Switching from Windows to Linux no longer means relearning everything from scratch. A growing number of users are sticking with mainstream Ubuntu and reshaping its look and feel to mirror Windows, keeping familiarity while gaining flexibility, stability, and long-term support.
Ubuntu, not a niche offshoot, is becoming the quiet compromise.
Why many users are skipping niche Windows-style distros
For years, the usual advice to Windows converts was simple: install a Linux distribution that already looks like Windows. Zorin, AnduinOS, and similar projects often came up in forums and comment threads.
They do work, at least at first.
But there’s a catch that doesn’t get talked about enough. Smaller distros depend on small teams. Updates can slow. Support can get patchy. Sometimes projects just stop. That’s not drama, it’s history.
Ubuntu, backed by Canonical and used by millions, doesn’t have that problem.
One short sentence matters here.
Stability beats novelty over time.
That’s why some users, including long-time tech writers like João Carrasqueira, have gone the other way. Instead of changing distros, they change the interface. Ubuntu stays underneath, solid and boring in a good way, while the surface gets reshaped into something that feels very Windows-like.
The result? Less friction, fewer surprises, and updates that actually arrive.
GNOME extensions do most of the heavy lifting
Ubuntu uses the GNOME desktop by default, and GNOME is… opinionated. It favors minimalism, keyboard shortcuts, and workflows that feel alien to Windows users at first glance.
That’s where extensions come in.
Out of the box, Ubuntu doesn’t make extensions easy to manage, which is mildly annoying. Users typically install Flatpak and enable Flathub, then grab the GNOME Extension Manager from there. It sounds technical, but it’s mostly copy-paste work in the terminal.
One paragraph, one point.
Extensions change everything without breaking the system.
With the right mix installed, GNOME starts behaving less like stock Ubuntu and more like Windows 10 or Windows 11. A taskbar at the bottom. A proper app menu. System tray icons that don’t vanish into mystery.
Common changes users apply include:
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A bottom dock that behaves like the Windows taskbar
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A traditional Start-style app menu
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Window buttons placed and sized like Windows
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Persistent system tray icons
There’s no single “Windows mode” switch. It’s a stack of small tweaks that add up. Miss one, and it feels off. Get them right, and muscle memory kicks in fast.
Visual tweaks that quietly do the rest
Once behavior feels right, visuals follow.
Ubuntu themes can be swapped without much drama. Window borders, icons, cursors, fonts. These details sound cosmetic, but they matter more than people admit. Humans notice edges, spacing, and contrast instantly.
One short paragraph sits here.
Familiar shapes calm the brain.
Many users switch icon packs to something closer to Windows’ flat, squared-off look. Fonts get changed to Segoe-style alternatives. Window controls shift slightly to match spacing Windows users expect.
Here’s a simple comparison of what changes most people focus on:
| Element | Default Ubuntu | Windows-styled Ubuntu |
|---|---|---|
| Taskbar | Left dock | Bottom taskbar |
| App menu | Overview grid | Start-style menu |
| Icons | Ubuntu Yaru | Windows-like icon pack |
| Window buttons | GNOME default | Windows placement |
| System tray | Limited | Always visible |
None of this touches the core system. Updates still arrive. Security patches still apply. If something breaks, removing an extension usually fixes it.
That reversibility is important.
Apps matter more than the wallpaper
Looks alone won’t keep Windows users happy. Software habits run deep.
Ubuntu’s app ecosystem has improved a lot, especially for people coming from Microsoft land. Office alternatives like OnlyOffice and LibreOffice feel less foreign than they used to. Browsers, messaging apps, and cloud tools behave the same as on Windows.
One sentence makes the point.
If your apps feel right, the OS fades into the background.
Some users even install KDE apps on Ubuntu, mixing environments without switching distros entirely. That’s how flexible Linux has become. Ten years ago, this would’ve been messy. Today, it’s mostly fine.
Gaming, once a deal-breaker, has also shifted. Steam’s Proton layer now runs thousands of Windows games on Linux, often with minimal effort. It’s still not perfect, but it’s no longer a joke either.
That reality plays into why users are bothering with these tweaks at all.
Why Ubuntu is often the safer long-term bet
Ubuntu’s appeal isn’t excitement. It’s predictability.
Canonical publishes long-term support releases every two years, each supported for five years. That matters for people who don’t want to reinstall their OS every time a project changes direction.
A one-line pause.
Nobody wants surprise maintenance.
Smaller distros can feel fun, even clever, but they rely on fewer maintainers. Ubuntu’s ecosystem, from drivers to documentation, is deeper. Forums are active. Bugs get noticed.
For corporate users, students, and freelancers, that reliability matters more than perfect visual mimicry.
And here’s the thing. Making Ubuntu look like Windows doesn’t lock you into that choice forever. Extensions can be removed. Themes can be changed. The system underneath stays the same.
That flexibility is why this approach is spreading quietly, without fanfare.
Familiarity without surrendering control
There’s a subtle shift happening in how people think about operating systems. Instead of picking one “identity” and sticking to it, users are mixing traits.
This approach lets people escape forced updates, ads baked into the OS, and hardware requirements they didn’t ask for, while keeping the comfort of a layout they’ve used for decades.
Ubuntu doesn’t pretend to be Windows. It just lets users bend it enough that the difference stops being annoying.
