--- title: Zorin OS 18 Reaches 1 Million Downloads, Offering a... description: Zorin OS 18 achieved over 1 million downloads within a month, driven by Windows 10's end-of-support in October 2025 and user concerns about Windows 11's... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/zorin-os-18-reaches-1-million-downloads-offering-a-gateway-for-windows-and-macos-users-cr4mhfg77 twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Zorin OS 18 Reaches 1 Million Downloads, Offering a Gateway for Windows and macOS Users | daily.dev og:description: Zorin OS 18 achieved over 1 million downloads within a month, driven by Windows 10's end-of-support in October 2025 and user concerns about Windows 11's... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/zorin-os-18-reaches-1-million-downloads-offering-a-gateway-for-windows-and-macos-users-cr4mhfg77 og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/cr4mhfG77.png og:image:alt: Zorin OS 18 Reaches 1 Million Downloads, Offering a Gateway for Windows and macOS Users 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. # Zorin OS 18 Reaches 1 Million Downloads, Offering a Gateway for Windows and macOS Users **[Collections](https://daily.dev/sources/collections)** · 2 min read · 2 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Zorin OS 18 achieved over 1 million downloads within a month, driven by Windows 10's end-of-support in October 2025 and user concerns about Windows 11's requirements and privacy. The Ubuntu-based distribution offers a Windows-like interface, runs Windows applications through Wine 10, and supports gaming via Proton. Linux market share has grown from 1.5% in 2020 to over 11% in 2025, with Zorin OS appealing to users through its free and paid versions, support for older hardware, and direct upgrade path from version 17 to 18. ## Content Zorin OS 18 has rapidly become a prominent choice for users transitioning from Windows or macOS, with over 1 million downloads within a month of its release. This surge signifies a broader trend in the rising adoption of Linux across desktops, driven by several factors. One of the key motivations behind this shift is the end-of-support for Windows 10 in October 2025, which left many users exploring alternative operating systems. Zorin OS, a distribution based on Ubuntu, particularly appeals to these users by offering a familiar interface reminiscent of Windows. It further facilitates a smoother transition with its ability to run Windows applications through Wine 10 and enables gaming through its support for Proton via Steam. Furthermore, privacy concerns and dissatisfaction with the changes brought by Windows 11, including its new interface and AI integration, have prompted users to consider Linux more seriously. This is especially true for those resisting hardware upgrades necessitated by Windows 11's requirements. Linux, when accounting for ChromeOS and other systems, has notably expanded its market share, growing from 1.5% in 2020 to over 11% in 2025. Government data also reflects this increase, indicating that 5.8% of desktop traffic comes from Linux-based systems, a figure that rises to 23.3% when including Android and ChromeOS. Zorin OS 18's success can also be attributed to its flexibility, offering both free and paid versions and specifically catering to older hardware with its Lite edition. The recent introduction of a direct upgrade path from Zorin OS 17 to 18 ensures that existing users can easily transition without losing their data and settings. While not every downloader will switch permanently, the substantial interest in Zorin OS highlights Linux's growing reputation as a viable alternative, particularly for those who are part of European digital sovereignty initiatives seeking independence from Microsoft solutions. ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Zorin OS 18 Broke Download Records on Windows 10 EOL Day](https://daily.dev/posts/zorin-os-18-broke-download-records-on-windows-10-eol-day-65uxqdacf) · omg\! ubuntu\! · 76 upvotes · 7 comments --- Tags: [#open-source](https://daily.dev/tags/open-source), [#linux](https://daily.dev/tags/linux), [#windows](https://daily.dev/tags/windows) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/zorin-os-18-reaches-1-million-downloads-offering-a-gateway-for-windows-and-macos-users-cr4mhfg77) ```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"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Zorin OS 18 Reaches 1 Million Downloads, Offering a Gateway for Windows and macOS Users","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/zorin-os-18-reaches-1-million-downloads-offering-a-gateway-for-windows-and-macos-users-cr4mhfg77","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/zorin-os-18-reaches-1-million-downloads-offering-a-gateway-for-windows-and-macos-users-cr4mhfg77"},"datePublished":"2025-11-29T16:59:19.654Z","dateModified":"2025-11-30T23:34:00.475Z","description":"Zorin OS 18 achieved over 1 million downloads within a month, driven by Windows 10's end-of-support in October 2025 and user concerns about Windows 11's...","image":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RIcPeTmwYh8/sddefault.jpg","thumbnailUrl":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RIcPeTmwYh8/sddefault.jpg","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Collections","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Collections","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--fk_6ycEi--/f_auto,q_auto/v1780996001/logos/collections?_a=BAMAMiWQ0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/collections"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/zorin-os-18-reaches-1-million-downloads-offering-a-gateway-for-windows-and-macos-users-cr4mhfg77","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":2},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"open-source,linux,windows","timeRequired":"PT2M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Collections","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/collections"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Zorin OS 18 Reaches 1 Million Downloads, Offering a Gateway for Windows and macOS Users"}]} ```