Scared to Try Linux? Use a Virtual Machine First.

You’ve used Windows or macOS for years. It’s what you know. Not that you love it. But it’s what your computer runs.

You’ve heard about Linux though and are intrigued. But switching? That sounds like a lot. After all, you don’t know Linux. You know Windows or macOS. You’ve read about people switching and liking it, but where do you even begin?

I get the apprehension. Replacing what you know with something foreign can be scary. But instead of jumping feet first into the Linux water, there’s something you can try first instead.

The most common way to try Linux

If you have an installation of Windows that you don’t want to modify, one of the easiest ways to try out Linux is to create a “live” Linux USB drive by downloading the Linux distro of your choice and using a tool like Rufus or Balena Etcher to flash the image onto the USB drive.

Then you’d boot your computer from the USB drive and use the Linux distro without ever touching your files. This is a great way to check to see if a particular distro runs well on your computer and, more importantly, if you like it.