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Linux has over 6% of the desktop market
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ZDNet ☛ Linux has over 6% of the desktop market? Yes, you read that right - here's how
At long last, after years of waiting for the "Year of the Linux desktop," we're getting somewhere.
According to the US Federal Government Website and App Analytics, which I trust far more than I do StatCounter, 6% of its visitors over the last month were using Linux operating systems.
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TechSpot ☛ Linux surpasses 5% market share on US desktops for the first time
New data reveals how the American desktop landscape is shifting. Linux has achieved a new milestone in the United States, breaking the 5 percent barrier for desktop operating system market share for the first time. The OS now holds 5.03 percent of the desktop market in the country, marking a significant landmark in the journey of open-source computing.
According to StatCounter's Global Stats for June 2025, Windows remains the clear leader, commanding 63.2 percent of the market, but it has experienced a steady decline, losing nearly 13 percentage points over the past ten years. Apple's presence, split between OS X at 16.57 percent and macOS at 7.72 percent, collectively accounts for nearly 24 percent. The "Unknown" operating system category accounts for 4.76 percent, while Chrome OS comprises 2.71 percent of the desktop ecosystem.
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FUDZilla ☛ Linux smashes through five per cent desktop share in the US
2025 really is the year of Linux on the desktop
For the first time ever, Linux has clawed its way past the five per cent desktop market share barrier in the United States so maybe 2025 is finally the much predicted year of Linux on the desktop.
StatCounter’s latest figures for June 2025 show Linux holding 5.03 per cent of the US desktop market. That might sound modest, but it is a massive milestone for the open-source faithful who have been banging on for decades that Linux would one day break through. Even more satisfying, Linux has now overtaken the “Unknown” category in the stats, a small but symbolic victory that shows the growth is no longer being ignored or misattributed.
Update
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Linux Surpasses 5% Market Share in the United States for the First Time
The latest data shared by StatCounter, collected in June, shows that Windows remains the most used operating system in the United States, with 63.2% of the total market. In second place is Apple, which holds a market share of 16.57% with OS X and 7.72% with macOS, adding up to almost 24% in total.
Under the “unknown” category, other operating systems account for 4.76%, while Chrome OS represents 2.71% of the total. Linux has also made progress compared to the previous month (May), increasing its market share from 4.47% to 5.03%. This is still a small share compared to Windows, but it is getting close to macOS, which only holds 7.72%.
A couple more:
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Microsoft boosts Apple and Linux with Windows 11 upgrade tax
Linux hits 5% of desktop OSes in the US, Apple's share grows — and Windows slowly falls, according to StatCounter.
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Linux breaks a new record for US market share as people presumably flee Windows for its open-source rival
As the Windows 10 end-of-life date rapidly approaches, Microsoft would really like for everyone to just upgrade to Windows 11 already. However, it's finding it difficult to dislodge the people who have stuck to their guns and stayed with Windows 10. While Windows 11 has surpassed Windows 10 for market share, there are still a ton of people hanging onto the older operating system. It has reached the point where the company has introduced ways for people to extend their Windows 10 support, albeit at a cost that requires either payment or investment in Microsoft's other products.
However, Microsoft's efforts have caused its previously rock-solid grip on Windows users to crack a little. People using Windows 10 have recently been checking out Linux as an alternative, and the open-source community has been welcoming them with open arms. And while there's no solid proof to say this is the cause, there's a good chance that it's the reason why Linux has managed to breach 5% of the US market share for the very first time.
PCMag:
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Linux Just Hit a Big Milestone in the Desktop OS Race
Open-source operating system Linux may have lagged behind its better-known competitors like macOS and Windows for decades—but it looks like it may finally be getting its day in the sun.
According to Statcounter's June 2025 stats, spotted by TechSpot, Linux now has a 5.38% share of the US desktop operating system market, its highest-ever result. But though Linux is holding a bigger slice of the pie than ever before, OSes from tech giants like Apple and Microsoft still control the vast majority of the market.
Windows maintains a clear lead with 63.2%, while Apple controls 24%, split between OS X at 16.57% and macOS at 7.72%. But this might be a story of Windows’ recent dip as much as L
Notebookcheck:
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2025 could finally be the year of the Linux desktop as the OS attains 5% US desktop market share for the first time
"The year of the Linux desktop" is a phrase — now a meme — that signifies increased acceptance of Linux as a viable consumer OS giving strong competition to Windows and macOS. Each year, at least since 1998, has been touted to be the year of the Linux desktop, but the aphorism never came to be a reality.
But things could be changing soon.
According to the latest StatCounter numbers for June 2025, Linux has now managed to get 5.03% of the desktop OS market share in the United States between May 2024 and June 2025. Microsoft Windows still remains the market leader with a high 63.2% share, but this number is at a 13% low considering numbers over the past decade.
Among Windows versions, Windows 11 now accounts for 54.72% while Windows 10 — which held 56.04% share till February 2025, with a peak of 66.69% in December 2024 — has now fallen to 42.11% in June 2025.
Apple's OS X has a decent 16.57% of the market while the newer macOS only musters 7.72%. Combined, Apple operating systems have a 24.29% base, which is still miles behind that of Windows.
One more:
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Linux Passes 5% Milestone
Latest figures from StatCounter show that Linux achieved a 5.03% share of the Desktop Operating System market in June 2025, something that is being viewed as a pivotal moment for open-source software enthusiasts and industry observers alike.
Looking at the StatCounter chart for the United States of America for the period June 2024 to June 2025, the red line for Linux, among the cluster of lines at the bottom of the chart, seems flat but there has been movement, both up and down with the second to greatest difference being between May and June 2025 when it was over half a percentage point: