to Windows. This matters if you rely on something that only runs on Windows, such as Adobe's apps, the desktop version of Microsoft Office or some online games.

Linux Mint's official installation guide walks you through putting Mint on a USB stick and installing it. When the installer asks, choose the option to install Linux Mint alongside Windows.

Before you start, deal with Windows' drive encryption, called BitLocker, or Device encryption on Windows 11 Home. This is what can lock you out of your drive: after you install Mint, Windows can ask for a recovery key before it will start, and without that key you cannot get back into Windows. Mint's guide does not cover this, so do these first:

  1. Save your recovery key. If you sign in to Windows with a Microsoft account, it is kept at aka.ms/myrecoverykey. Write it down or print it.
  2. Turn the encryption off. On Windows 11 Home, open Settings, then Privacy & security, then Device encryption. On Windows Pro, use BitLocker Drive Encryption in the Control Panel. Mint's installer asks you to turn it off before it can install alongside Windows.

You can leave Secure Boot, a start-up security setting, switched on, because current versions of Mint install with it on. If your computer will not start the installer, the guide's start-up troubleshooting page explains what to change.

Set up your new system

The first time Linux Mint starts, a Welcome Screen opens. Its First Steps page walks you through setting up your new computer, including your colours, drivers, media codecs and system snapshots.

System snapshots are the only step that looks complicated. A snapshot saves how your system looks, so if an update or a mistake ever breaks your computer, you can put it back the way it was. Your own files, such as documents and photos, are not included, so back those up separately. The Welcome Screen recommends at least two daily snapshots and two boot snapshots, which are taken each time the computer starts. I keep five of each. Set it and forget it: you only need it if your system is ever damaged.

Settings to change once

Do this once, and most of your apps will keep themselves up to date from then on.

  • Open Update Manager, then Edit, then Preferences, then Automation, and turn on every switch. Mint then installs your updates for you, including Flatpaks, and clears out old files it no longer needs.
  • Open Software Manager, then Preferences, and turn on "Show unverified Flatpaks". They stay hidden otherwise, and step 1.b explains when to use them.
  • Install Gear Lever from Software Manager. Open it, go to Preferences, and turn on "Check updates on system startup". You only need it for step 2.b.

Installing apps

Linux Mint has several ways to install an app, and they are not equally safe or equally easy to keep updated. Try them in the order below and stop at the first one that works. Each step links to a real download page so you can see what to expect.

1. Check Software Manager first

Always search for the app in Software Manager first. An app installed from here updates along with everything else, and you remove it from the same place.

1.a It is there and verified

Install it and you are done. A verified Flatpak, such as Thunderbird, is published by the people who make the app. A "System Package" comes from Mint's own collection and is also a safe choice.

1.b It is there but listed as unverified

An unverified Flatpak shows a red shield icon labelled "Unverified Flatpak". It was packaged by someone other than the app's maker, so you are trusting a stranger with it. This is a security risk, so treat it as a last resort and first check the app's own download page for the options in the steps below.

Sometimes there is no better option. Postman's Linux instructions offer a Snap or a manual download. Mint deliberately blocks Snap, because Snap apps can only come from one store, run by Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu. The manual download never updates itself. When I installed Postman, I chose to accept the risk and use the unverified Flatpak.

2. Not in Software Manager: go to the download page

If the app does not come up in Software Manager, go to the download page on the app's own website and scroll down to the Linux options. Look for "Ubuntu" or "Mint". Mint is often not listed, and that is fine: Mint is built on Ubuntu, so the Ubuntu instructions work on Mint too.

2.a The instructions end with "sudo apt install"

If the code they give you ends with sudo apt install and the app's name, copy all of it into the Terminal app and press Enter. The code looks scary, but I promise it is easy, and you do not need to understand it. Terminal asks for your password, which stays invisible as you type it. Mullvad's Linux page is an example. The code ends with sudo apt install mullvad-vpn, so it fits our criteria.

After this one step, the app is listed in Software Manager, where you can uninstall it later, and Update Manager keeps it updated like everything else.

2.b No apt command: look for an AppImage

If you cannot find an apt command, look for an AppImage download on the website. SimpMusic's download page offers one and gives its own instructions for installing it. Ignore them. We will install it through Gear Lever instead, which lets you manage your apps and their updates in one place.

  1. Download the AppImage.

  2. In your Downloads folder, right-click the file and choose Open With, then Gear Lever. Right-click every time rather than double-clicking, so the file always goes through Gear Lever.

  3. Click "Unlock", then "Move to the app menu".

  4. Some apps have their own updater built in. Others do not, in which case you have 2 options for updates:

    1. Manually reinstall the app every time you want to update (not recommended).
    2. Set up Gear Lever to update for you.

    Option 2 requires complicated setup, but with the help of AI this is a trivial process for anyone! Copy this prompt into an AI assistant, with your app's name filled in:

    I installed [app name] on Linux Mint as an AppImage, using Gear Lever. Help me set up Gear Lever's Update management so it finds new versions of this app. Find where the app publishes its AppImage releases, then tell me which source to choose and exactly what to type in each field.

  5. When Gear Lever tells you an update is ready, click "Update".

To remove an AppImage, open Gear Lever, select the app and click "Remove".

3. Make a web app

Any website you visit in Brave can be installed as an app for convenience. It opens in its own window and sits in your app menu like any other app. This gives you an app even when the maker has none for Linux: Notion's desktop app is only for Mac and Windows, and Notion installed from Brave does the same job.

  1. Open the website in Brave and sign in.
  2. Open Brave's menu (the three lines at the top right), then Save and share, then "Install page as app", and confirm.
  3. If "Install page as app" is not there, choose "Create shortcut" instead, tick "Open as window" and click Create.

To remove a web app, open it, open its menu and choose Uninstall.

4. When nothing above works

The steps above cover almost every app you will ever need. If you have reached here without an option that suits you, there is no clean way to install that app. A workaround might exist, so search the internet for your app and Linux Mint.

For an app that runs on Windows but has no Linux version, consider Wine, which runs many Windows programs on Linux, and Bottles makes it point and click. The other route is an unofficial Linux version, made by volunteers from the open-source community. Treat these with the same care as an unverified Flatpak, because they are packaged by people outside the company.

I use two apps that have unofficial Linux versions: Wispr Flow and Claude Desktop. Claude Desktop now has its own official Linux version, in beta. Wispr Flow still does not, so I still use the unofficial build. It has a few bugs and works well enough for my needs.

Games

For games, most people use Steam, and Steam has you covered on Linux. It is in Software Manager, and its built-in Proton runs Windows games on Linux. The exception is some online games whose anti-cheat software blocks Linux, such as Fortnite and Valorant. Are We Anti-Cheat Yet lists which games work.

Keeping track of your apps

  • Software Manager, under Installed, lists the apps you added from steps 1 and 2.a. The apps that came with Mint are not shown there.
  • Gear Lever lists your AppImages.
  • Brave lists your web apps at brave://apps.