Choose your Linux distribution and explore open-source systems
English edition published on .
Which system should you choose for your computer? Explore distribution families, compare your needs and prepare a first trial before making the switch.
Find a distribution for my needs Explore Linux distributions
Distributions to explore
Start with what you need to do
Your essential applications, hardware and experience matter more than a general ranking. Our guide to choosing a Linux distribution provides a five-step method and checks to perform on your computer.
New to Linux?
Understand what a distribution is (in French), then explore Linux Mint and Ubuntu to prepare your comparison.
Looking for a particular family?
Browse distributions based on Debian (in French), based on Ubuntu (in French) and based on Arch (in French). Then check the selected project's features and documentation.
Prepare your download
Select an official image, check its integrity and authenticity, then prepare the USB drive. Each guide explains the choices and links to the official download:
Find software for everyday tasks
Check your applications before switching operating systems. Our VLC tutorial covers audio and video playback, while the LibreOffice tutorial covers documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Both explain installation methods for major Linux distributions and BSD systems.
Explore system families
The catalogue distinguishes Linux (in French), BSD (in French), projects in the Solaris (in French) ecosystem, Chromium OS (in French) derivatives and other operating systems (in French). Shared origins do not guarantee the same licences, hardware compatibility or maintenance periods.
Check before installing
Consult the project's official site for supported releases, requirements and installation instructions. Download from an official source, keep a backup of your files and test your devices. An overview page cannot replace a trial on your own computer.
See the pre-installation checklist
Distribution news
Follow release announcements and maintenance changes in our news section (in French). The first English selection focuses on the guides and software tutorials listed above; links to untranslated sections are labelled.