How to Install Zorin OS for Windows Switchers

Zorin OS is built specifically for people moving from Windows. It mimics the familiar taskbar layout, Start-menu-style app launcher, and system tray so you don't have to unlearn decades of muscle memory on day one. Under the hood it's Ubuntu LTS, which means broad hardware support, a massive software library, and long-term security updates. This guide walks you through downloading the ISO, creating a bootable USB, installing the OS, picking your desktop layout, and understanding which apps replace the Windows ones you're used to.

Choose the Right Edition

Zorin OS comes in three tiers:

• Core — free, based on GNOME, includes the Windows-style layout. Recommended starting point.
• Lite — free, XFCE-based, designed for older hardware (2 GB RAM, 15-year-old CPUs).
• Pro — paid (~$18 USD), adds extra layouts (macOS-style, tablet-style), additional pre-installed apps, and funds development.

For most Windows switchers on hardware from the last eight years, Core is the right pick. Download the ISO from zorin.com/os/download. Verify the SHA256 checksum shown on the download page before writing it to USB.

sha256sum ~/Downloads/Zorin-OS-17-Core-64-bit.iso

Compare the output against the checksum on the Zorin site. They must match exactly.

Create a Bootable USB Drive

You need a USB drive of at least 4 GB. Everything on it will be erased.

On Windows (before you switch)

Use Rufus. Select the ISO, leave the partition scheme on GPT for any PC made after 2012, and click Start. When prompted about writing in ISO mode vs DD mode, choose Write in DD Image mode for best compatibility.

On an existing Linux machine

Find your USB device node first — lsblk before and after plugging it in to identify it (commonly /dev/sdb or /dev/sdc). Replace /dev/sdX below with your actual device, not a partition.

sudo dd if=~/Downloads/Zorin-OS-17-Core-64-bit.iso \
     of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress oflag=sync

Triple-check the device path. dd will overwrite whatever target you give it without confirmation.

Boot from USB and Start the Installer

Plug the USB into the target PC. Restart and enter the boot menu — typically F12, F10, Esc, or Del depending on your motherboard manufacturer. Select the USB drive. If the machine boots back into Windows, you may need to disable Secure Boot or Fast Boot in UEFI firmware settings first.

Zorin boots to a live desktop. You can browse the internet and try the layout before committing. When ready, double-click Install Zorin OS on the desktop.

Walk Through the Installer

Language, keyboard, and updates

Select your language and keyboard layout. On the "Updates and other software" screen, check Install third-party software for graphics and Wi-Fi hardware. This pulls in codecs and proprietary drivers automatically — skip it and you may find no sound or a low-resolution display.

Disk partitioning

Two safe options:

• Erase disk and install Zorin OS — wipes the entire drive. Use this on a dedicated machine or a PC you're fully committing to Linux.
• Install alongside Windows — creates a dual-boot setup. The installer shrinks the Windows NTFS partition and places Zorin in the freed space. GRUB will appear at every boot letting you choose which OS to start.

If you choose alongside, drag the divider to allocate space. Give Zorin OS at least 30 GB; 60 GB is comfortable for a daily driver.

Timezone and user account

Set your timezone on the map, then create your username and password. Check Require my password to log in. The installer does not create a separate root account — your user gets sudo privileges, same model as Ubuntu.

Click Install Now and confirm the partition write. Installation takes 10–20 minutes depending on your storage speed. Remove the USB when prompted and reboot.

First Boot: Choose Your Desktop Layout

After logging in for the first time, Zorin OS opens the Zorin Appearance app. This is the layout chooser and it's the feature that makes this distro stand out for Windows switchers.

• Windows 11-style — centered taskbar icons, a Start-button launcher bottom-center.
• Windows Classic-style — taskbar pinned bottom-left, Start button in the corner. Most comfortable for Windows 7/10 users.
• GNOME default — Activities overview, top bar only.

Pro users also see macOS-style and touch-optimized layouts. Pick one now — you can change it any time from Settings → Zorin Appearance.

Pre-Installed Apps and Windows Equivalents

Zorin OS Core ships with practical defaults that cover what most switchers need immediately:

Windows app	Zorin OS equivalent
Microsoft Edge / Chrome	Firefox (pre-installed); install Chrome via Software store
Microsoft Office	LibreOffice Writer, Calc, Impress
Windows Media Player	Totem (Videos) with codecs pre-enabled
Photos / Paint	GNOME Photos, GIMP (install from Software)
Notepad	gedit / GNOME Text Editor
File Explorer	Nautilus (Files), similar two-pane layout
Windows Update	Software Updater (GUI) or apt in terminal

For software not in the default install, open the Software app (GNOME Software). It includes Flatpak support out of the box, which gives you access to the full Flathub library — Spotify, Discord, VS Code, Steam, and thousands more.

Run Your First Update

Before doing anything else, pull in the latest security patches. Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Reboot if a kernel update was applied:

sudo reboot

Verify the System Is Working

Check a few basics after first update:

# Confirm kernel and distro version
uname -r
lsb_release -a

# Check Wi-Fi and network are up
ip link show
nmcli device status

# Confirm graphics driver in use
glxinfo | grep "OpenGL renderer"

Output will vary. You want a real GPU name in the OpenGL renderer line, not "llvmpipe" — the latter means the 3D driver is running in software mode. If you see llvmpipe, open Software & Updates → Additional Drivers and install the recommended proprietary driver for your GPU.

Troubleshooting

Black screen after GRUB

Common on NVIDIA hardware. At the GRUB menu, press e on the Zorin entry, find the line starting with linux, and add nomodeset before quiet splash. Press F10 to boot. Once in, install the NVIDIA proprietary driver via Additional Drivers, then remove nomodeset from /etc/default/grub and run sudo update-grub.

Wi-Fi not detected

Some Broadcom and Realtek chips need non-free firmware. Run:

sudo apt install linux-firmware broadcom-sta-dkms -y
sudo modprobe wl

If the adapter still doesn't appear, check lspci | grep -i network and search the Zorin Community Forum with that chip model.

Windows partition missing from GRUB

If dual-booting and Windows doesn't appear in the GRUB menu:

sudo os-prober
sudo update-grub

os-prober scans for other operating systems and update-grub writes them into the boot menu. Reboot and Windows should appear as an option.

Touchpad gestures feel wrong

Zorin 17 runs on Wayland by default on supported hardware. Three- and four-finger gestures are handled by libinput. If gestures are missing or reversed, install Touché from the Software store to configure them graphically without touching config files.