What You'll Find Here
The number one worry about switching to Linux is "will my programs work?" This page lists the 20 Windows applications people ask about most, and the Linux software that does the same job. Many of them (Firefox, VLC, Steam, VS Code, Thunderbird) are the exact same app you already use — they just run natively on Linux too.
Each row is tagged with how big the switch feels:
- Same app / Easy — same program or a near-identical one. No relearning.
- Medium — does the same job, but menus and workflow differ. Budget an afternoon to learn it.
- Hard — the replacement is capable but different enough that professionals may miss specific features.
Before You Start: Enable Flathub (One Time)
Most apps below are installed from Flathub, a universal Linux app store that works on every major distro. Some distros (Fedora, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS) already have it. For the others, run the line for your distro once:
# Ubuntu / Debian
sudo apt install flatpak gnome-software-plugin-flatpak -y
# Fedora (usually already installed)
sudo dnf install flatpak -y
# Arch
sudo pacman -S flatpak
# All distros: add the Flathub app store, then log out and back in
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepoAfter that, any app in the table installs with flatpak install flathub <Flatpak ID>, or by searching for it in your Software Center.
Prefer your distro's own packages? Almost everything here is also available through apt, dnf, or pacman. See Package Management. Flatpak is used here because the commands are identical on every distro.
The 20 Apps
| Windows App | Linux Alternative | Flatpak ID | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office & Productivity | |||
| 1. Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) | LibreOffice (Writer, Calc, Impress) · OnlyOffice | org.libreoffice.LibreOffice |
Medium Opens and saves .docx/.xlsx/.pptx. Complex Excel macros (VBA) may not run. OnlyOffice looks closer to Office's ribbon. Office 365 also works in the browser. Full comparison: Office Suites on Linux. |
| 2. Outlook | Thunderbird · Evolution | org.mozilla.Thunderbird |
Easy Gmail, iCloud, Outlook.com work out of the box. For a work Exchange account, Evolution (org.gnome.Evolution) with its EWS plug-in is the closest fit, or use Outlook on the web. |
| 3. OneNote | Joplin · Obsidian | net.cozic.joplin_desktop |
Medium Joplin can import from Evernote and sync through many services. Obsidian (md.obsidian.Obsidian) stores notes as plain Markdown files. |
| Internet & Communication | |||
| 4. Edge / Chrome | Firefox · Chromium · Google Chrome · Microsoft Edge | org.mozilla.firefox |
Same app Firefox ships with most distros. Chrome and Edge have official Linux downloads; sign in and your bookmarks sync. |
| 5. PuTTY (SSH) | Built-in terminal + ssh · Remmina |
built in | Easy SSH is already installed. Just type ssh user@server. See Networking Basics. |
| 6. Remote Desktop Connection (mstsc) | Remmina | org.remmina.Remmina |
Easy Connects to Windows PCs over RDP, plus VNC and SSH, all from one window. |
| Creative & Media | |||
| 7. Adobe Photoshop | GIMP · Krita (painting) | org.gimp.GIMP |
Hard Layers, masks, healing, and non-destructive filters are all there, but the menus differ. |
| 8. Adobe Lightroom | darktable · RawTherapee · digiKam (library) | org.darktable.Darktable |
Hard Very powerful RAW editor with its own way of working. |
| 9. Adobe Illustrator | Inkscape | org.inkscape.Inkscape |
Medium Full vector editor that works natively in SVG. Opens .ai files saved with PDF compatibility. |
| 10. Adobe Premiere Pro | Kdenlive · DaVinci Resolve | org.kde.kdenlive |
Medium Kdenlive is free and easy to pick up. DaVinci Resolve (download from Blackmagic's site) is a Hollywood-grade editor with a native Linux version. See Video Editing on Linux. |
| 11. Adobe Audition | Audacity · Ardour | org.audacityteam.Audacity |
Same app Audacity is identical on Linux. Ardour is a full multitrack studio for music recording. See Audio Production. |
| 12. Windows Media Player / iTunes | VLC (video) · Strawberry or Rhythmbox (music library) | org.videolan.VLC |
Same app VLC plays almost everything. Strawberry (org.strawberrymusicplayer.strawberry) manages big music libraries. Want your own Spotify? See the Raspberry Pi music server. |
| 13. Microsoft Paint | Pinta · KolourPaint | com.github.PintaProject.Pinta |
Easy Pinta is a simple, familiar drawing app with layers. |
| 14. Snipping Tool | Built-in screenshot tool · Flameshot | org.flameshot.Flameshot |
Easy Press Print Screen in GNOME or KDE. Flameshot adds arrows, boxes, and blur for annotating. |
| Developer & System Tools | |||
| 15. Notepad++ | Kate · Gnome Text Editor · or run Notepad++ itself via Wine | org.kde.kate |
Easy Kate has tabs, syntax highlighting, and plug-ins. Can't give up Notepad++? The Wine guide installs it step by step. |
| 16. Visual Studio / VS Code | VS Code · JetBrains Rider (for .NET) | com.visualstudio.code |
Same app VS Code is identical. Full Visual Studio doesn't exist for Linux; Rider or VS Code with the C# Dev Kit replaces it for .NET work. |
| 17. File Explorer | Files (Nautilus) · Dolphin | built in | Easy Every desktop comes with one. Dolphin (KDE) has tabs and split view. Learn where things live in File System Basics. |
| 18. Task Manager | Mission Center · System Monitor · htop |
io.missioncenter.MissionCenter |
Easy Mission Center looks almost exactly like Windows 11's Task Manager. See also Process Management. |
| 19. 7-Zip / WinRAR | Built-in archive manager (File Roller / Ark) · PeaZip | io.github.peazip.PeaZip |
Easy Right-click a .zip/.7z/.rar → "Extract Here". From the terminal: 7z x file.7z or unzip file.zip. |
| 20. Steam & PC Games | Steam (with Proton) · Lutris · Heroic | com.valvesoftware.Steam |
Medium Proton runs most Windows games automatically. Check a game on ProtonDB first. Games with kernel anti-cheat (e.g. Valorant) won't work. |
Install a Starter Pack in One Go
This installs the most popular picks from the table above. Delete any line you don't want.
flatpak install -y flathub \
org.libreoffice.LibreOffice \
org.mozilla.Thunderbird \
org.videolan.VLC \
org.gimp.GIMP \
org.inkscape.Inkscape \
org.kde.kdenlive \
org.remmina.Remmina \
org.flameshot.Flameshot \
io.missioncenter.MissionCenter \
com.visualstudio.codeWhat If There's No Linux Version?
Work down this list in order — the first option that works is usually the best one:
- Look for a web version. Office 365, Figma, Canva, and Teams all run in the browser.
- Try Wine. Wine runs many Windows programs directly on Linux without Windows. Read What Is Wine? (and How to Use It).
- Use a Windows virtual machine. For stubborn apps, run real Windows in a window. See KVM/QEMU or VirtualBox.
- Dual boot. Keep Windows around for the one app you can't replace. See Dual Boot with Windows.
Troubleshooting
- "flatpak: command not found" — Flatpak isn't installed. Run the install line for your distro from the setup section above.
- "No remote refs found similar to 'flathub'" — You skipped the
flatpak remote-addline. Run it, then try again. - Installed app doesn't show in the menu — Log out and back in once after your first Flatpak install.
- Flatpak app can't see a folder (e.g. a second drive) — Flatpak apps are sandboxed. Install Flatseal (
com.github.tchx84.Flatseal) and give the app access to that folder.