Want to switch to Linux, but are you afraid of being left without applications? Internet browsers or Spotify work exactly the same, but what about Word, Paint or specialized software? We have prepared a practical guide for Windows migrants. We will show you how easy Linux installations are today, but we will also admit which professions Linux is still taboo for due to missing programs.
Switching from Windows to Linux raises many people’s concerns.
“Will I even be able to run my favorite programs there?” The good news is that modern Linux offers full-fledged replacements for everything you use every day. This overview will show you how to easily replace the most common applications.
Internet and communication (No changes)
You won’t notice any difference in this area. Most major programs have an official version for Linux.
Web browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Opera, Brave.
Communication: Discord, WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Microsoft Teams, Zoom.
Media: Spotify, VLC Media Player.
Office work
You don’t have to give up your documents and spreadsheets.
LibreOffice : The default office suite on Linux. It’s free and fully compatible with Word (.docx) and Excel (.xlsx) formats.
OnlyOffice : A great alternative that visually replicates Microsoft Office almost perfectly.
MS Office Web / Google Docs: If you use Office 365 in a browser, it works 100% on Linux.
Graphics, photos and video
For basic photo and home video cropping, Linux excels. For professionals, there are other advanced tools.
Painting – (MS Paint), Pinta or Drawing: Simple editors for quick edits.
Adobe Photoshop, GIMP or Photopea : GIMP is a powerful free tool. Photopea runs in the browser and looks exactly like Photoshop.
Video editing – Kdenlive or CapCut : Kdenlive is a top-notch free program for Linux, CapCut works great in the browser.
System tools and utilities
You can handle common tasks like managing files or taking notes with ease.
File Explorer – File Manager (Nautilus/Dolphin): They work on the same principle (Folders, Documents, Downloads).
Notepad – Text Editor (Gedit/Kate): Simple tools for quick notes.
Total Commander – Double Commander: A faithful copy of the popular two-panel file manager.
What if the program doesn’t have a Linux version? (e.g. Games and Specials)
If you absolutely need to run a program from Windows (.exe file), Linux uses built-in tools to do this:
Steam (Proton): Today, thanks to Proton technology, you can run the vast majority of Windows games on Linux with one click.
Bottles / Wine: Programs that allow you to install and run common Windows applications directly in the Linux environment.
So how is it?
You don’t have to worry about the installation itself – in modern Linux it’s actually easier than in Windows. Forget about crawling websites and downloading installers. Just open the built-in software center (which works exactly like Google Play or the App Store on your mobile), click and you’re good to go.
But let’s not be naive, Linux is of course not self-sufficient .
IIf your work depends on specialized software, switching to Linux can be challenging. For example, many businesses rely on programs like QuickBooks, Sage Accounting, AutoCAD, Siemens TIA Portal for industrial automation, or Adobe Creative Cloud applications such as Photoshop and Premiere Pro. These professional tools are designed mainly for Windows and macOS, and there are often no official Linux versions available. In such cases, you may need to keep a Windows installation or use a virtual machine.
The reason is simple: money and the market.
It’s simply not worth it for developers to spend millions rewriting complex software for Linux when the vast majority of their customers are on Windows. Moreover, these corporate and industrial programs need deep integration with Windows drivers to be able to communicate with machines and the corporate network. So if you can’t do without these specific programs at work, Linux is unfortunately not the solution for you at this time.
Where to download free programs and applications for Linux?
Most of the most popular Linux applications today can be downloaded via Flatpak , Snap, or AppImage . These modern distribution methods make it easy to install programs no matter what Linux distribution you’re using.
Whether you’re looking for a web browser, office suite, graphics editor, music player, or video editing tool, you’ll very often find them in Flatpak , Snap , or AppImage format .
| Application repository | Application type |
|---|---|
| Flatpak (Flathub) | Probably the most widely used universal format. Works on almost all distributions. The main repository is Flathub. Applications run in a sandbox. It is supported by Ubuntu, Fedora, Linux Mint, Debian, openSUSE, Arch Linux and many others. |
| Snap | It is developed by Canonical (the creators of Ubuntu). It is included with Ubuntu by default. It also uses a sandbox. It is not as popular outside of Ubuntu due to its centralization. |
| AppImage | It does not require installation. Just download the file, set the execution rights and run it. For example, the Krita painting program. Ideal for portable applications. It does not have a central store like Flathub. |
Snap and Flathub repositories demo
How to download a program from the Snap Store and Flathub?
In Linux today, you don’t have to just search for programs on the Internet and install them manually. You can find many applications in online catalogs, similar to the Microsoft Store in Windows or Google Play on mobile phones.
The most widely used include the Snap Store for applications in Snap format and Flathub for applications in Flatpak format.
As an example, we will show you how to download the video editing and editing program Kdenlive .
Downloading the program via Flathub (Flatpak)
- Open the Flathub website .
- Type Kdenlive in the search .
- Select the Kdenlive application .
- Click the install button.
- If your distribution has Flatpak support, the application will open in the program manager and offer to install.
- After confirmation, the program will be downloaded and installed.
Alternatively, Kdenlive can also be installed using the command in the terminal:
terminal:
flatpak install flathub org.kde.kdenlive
Once the installation is complete, you will find Kdenlive among the other applications on your system.
Downloading the program via the Snap Store
- Open the Snap Store .
- Type Kdenlive in the search .
- Select an application.
- Information about the program and the installation option will be displayed.
- If you are using a system with Snap support, you can install the app directly through the application manager.
Installation via terminal:
sudo snap install kdenlive
After installation, you can run the program just like a regular application.
Why use Flatpak, Snap or AppImage?
These installation methods have several advantages:
- applications work on multiple Linux distributions,
- you don’t have to deal with manually downloading packages,
- programs often have their own necessary libraries,
- updates can be performed automatically,
- installation is easier even for beginners.
Thanks to these options, Linux is now much more accessible even to users who previously only used Windows.
How to install Flatpak or Snap on Linux?
Some Linux distributions have Flatpak or Snap support built in. However, if your distribution doesn’t have this option, you can easily install it.
You can find detailed instructions at the end of the Ubuntu installation tutorial.
Once installed, you will be able to use thousands of applications from the Flathub (Flatpak) or Snap Store (Snap) catalogs.