AnduinOS is a free, Ubuntu-based Linux distro that's tailor-made for folks who want a Windows-like desktop without Microsoft breathing down their neck. It's lightweight (around 2 GB), privacy-respecting (no telemetry), and works great on bare metal or in a virtual machine. Runs on pretty much any modern x86-64 machine.

Getting Started: What You're Getting Into

AnduinOS looks and feels like a streamlined version of Windows, but it's all Linux under the hood. The GNOME desktop is clean, simple, and easy to navigate, even if you've never touched Linux before.
There are two flavors:

LTS (Long Term Support): Based on Ubuntu 24.04. Stable and supported through 2029.

Standard: Built on Ubuntu 25.04. Newer features, shorter support cycle.

Choose the one that fits your needs. Go with LTS if you want stability and fewer surprises. Pick Standard if you like shiny new things and don't mind upgrading more often.

How to Download It Without Losing Your Mind

The ISO is small, but the download can be painfully slow, depending on the server. If you want to avoid the waiting game, grab the torrent version using qBittorrent or something similar.

Installing It: USB, VM, or Dual-Boot

After downloading, you've got a few ways to install it.

On a USB stick: Use Rufus if you're on Windows. Linux folks can fire up dd. It's a regular ISO, nothing tricky.

In a VM: Installation on our VMWare Workstation was super easy and took about 10 minutes. Runs well in VirtualBox or VMware. Set the VM type to Ubuntu 64-bit, give it 2 GB of RAM and at least 20 GB of disk space, then mount the ISO. One heads-up: once the installation finishes and you reboot, make sure you remove the ISO from the virtual drive. If you don't, it will try to boot the installer again or hang. The same goes for physical installs; unplug that USB before restarting.

Dual-booting with Windows: You'll need to prep a little. Make sure Windows is using UEFI, then disable Fast Boot and Secure Boot in the BIOS. Shrink your Windows partition, boot into AnduinOS, and let the installer take care of the rest. The GRUB bootloader usually handles things well, but always back up first, just in case.

First Boot: What to Expect

AnduinOS comes with the essentials baked in. You get core GNOME tools like a file manager, image and document viewers, a media player, a system monitor, a calculator, and a BitTorrent client. Firefox is preinstalled, too. So you've got everything you need to get online, browse, play media, and poke around right out of the gate.

Once you're in, you'll see a GNOME desktop that borrows a lot from Windows. It's got a taskbar, an app menu, and a layout that feels familiar.
Installing apps is straightforward. Flatpak comes preloaded for graphical apps. Need something like Steam or Spotify? Easy. Prefer terminal life? You've got apt, just like any other Ubuntu system.
If you need a different language or input method, you can pick it up during installation or switch it afterward. It supports a range of builds, including English, Chinese, and more.

Real-World Use: Who's It For?

This distro is a great fit for anyone who wants a Windows-style layout without the baggage that comes with modern Windows operating systems. It respects your privacy, skips the bloat, and keeps things clean. Perfect for folks transitioning from Windows to Linux, whether they need a casual daily driver or a solid development machine. It's also a smart pick for anyone hanging onto a Windows 10-era PC that doesn't qualify for Windows 11. AnduinOS gives those machines a new lease on life without slowing you down.

Pros & Cons Rundown

Pros:

Familiar interface, especially for Windows users

Small ISO, quick install

No telemetry, no-nonsense

Plays nice in virtual machines

Cons:

Download speed from the site can be sluggish

Still a newer project with a smaller community

Dual-booting may require extra BIOS tweaks

Geek Verdict

AnduinOS wasn't built by a big Linux company. It's the side project of a Microsoft engineer who wanted to create something light, fast, and Windows-friendly. Think about that. Microsoft's own folks are building a better Linux for us in their spare time. Maybe it's a passion project, or maybe it's Microsoft's quiet way of dipping toes into the Linux crowd. Tinfoil hat time? Maybe. Either way, the result is a distro that feels honest, practical, and easy to use with a very familiar Windows feel. If you're sick of bloat, allergic to telemetry, or just want something clean that works, AnduinOS is worth the install.