Linux continues to gain ground in the desktop market space, hitting 4.45% in July 2024 as the open-source OS continues to grow in popularity.

Linux has been making some impressive gains on the desktop in the last year, crossing 3% share for the first time ever in July 2023. After taking almost 32 years to reach that milestone, Linux quickly topped 4% eight months later in March 2024.

According to Statcounter, Linux reached 4.45% desktop share in July 2024, an impressive gain over a mere four months.

There are likely a number of factors driving Linux adoption, including an increasing wariness of Big Tech among consumers and regulators alike, as well as Windows 11’s general unpopularity.

Microsoft’s increasingly aggressive tactics—including full-screen popups and ads—that it is using to push OneDrive, Edge, and other products, has led even long-time users to look for other options. The company’s wholesale effort to adopt AI, and push it onto customers has also disenfranchised some users.

Linux has proven to be a viable option for users looking to escape the Microsoft ecosystem, providing an easy-to-use OS that is open-source, privacy-respecting, and secure. Thanks to the effort of countless developers, the Linux app ecosystem is better than ever, giving users access to open-source and commercial software alike.

Users, organizations, and companies interested in making the switch to Linux should check out our Linux Distro Reviews series, with special attention to Linux Mint and Linux Mint Debian Edition, the two distros to receive five-star reviews.