Switcher 2026: Zorin OS 18.1 ⭐

Zorin released Zorin OS 18.1 recently, but I’ve been using a near-final version since the previous week. This is clearly one of the best Linux distributions for Windows switchers looking for a soft landing, and I write that having used a long list of Linux distributions this year, ranging from old favorites to surprising newcomers. Zorin OS is terrific … But there is one bedeviling problem that I can’t overcome, and while it’s not specific to Zorin OS, it’s gotten in the way of me using it more.

Here’s what I’ve seen over the past few weeks or so.

💲 There are free and paid versions

Zorin is semi-unique in the Linux world in that there are free and paid versions of the distribution. The free version, Zorin OS Core, will likely satisfy most needs, and you should of course just start there for testing purposes before committing, if ever, to the paid version. But there is also a free Lite version that just made the jump to the version 18.x codebase and is aimed at lower-end or older PC hardware, plus a free Education version.

The paid version, Zorin OS Pro, costs a bit under $48 in the U.S. It provides several additional desktop layouts, including some that Windows 11 or Mac switchers will want, creator software like an image editor, video editor, and more, the ability to use a single keyboard and mouse with multiple PCs, productivity software like Planify, the Xournal+ note-taking app, and more, display casting capabilities, additional wallpapers, and access to Zorin support. Also, individuals can install Zorin OS Pro on as many PCs as they own, and you can use it for life with software updates through at least June 2029, though you will need to pay for Zorin OS 19 Pro whenever that occurs.

Whether any of this is worth it to you, Zorin does make a good case for paying for Pro. And I did pay for it myself, mostly for the additional desktop layouts, which I do find preferable to the stock layouts, and to support the work Zorin is doing for its users and upstream in the Linux ecosystem. In trying to solve the one glaring issue I’ve had, as noted below, I reinstalled Zorin OS a few times, and on different computers. And as I write this, I’m using the Core version.

💻 Hardware support

I initially installed Zorin OS 18.1 on the same 14-inch laptop I previously used with Fedora Workstation. It has an Intel Core Ultra “Meteor Lake” processor, Nvidia RTX 500 graphics, 32 GB of RAM, and 512 GB of storage, plus a 14-inch display with a 2560 x 1600 resolution and a 120 Hz refresh rate.

Everything works about as well as one could hope, though the automatic screen dimming was a bit aggressive for my tastes, so I disabled that. All the keyboard-based media functions seem to work correctly, as do keyboard backlighting, sound, and power management. Connectivity has never been an issue via Wi-Fi, and though I never did connect a Bluetooth device, it has no problem seeing all my compatible devices.

The only issue I had is that the fingerprint reader wouldn’t work, and it has with other distributions, including Fedora. I can’t explain this, as it can see it but lists it as disabled, and though it displays the dialog for enrolling a fingerprint, clicking the “Scan new fingerprint” doesn’t work. I Googled this—OK, actually, I Binged this, as explained below—and came across this Reddit thread, and was positive the suggestion there would fix it, but it did not. I also tried lsusb from the Terminal command line, but there weren’t any errors.

Later, after reinstalling Zorin OS 18.1 on this and one other computer and–voila!–the fingerprint reader was enabled and now works fine. Not sure what happened there but at least this issue is fixed.

✅ Software support

Zorin OS uses the same Software app store as Fedora, and it looks and works similarly if not identically. Typora is available there, so that install was seamless. I’ve tried multiple web browsers, as per the problem noted below, and I’ve been experimenting with the Windows app alternatives that Zorin recommends and offers.

Gaming has worked as well as I’ve seen elsewhere, and it’s interesting that this is turning from a liability to a strength across the Linux ecosystem.

☁️ Services support

Like every Linux distribution I’ve tried recently, Zorin OS has an Online Accounts interface in Settings that lets you connect to your Google, Microsoft, Microsoft 365, Nextcloud, and other accounts for email, calendar, contacts, and storage. And in that latter case what you get is a network-like interface where you can browse the remote cloud storage service as if it were network-attached storage.

But I’ve had an issue lately, not unique to Zorin OS, where it just doesn’t work, sometimes for Google accounts and always for Microsoft accounts: I select that option, click “Sign in” in the dialog that appears, the default web browser opens, and it asks me if I would like to sign in to GNOME. I try to do so, and after entering my email address, the Microsoft Authenticator app on my phone pops up. So I authenticate and select the correct code. And then it just doesn’t work. In Linux, in this case Zorin OS, nothing happens. When I try again, it never gets past that sign in to GNOME webpage.

I’ve tried a few things in the hope of fixing this. And I did successfully connect my Google account, at least. One of those things was installing Microsoft Edge and then removing the default browser (Brave) in part because this thing doesn’t have any notion of a default web browser. (This explains my Bing usage noted above.) But it will not work.

I did see a note in the Zorin forums about installing a second browser, switching to that as the default browser, and then switching back to the original browser. This is tied to what made a Google account work for me, though it didn’t solve the issue for my Microsoft account. I’ve tried multiple browsers, reconfigured the default browser multiple times, rebooted, and so on, and it just won’t work.

To reiterate, it’s not just Zorin OS: I have this same problem in some other Linux distributions now, too. But I know it can work because I’ve used it elsewhere, and while I am OK with not having Files on Demand support, not having any access at all is a big problem. My guess is that this is tied to some fairly recent GNOME version, or perhaps Ubuntu, the upstream Linux distribution that Zorin is based on.

🩷 What makes Zorin OS special

While any number of Linux distributions can be described as being friendly to those familiar with Windows, Zorin OS stands out. The default theme, or “appearance,” as Zorin calls these things, is overtly modeled on Windows 10, with a bottom-mounted taskbar and a Start button-like “Z” button that opens a Start-like menu when clicked. There’s even a version with a smaller taskbar, a feature Windows 10 had and Windows 11 currently lacks.

If you don’t mind paying to get more themes, you can upgrade to Zorin OS 18.1 Pro. Among those these are some that look and work like Windows 11, which I love, but also macOS, Chrome OS, and several others.

Zorin OS has a level of fit and finish that’s not necessarily uncommon in Linux, but often with an eye on the needs of a Windows switcher. There’s a high quality app store, called Software, but also a simple “Install Windows App Support” interface for running some Windows apps and a database of Windows app alternatives from which to choose when that doesn’t work. You can also just search for common Windows apps in Software (like “Photoshop”) to get lists of alternatives (like Photocrea, GIMP, and so on).

Most Linux distributions support Windows-like keyboard shortcuts, and like many, Zorin OS even supports things like WINKEY + E to open Files, the GNOME equivalent of File Explorer, and WINKEY + 1 to open the first app pinned to the taskbar. These are small things, but they speak to a level of thoughtfulness I appreciate.

Conclusions

Anyone who uses Linux probably has one or more favorite distributions, and I wouldn’t be surprised if many of those preferences boiled down to some difficult to describe quality, some special something that just makes it feel right to them. Zorin OS is like that to me, and while I’ve been pleasantly surprised by other distributions, some new to me, some more familiar but recently updated, Zorin OS somehow just sticks the landing for me. And that’s still true with Zorin OS 18.1, though I need to get past that Online Services issue.

Pros

✔️ A soft landing for Windows users

✔️ Attractive, familiar, and highly configurable desktop

✔️ Formal system for Windows app compatibility and alternatives

✔️ Excellent hardware support

Cons

❌ Online Services is broken for me for some reason

❌ Some features are tied to the paid Pro version