Linux reaches an all-time high in the operating system market of 4.4% – helped by Microsoft and Steam Deck

Linux’s share of the PC operating system market has reached an all-time high of 4.44%, according to new statistics from StatCounter. Last year, the market share of this OS was 3.12%, and in July 2022 – 2.76%. In percentage terms, the increase may seem small, but in terms of actual numbers, it is a huge leap, especially considering that most Linux distributions are distributed free of charge and do not have marketing support.

Image source: Pexels & StatCounter

The Linux operating system’s market share was above 4% for the first time in February 2024, but fell below 3.9% in April and May. It recovered to 4.05% in June and peaked at 4.44% in July. If the current growth dynamics are maintained, the share of this OS could reach 5% by February 2025.

Image source: StatCounter

Most consumers still don’t seriously consider choosing Linux as their daily operating system. Windows OS, according to July StatCounter statistics, is used by 72.1% of PC owners. However, due to its flexibility, openness and accessibility, as well as a wide range of general-purpose and specialized distributions, Linux is widely used in many enterprise IT systems.

Microsoft plays its role in the popularization of Linux, perhaps without realizing it, by making Windows 11 difficult to install by imposing strict hardware requirements for the operation of this OS, which discourages potential users from switching to it from the same Windows 10. Switching to macOS is a very expensive alternative to Windows because it requires the appropriate hardware to use it.

As Tom’s Hardware notes, there has also been a small but definite increase in the number of Linux users since Valve released the Steam Deck in 2022, which uses the SteamOS operating system, which has its roots in Linux, although Valve itself doesn’t admit it.