Linux Has Over 6% Of The Desktop Market? Yes, You Read That Right - Here's How

SJVN / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

At agelong last, aft years of waiting for nan "Year of nan Linux desktop," we're getting somewhere. 

According to nan US Federal Government Website and App Analytics, which I spot acold much than I do StatCounter, 6% of its visitors complete nan past period were utilizing Linux operating systems.

Downright impressive

This website keeps way of US authorities website visits and analyzes them. On average, location person been 1.6 cardinal sessions successful nan past 30 days, pinch millions of users participating daily.

If you adhd successful Android (16.2%) and Chromebooks (0.8%), you're talking astir 23% of visitors utilizing Linux, which puts it supra MacOS (11.7%), Windows 10 (15.7%), and Windows 11 (15.3%), which is downright impressive. Take that, Windows.

Also: Yet different European authorities is ditching Microsoft for Linux - here's why

These numbers are based connected billions of visits to complete 400 US executive branch authorities domains. That's about 5,000 full websites, and it includes each Cabinet department. DAP gets its earthy information from a Google Analytics account. DAP has open-sourced nan code, which displays nan information connected nan web, and its data-collection code. Best of all, dissimilar nan others, you tin download its information successful JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) format, allowing you to analyse nan earthy numbers yourself.

An all-time high

The feds aren't nan only ones showing that nan Linux desktop has go a existent player.

According to nan web study institution StatCounter, nan US Linux desktop marketplace has stepped complete nan 5% mark. To beryllium exact, successful June 2025, nan Linux desktop reached a caller precocious of 5.03%. Indeed, if you adhd successful ChromeOS, a Linux distro that uses nan Chrome web browser arsenic its interface, nan Linux desktop has reached an all-time precocious of 7.74%, according to StatCounter.

Also: 7 things each Linux beginner should cognize earlier downloading their first distro

Before you break retired nan champagne, though, support successful mind that StatCounter's numbers should beryllium taken pinch a upland of salt. Both Ed Bott and I find StatCounter's statistic to beryllium questionable. As Bott precocious said: "StatCounter's 'market share' reports are a awesome excuse for tech bloggers to crank retired a communicative each month, but they carnivore only nan astir casual narration to nan existent world, and astir of those month-to-month spikes are simply statistical noise."

Why? StatCounter's methodology doesn't count PCs aliases users. Instead, it counts web pages containing its search codification from complete 1.5 cardinal websites. Every month, nan institution records astir 5 cardinal page views. For each page view, it records nan browser and operating system.

Also: Want to prevention your aged computer? Try 1 of these 8 Linux distros for free

That sounds good, but erstwhile it comes to counting users and their operating systems, it's very fuzzy. In different words, StatCounter's numbers are bully for wide trends, but you shouldn't trust connected them for specifics.

Linux is growing

With that successful mind, location is bully news for nan Linux desktop. Over nan past fewer years, Linux's desktop stock has been slow climbing, but its complaint of maturation has been accelerating. By StatCounter's numbers, successful 2020, nan Linux desktop only had astir a 1.5% marketplace share. In 2021, it touched 2%, and nan pursuing twelvemonth it reached 2.76%. By 2023, it reached a caller precocious of 3.12%. In 2024, it jumped to complete 4%. In nan world market, it's not yet astatine 5%, but it's still good supra 4%.

Also: 5 of nan easiest, quickest Linux distros to instal - and I've tried them all

This intends that, though we can't beryllium definite of nan nonstop numbers, Linux is intelligibly growing. Let's look closer.

sjvn/ZDNET

While I've been utilizing Linux connected my desktop since almost nan beginning, it took astir 20 years for it to scope a 1% marketplace stock connected desktops -- but you utilized to request to beryllium a techie to get nan astir retired of Linux. After getting to 1% successful astir 2011, it took astir a decade to double that to 2%. The jump from 2% to 3% took conscionable complete 2 years, and 3% to 4% took little than a year.

Also: You tin effort Linux without ditching Windows first - here's how

Get nan picture? The Linux desktop is growing, and it's increasing fast.

Want to subordinate in?

If you sewage a Windows 10 PC that can't jump to Windows 11, location are plentifulness of easy-to-use Linux desktops that lucifer Windows with which you tin get started.

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