2025 may be the year that Linux finally takes over the desktop in the US. The OS has reached 5% market share.
Linux reaches 5% desktop OS market share indicating rising adoption among consumers and gamers. (Image generated via ChatGPT)
The latest StatCounter numbers show Linux gaining 5.03% of the US desktop OS market share. This continues the trend of Linux gaining traction among desktop users and gamers, a likely side effect of cessation of Windows 10 support in October and Valve’s gaming push with the Steam Deck alongside Linux distros becoming increasingly more user-friendly over the years.
“The year of the Linux desktop” has become a meme that represents the increased acceptance of Linux, a viable consumer operating system that is strong competition for Windows and macOS. Since 1998, each year has been proclaimed as the year of the Linux Desktop, but this aphorism has never become a reality. But this could change soon.
The latest available information StatCounter numbers show that Linux has managed to gain 5.03% market share for desktop OS in the United States from May 2024 to June 2025. Microsoft Windows is still the market leader, with a 63.2% share. However, this number is 13% lower than it was in the previous decade.
Windows 11 is the most popular version of Windows. Now accounts 54.72%, while Windows 10 — that held 56.04% until February 2025 and reached a peak of 66.69% in December 2024 — is down to 42.11% by June 2025.
Apple OS X holds a solid 16.57% share of the market, while the newer macOS is only able to muster 7.72%. Apple’s operating systems are combined to have a base of 24.29%, which is still far behind Windows.
These numbers show a significant increase in Linux’s market share. It now surpasses the “Unknown” group at 4.76%. Chrome OS is a distant second at only 2.71%.
US desktop OS market share for the period between June 2024 and June 2025. (Image Source: StatCounter)
Over the past few decades, Linux desktop adoption has steadily increased. The OS has grown from 2.76% in just 2022 to 3.12% in 2030, 4.44% by 2024 and 5.03% by 2025.
Take into account that it took Linux two decades to reach a desktop market share of 1% in 2011, and another decade to reach 2% in 2011.
US Federal Government Websites and App Analyticsis a tool that analyzes the performance of websites and apps for the US Federal Government. ZDNet prefers to StatCounter because it shows that 23% of visitors are Linux users (including Android and ChromeOS) while 11.7 percent use macOS. Windows 10 users make up 15.7% of visitors, while Windows 11 users make up 15.3%.
Windows 10 users with otherwise perfect hardware were unable to upgrade to Windows 11 because of the TPM requirement. Microsoft does not officially support the methods of bypassing it.
Windows customers are also not happy with Microsoft’s push for ads and Copilot to be integrated into nearly every aspect of the OS – even the humble Paint app and Notepad are not spared.
MacOS, on the other hand, is still dependent on the expensive hardware that it comes with. Apple’s move away from x86 Macs means that support is almost extinct. macOS Tahoe is the last version to support Intel CPUs. It is also against Apple’s EULA for macOS to be installed on non-Apple Hardware.
Hackintoshing can be a difficult process that requires a steep learning curve.
It seems that users feel that Linux can fill this void.
Linux can be more efficient than Windows, even on the same hardware, because it is free, privacy-focused and offers endless customization.
Distros such as Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora, and others are doing their best to make Linux more user-friendly. Compatibility layers like WINE enable Linux users to run popular applications like Microsoft Office with little difficulty. Microsoft has its own distro, CBL-Mariner, for Azure. It also uses WSLg in the backend of WSL 2 to allow native Linux apps on Windows.
While Windows is still the main gaming platform, thanks to tools like Proton, and Valve’s own push towards Linux gaming through Steam Deck and Steam OS many popular AAA games can be played on Linux today without sacrificing performance or visual fidelity.
The Steam Deck brought Linux gaming to the masses
The popularity of gaming-focused distros such as Manjaro, Bazzite and Garuda Linux is increasing among gamers who want to try Linux with their games.
Though a cell and molecular biologist by training, I have been drawn towards computers from a very young age ever since I got my first PC in 1998. My passion for technology grew quite exponentially with the times, and it has been an incredible experience from being a much solicited source for tech advice and troubleshooting among family and friends to joining Notebookcheck in 2017 as a professional tech journalist. Now, I am a Lead Editor at Notebookcheck covering news and reviews encompassing a wide gamut of the technology landscape for Indian and global audiences. When I am not hunting for the next big story or taking complex measurements for reviews, you can find me unwinding to a nice read, listening to some soulful music, or trying out a new game.
