I Used Linux Mint for Two Months on My Main PC. I Think Windows is Still the Better Choice.

I used Linux Mint full-time for two months and really wanted it to stick. But between app issues and hardware quirks, I ended up back on Windows 10, and here’s why that made the most sense.

Like many, I have become very, very frustrated with Windows 11 and even Windows 10. Though things CAN be done to resolve many of the concerns using third-party tools, the fact that the need exists is offensive to me. In fact, I switched to Linux Mint full-time on my main PC for what ended up being two months. This blog post details why I ended up going back to Windows 10.

Let me be clear: I’m NOT a Windows fanboy. I stand with regular users and the apps and tools that work best for them. I hold no favoritism toward any particular program or Operating System, be it Windows, Mac, or Linux.

Windows 11 certainly has more than its share of enshittification, including forced telemetry (at least out of the box), preinstalled bloatware, constant feature updates and changes, forced updates, mandatory Microsoft account sign-ins, and aggressive promotion of its own products and partner software.

There’s no denying that Linux has made great strides in recent years, especially distributions (or “distros”) like Linux Mint. Mint is often highlighted as a perfect entry point into the world of Linux. While I support that in premise, it’s worth diving into the frustrations I encountered while using it daily for two months on my main PC, and why I ended up back on Windows.

Linux Mint is polished, lightweight, and designed to offer an accessible experience even to users with minimal technical knowledge. For those whose computing needs revolve around basic tasks—like browsing the web, sending emails, or writing documents—Linux Mint might seem like a compelling alternative to Windows.

However, the Linux Mint experience can quickly become less smooth and even frustrating for users who eventually need more than basic functionality. Power users, like myself, can face limitations with specific applications, and several of them don’t perform as well on Linux as on Windows. Linux is an afterthought.

Here’s why I believe Linux Mint is a good choice for basic tasks: I would argue that Windows is still the better choice for the broader non-tech-savvy community.