A quick word before you begin

This site was built to help people discover Linux and learn how to switch. Everything here is written in good faith, based on real experience, and meant to make the process as smooth as possible.

That said, changing your operating system is a real thing. It involves your computer, your files, and your setup. It’s important to be upfront about what that means.

Back up your files first

This is the single most important step. Before you install Linux, or any operating system, copy your important files to an external drive, a cloud service, or both. Photos, documents, music, anything you can’t replace. If something goes wrong during installation, files on your hard drive may be lost.

This isn’t unique to Linux. The same is true when installing Windows or macOS. But it matters, and nobody should have to learn that lesson the hard way.

Your computer, your responsibility

This site provides guides, information, and resources to help you along the way. But every computer is different, every situation is different, and a specific outcome on your specific machine cannot be guaranteed.

By following any guide on this site, you acknowledge that:

  • You are making changes to your own computer at your own risk. This site is not responsible for data loss, hardware issues, or any other problems that may result from following these guides.
  • Not all hardware works perfectly with Linux. Most does, and it gets better every year, but some devices (WiFi cards, printers, specialty peripherals) may need extra steps or may not be supported.
  • This is not professional IT support. The site points you to great communities and resources, but cannot troubleshoot your specific machine.

The live environment is your safety net

One of the best things about Linux is that you can try it before you commit. When you boot from a USB drive, nothing on your hard drive changes. You can browse the web, test your hardware, and explore the desktop without installing anything. Starting there is strongly encouraged.

Software choices are just that

When this site lists a distribution like Linux Mint or shows a tool like Balena Etcher, it’s because they offer a great experience for most people. There is no financial relationship with any project mentioned here. No ads, no data sold, and nobody pays to have their software featured.

Manufacturer warranties and support

In the United States, installing Linux typically does not void your hardware warranty under federal consumer protection law. Warranty terms vary by manufacturer and jurisdiction.

That said, most manufacturers only provide technical support for the operating system that came with your machine. If you call Dell or HP with a question and you’re running Linux, they may not be able to help you with software-related issues. That’s not a penalty, it’s just not what their support teams are trained for.

The good news is that the Linux community has some of the most helpful and knowledgeable support communities anywhere. The Get Help page will point you in the right direction.

This site links to third-party software and resources. These projects are independently maintained and their content is outside the control of this site.

No warranties

This site and its content are provided as-is, without warranty of any kind, express or implied. Every effort is made to keep information accurate and up to date, but software changes, hardware varies, and no promise can be made that every instruction will work perfectly in every situation.

If you have questions or run into trouble, the Get Help page has links to communities full of people who’ve been exactly where you are.

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are used here for identification purposes only.