Linux Mint is good, pretty easy to set up and use. Has a similar interface to Windows by default. It's also popular, so it's usually easy to find a solution to your problems when you run into them.
this post was submitted on 23 Oct 2025
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libre
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I second this. I installed Mint 10 days ago and it just... Works? Like, things aren't exploding, I get automatic backups, easy graphical interface, and everything simply works. Highly recommended.
FYI Mint's default included automatic backup system, TimeShift, backs up your system, not your personal files. Pika is probably what you want for backing up personal files automatically.
Timeshift can back up your personal files too.. it is just set not to do that by default.
Oh sick, that'll simplify things! Thanks
Actually, how do you set that on? I'm trying to find it and have not been able to so far. Looking it up mostly I see "it is recommended to use another backup system for your personal files."
If you open Timeshift, go to Settings then the Users tab you can change it from Exclude all files to Include All Files or Include Hidden Files
I turned on Include Hidden Files a while ago and suddenly found I had a 500GB snapshot in timeshift... it was backing up my ~/.steam folder which I definitely did not want.. you can further customize what you want it to back up in the next tab, Filters
Thank you that's actually so simple!
yep, you're welcome!
i suggest anything that advertises itself as atomic, as long as you don't break the seal you will never have your system break
Linux Mint. Reliable, works out of the box on a huge range of hardware.
Message me anytime if you need a hand! Happy to help people escape Windows.
Edit: Huh, I could have sworn Mint had an official KDE version. My mistake.
There is no KDE version of Linux Mint? At least not from their download page
Running KDE (a.k.a. "Plasma") does not require any changes to the underlying OS. It is just additional software which can be installed from the package manager. The display manager (the thing which prompts you for a username/password to log in) allows you to choose which desktop environment (I.e. Gnome, Cinnamon, Plasma) you would like to use for your session.
Distros which ship separate Gnome/KDE versions pretty much differ only in their default settings and out-of-the-box experience.
These are gaming distros that are trendy right now:
- debian based PikaOS: https://wiki.pika-os.com/en/home
- fedora atomic based Bazzite: https://bazzite.gg/
- arch linux based CachyOS: https://cachyos.org/
I use Cachy on my Steam Deck and laptop. I don't use game on my laptop but it has been working alright on both systems.
Bazzite is supposed to be based on Fedora Atomic. I don't understand Atomic systems too well but mostly it means that the root filesystem is immutable and you install apps through flaptaks and such. It makes your system less prone to breaking. So keep that in mind if you choose it.
If you choose Linux you are probably going to play around with a few distros before settling in on one so try to have fun with the process.
Edit: I also recommend the KDE variant of whatever you use. KDE is intuitive and familiar if you are coming from Windows. It is also mature, stable and batteries-included.
my rec would be the KDE variant of bazzite. i use it as my daily driver and to play games in. the KDE desktop environment is very windowsy, but far more customizable and configurable to what you liked about windows.
KDE is love. KDE is life.
my normal generic recommendation is fedora, but i hear bazzite is good for g*ming
I'm also exploring Linux for basically the first time and have a pretty similar spread of use cases as you; gaming, emulation, streaming, video editing, gamdev, etc. I'd recommend looking at your preferred software and seeing if there's a native Linux version available. For example, I use OBS, Resolve, and Godot -- all three have Linux builds. Most emulators have Linux builds as well.
Gaming is where things get a bit more nebulous. Some have native Linux builds, others run through compatibility layers. Again, I'd look at the games you are playing and look them up on ProtonDB, which is a community-run site dedicated to cataloging how well games on Steam run on SteamOS/Linux. For example, Battlefield 6 doesn't run on Linux likely due to anti-cheat. Other new stuff like Silent Hill f seems to work fine.
I haven't started experimenting yet, but I had a post earlier this week that got a bunch of comments on here and the general consensus seems to be Bazzite for gaming purposes, especially for new Linux users. It's an "immutable" distro, which by my understanding means the core OS is read-only so it's difficult to really mess your system up. I've also heard a lot about CachyOS as well, which might be somewhat more performant for gaming since it's built on Arch.
If by streaming you mean stuff like Netflix, Prime Video and such, that is actually a problem on Linux. Netflix will only go to 720p and other services are either 480p or 720p. The only streaming platform I know of that streams 1080p on Linux is Crunchyroll, but last I checked they were partnering with an Israeli company, so fuck them.
I’ve also heard a lot about CachyOS as well, which might be somewhat more performant for gaming since it’s built on Arch.
There's a lot of hype around CachyOS, but it being Arch based shouldn't really make a difference when compared to any Fedora based distros like Bazzite because both would be fairly up-to-date, any difference in performance would probably come down to either specific choices in those distros or an issue that might not be solved in other distros.
Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy moving to the Tux side 
Also most games are compatible through proton at this point, but you can find out for specific games at ProtonDB
Usually anticheat support is the main thing that causes incompatibility
Either the KDE or GNOME edition will work, depends on your personal preference.
Also I've heard Linux is incompatible with some games?
The only games that don't run on Linux are games you shouldn't be playing anyway :p like online shooter slop or league of legends.
editing videos
The main video editors are Kdenlive, blender, shotcut and Davinci Resolve (proprietary but the most mature).
If you aren't doing anything too wild (like making a feature length movie with complex VFX etc) you can use kdenlive, if you already used davinci on windows then you can use it on Linux as well.
Which distro is davinci the best to install/run on?
Bazzite. They offer a convenience script ujust install-resolve
I'll echo what others have said, Bazzite is an amazing choice, it's what I use daily on my PC and I also have it installed on my laptop that my brother uses.
Since you also wants to video edit, on Linux the options I know of are KDEnlive, Shotcut, Olive and DaVinci Resolve. Bazzite comes with a configuration script to install Resolve, just have to type ujust --choose on the terminal and then select it.
Please don't call it that. By reverting you gaining, not losing
What software, what games, do you need to run? Protondb will tell you.
What hardware do you have? People complain about the nvidia drivers but it’s honestly fine.
It’s not gonna run like windows. You can make it similar (and I kinda do, lxqt, taskbar on the left hand side) but the way you figure stuff out is gonna be different because the way options and capabilities are surfaced to you is different.
That’s why “beginner friendly” distros are so awful. Ultimately the new user has to learn how they’re supposed to do stuff with the system and just like when going between a mac and pc there’s no need for some layer to facilitate that learning once the user understands that they gotta learn a new way of thinking there’s no need for some simplicity layer. Linux is already simple.
Anyway just install Debian and figure it out. You’ll be fine.