How to Install Linux, Step by Step
Installing Linux is far less scary than it sounds — about 30 minutes of mostly waiting. Follow these steps in order and you won't lose any files or break your existing system.
Before you start: pick a distro
If you haven't chosen one yet, read best Linux distros for beginners first. For this guide we'll assume Linux Mint or Ubuntu — the steps are identical for both.
Step 1 — Back up your files
Always. Copy anything irreplaceable to an external drive or cloud storage before touching partitions. You almost certainly won't need it, but "almost" is why backups exist.
Step 2 — Download the ISO
Go to the official site for your distro and download the desktop ISO file (it's around 2–3 GB). Only ever download from the official project website — never a mirror you found in a forum.
Step 3 — Make a bootable USB
You'll need an 8 GB+ USB stick (it gets wiped). The easiest tool is balenaEtcher, which works on Windows, Mac and Linux:
- Open balenaEtcher.
- Select your downloaded ISO.
- Select your USB stick.
- Click Flash and wait a few minutes.
Step 4 — Boot from the USB
Restart your computer and open the boot menu — usually by tapping F12, F10, Esc or F2 right as it powers on (the key varies by brand). Choose your USB stick from the list.
Step 5 — Try it live first
Every beginner distro boots into a full "live" desktop you can use without installing anything. Click around, test your Wi-Fi and trackpad, open a browser. This is your risk-free test drive — nothing is written to your hard drive yet.
Step 6 — Run the installer
When you're happy, double-click Install on the desktop. The wizard asks a few simple questions: language, keyboard, Wi-Fi, and time zone. The one screen that matters is the disk step:
- Erase disk and install — wipes everything for a clean, pure-Linux machine. Best if you're going all-in.
- Install alongside Windows — dual-boot; you pick which OS to use at each startup. Best while you're still trying Linux out.
Pick one, confirm, and let it run. It'll copy files for ten or fifteen minutes, then ask you to remove the USB and reboot.
Step 7 — First boot
Log in, run your updates, and you're done. A good next move is to learn your way around the terminal with our 30 essential commands — you'll feel at home within a day.