Linux has surpassed 5% desktop market share in the US (5.03% in June 2025), per StatCounter, driven by privacy concerns, rising costs of Windows/macOS, and user-friendly distros like Ubuntu. Community celebrates amid gaming and enterprise boosts, though challenges like software gaps persist; analysts eye 7% by 2027.
No, the people who know how to are in the 5% range, though this article referencing a study from 2016 is likely outdated, but the computer literacy rates are likely even worse now.
I believe part of the reason Linux is getting the 5% market share isn’t necessarily because a lot more people are using Linux, but because people are switching to Chromebooks and Android tablets and abandoning their desktops, taking off the share of Windows and Mac.
The only problem with personal computing was that it was too flexible and expandable. Far better to have 8 sort of ok at some things and good at one thing devices that last 3-5 years instead.
chromeOS is in the same category as Linux, Mac and Windows, and sits relatively flat if not declining at like 1.5%
Android tablets maybe but honestly don’t think those are huge sellers either. People with only a phone is probably more significant IMO.
Yeah more likely smartphones, Chromebooks and Android tablets were just a couple examples I was giving and not intended as the only devices people are switching to.
Also ChromeOS will be combining with Android into a single platform apparently. Some ChromeOS devices currently report as Android, too, so that may explain the decline in the ChromeOS market share. The number of Chromebooks shipped in 2025 Q1 increased by ~10% since last year.