Testing Zorin OS
Sometimes we make plans, and sometimes plans appear out of nowhere. A serious weather event recently kept us housebound for days on end. We could have strapped on our old ice hockey skates and played in the ice covered street, but staying cozy indoors won out. With power and internet holding steady, we soon tired of endless streaming and web browsing. That unexpected downtime gave us the perfect excuse to finally try a Linux distribution that had been gaining serious momentum: Zorin OS.
Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. Suddenly, millions of users faced tough choices. They could upgrade to Windows 11 if their hardware qualified, buy a new machine with it preinstalled, pay or qualify for another year of security patches through Microsoft's Extended Security Updates program, or look elsewhere. That is exactly when Zorin OS took off in a major way, surpassing 1 million downloads in its first month or so, with the vast majority coming from Windows users seeking a familiar yet refreshed alternative.
Describing Windows 11 as troubled barely covers it. Between the heavy push of built-in AI features, increasing ads, and patches that sometimes cause more headaches than they solve, plenty of people started searching for better options. Open-source Linux distributions shine here because they breathe new life into aging hardware. Still, they carry a lingering reputation for being tricky to set up or not quite ready for everyday family use. The sheer number of choices does not help either. Newcomers often struggle to pick one distro from the crowd.
With time to spare and an old Windows 10 PC ready to serve as our test subject, we decided to install Zorin OS and see how well it handled real family needs.
The Donor System
The victim (er, donor) system in question was a desktop PC we bought at the beginning of the pandemic. It is an all-AMD setup that has served us faithfully ever since, with these key specifications:
- AMD Ryzen 7 3700X CPU
- AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT GPU
- 16 GB RAM
- 1 TB SSD storage
This machine has been a reliable workhorse from day one. The only real gripe has always been the fan noise. When the cooling system kicks in, it roars like a vintage DC-3 propeller plane getting ready for takeoff. You know it's putting in serious effort, but it is not exactly quiet about it.
Preparations
We kicked things off by heading to the official site at https://zorin.com/os/ and downloading the Zorin OS 18 Core ISO. This free edition includes everything most people need for everyday use, and it has proven hugely popular since its release on the same day Windows 10 support ended.
Next, we used balenaEtcher to turn that ISO into a bootable USB thumb drive. If you are new to creating live USBs or just want a clear walkthrough of the whole process (including why Zorin makes such a smooth switch from Windows), we recommend checking out this helpful video from tech expert David Bombal: Stop Using Windows — Get Zorin OS. It covers the basics in a straightforward, no-nonsense way.
With the USB ready, we plugged it into the donor PC, restarted, and entered the BIOS/UEFI settings to boot from the USB. (On most machines, this means tapping F2, F10, F12, Del, or Esc during startup—your motherboard manual or a quick online search for your model will confirm the exact key.) From there, the transformation began.
It's Alive!
We've collectively spent way too many hours installing operating systems over the years, so we were braced for the usual headaches. Zorin OS? Surprisingly quick. The whole process took less time than brewing a pot of coffee.
We booted from the USB thumb drive, waited through a quick verification step, and then breezed through the setup wizard. We opted to overwrite the entire existing drive (goodbye, old Windows install) and enabled full-disk encryption with LUKS during partitioning. We also chose the option to wipe free space for extra security. The installer warned that this would add some time, but the entire installation clocked in under 10 minutes. Seriously. We even repeated the process a couple of dozen times just to double-check we hadn't missed a step - we hadn't. This ranks as one of the fastest Linux installs we've ever done.
Once finished, we followed the prompts to reboot, removed the USB when told, and entered the LUKS passphrase at the prompt. The system unlocked instantly and landed us at the login screen. Right away, it prompted for updates, which downloaded and applied quickly with another short reboot.
What surprised us? Zorin detected and configured nearly everything automatically: the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT graphics card worked flawlessly out of the gate, integrated Bluetooth was ready to pair devices, Wi-Fi connected without fuss, and even our network printer showed up immediately in the settings. No hunting for drivers or tweaking configs. It just worked. For anyone who plays help desk for their family, this is huge!
Ready to Go
Once logged in, we were greeted with a Windows-like layout that felt instantly comfortable for existing Windows users. A few apps were pinned to the taskbar, including one of our favorites: Brave Browser. The Zorin team went a few steps further by including a customized version of Brave. As Brave's own Leo AI notes, this tailored edition disables features by default - such as Brave Rewards, Wallet, Leo AI, sponsored backgrounds, and Brave News - to reduce distractions and potential privacy concerns while keeping the core Chromium-based experience. We still tightened things up a bit by setting shields to "Aggressive" and tweaking a few other preferences to our liking.
Our first real test was streaming shows from paid services. After Brave prompted to install Widevine for DRM content, everything played smoothly and without a hitch. Zorin also ships with LibreOffice included, making the OS productive right away - no unnecessary subscriptions or forced AI features required.
Memory usage stayed impressively low, often idling around 1.2 GB, which kept everything feeling zippy even on our 16 GB system. Installing a few favorites from the built-in Software store—like Gedit and VLC Media Player was straightforward, though the store can feel a tad confusing since it offers multiple versions (Flatpak, Zorin-specific, etc.). We always selected the Zorin versions if offered.
We should note that Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW) comes preinstalled but is not enabled by default. A quick password entry and toggle in the settings turned it on for added peace of mind.
Another team member tested on a dual-boot setup, got Steam and their favorite game running without issues. Obviously, more testing across our full game library is needed, but early signs are promising.
Final Thoughts
We get it. We understand why Zorin OS has become so popular and could easily see less technically inclined family members using it daily. In fact, a few of our test subjects are already doing just that. Zorin has put in serious work to make Linux feel familiar and user-friendly. We're just amazed at how effortlessly everything went, and we think the surge in popularity is fully justified. While it's not aimed at the Arch or Qubes enthusiasts out there, it's a legitimate, welcoming option for anyone tired of sticking with Windows. It's easy to install, packs a ton of capability out of the gate, skips intrusive features, and prioritizes privacy. We like it and plan to keep testing it.
If you're looking for an alternative to Windows, Zorin should definitely be considered.
Remember: we may not have anything to hide, but everything to protect.
