--- title: Ubuntu's fastest-growing user base might be on Windows,... description: Ubuntu installs via Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) are reportedly growing faster than native Ubuntu desktop installs, according to a Canonical... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/ubuntu-s-fastest-growing-user-base-might-be-on-windows-not-linux-hnibljxlc twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Ubuntu's fastest-growing user base might be on Windows, not Linux | daily.dev og:description: Ubuntu installs via Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) are reportedly growing faster than native Ubuntu desktop installs, according to a Canonical... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/ubuntu-s-fastest-growing-user-base-might-be-on-windows-not-linux-hnibljxlc og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/hNIblJXlc.png og:image:alt: Ubuntu's fastest-growing user base might be on Windows, not Linux og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Ubuntu's fastest-growing user base might be on Windows, not Linux **[Collections](https://daily.dev/sources/collections)** · 2 min read · 64 upvotes · 25 comments ## Summary Ubuntu installs via Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) are reportedly growing faster than native Ubuntu desktop installs, according to a Canonical representative. Developers stuck with corporate Windows laptops are using WSL to get a Linux environment for backend, ML, and AI work without dual-booting or fighting IT policy. The piece frames this as Windows quietly becoming a host for Linux development rather than desktop Linux replacing Windows outright, echoing a comment from Gergely Orosz. ## Content Here's a strange twist in the Linux desktop story: Ubuntu's fastest-growing user base isn't running Linux at all. It's running Windows. According to Canonical's VP of Engineering, Jon Seager, Ubuntu installs via Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) are growing faster than native Ubuntu desktop installs. He expects WSL usage to overtake native desktop usage within months. Soon, most people running Ubuntu could be doing it from inside Windows. ## Why this is happening A lot of developers don't get to pick their own machines. Their employer hands them a Windows laptop, full stop, but their actual work — especially anything touching AI or machine learning — often assumes a Linux environment. WSL is the workaround: install Ubuntu inside Windows and get the tooling you need without fighting IT for a new laptop. It's a pragmatic move, and apparently a popular one. Enough developers are doing this that it's reshaping where Canonical's user growth actually comes from. ## Canonical doesn't seem to mind This isn't really a problem for Canonical's bottom line. Ubuntu Pro already treats WSL instances the same as native installs — same coverage, same up to 15 years of CVE patching, same toolchain support for Python, Go, and Rust. Whether you're running Ubuntu on bare metal or inside a Windows subsystem, Canonical gets paid the same way. From their side, growth is growth. ## The part that gives me pause Here's what I keep chewing on: if WSL makes Linux this convenient inside Windows, does that quietly kill any incentive to fix the native Linux desktop story? IT departments don't need to approve Linux laptops if developers can just spin up Ubuntu in a terminal window. Hardware vendors don't need to worry about Linux driver support if everyone's booting Windows anyway. So we might be looking at Linux adoption numbers going up while the actual pressure to ship real Linux hardware and real Linux support goes down. That's not exactly the outcome Linux desktop advocates were hoping for, even if the usage stats look great on a slide. ## Questions this post answers ### Is Ubuntu usage growing faster through WSL or through native Linux desktop installs? Ubuntu installs via Windows Subsystem for Linux are growing faster than native Ubuntu desktop installs, according to Canonical's VP of Engineering Jon Seager, who expects WSL usage to overtake native desktop usage within months. This is largely driven by developers issued Windows laptops by their employers who need a Linux environment for AI and machine learning tooling. _Developers tracking where Linux and WSL adoption is headed can follow ecosystem shifts like this on daily.dev._ ### Does Ubuntu Pro provide the same support for WSL instances as for native Ubuntu installs? Yes, Ubuntu Pro treats WSL instances the same as native installs, offering the same coverage including up to 15 years of CVE patching and the same toolchain support for Python, Go, and Rust. Canonical earns the same revenue whether Ubuntu runs on bare metal or inside a Windows subsystem, so the shift toward WSL does not hurt its business. _Anyone weighing Ubuntu Pro coverage across WSL and native setups can keep up with these details on daily.dev._ ## Community discussion Top comments from developers on daily.dev. **@sagormajomder** · 9 upvotes > Linux is freedom **@asmui\_ahmad** · 8 upvotes > It hurts when ppl using linux only for WSL, didn't see much potential of Linux itself **@debajyatidey** · 7 upvotes > As expected **@sam7work** · 6 upvotes > give them time, they will be running arch soon BTW **@chrisab** · 5 upvotes > Its like people using Internet Explorer/Edge for Downloading Chrome in Windows. ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Ubuntu on Windows is about to become more popular than Ubuntu itself](https://daily.dev/posts/ubuntu-on-windows-is-about-to-become-more-popular-than-ubuntu-itself-v1olajxzd) · XDA Developers · 74 upvotes · 27 comments --- Tags: [#linux](https://daily.dev/tags/linux), [#windows](https://daily.dev/tags/windows), [#ubuntu](https://daily.dev/tags/ubuntu) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/ubuntu-s-fastest-growing-user-base-might-be-on-windows-not-linux-hnibljxlc) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} 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