Linux Market Share Reaches Record High, Boosted by Steam Deck's Success

Linux market share hit its highest point ever last month

A recent report from StatCounter gives the Linux community hope that the open-source desktop is finally being taken seriously. I've been using Linux since before it was cool. Back then, Linux was so obscure that it didn't even register on any market share metric. Since then, it's grown at such a snail's crawl pace that it gave everyone all the doubt they needed that Linux would ever be taken seriously. That's why when StatCounter reported that Linux had reached a 4.45% market share for global desktop operating systems in July, those of us who've been championing Linux for all these years raised up a mighty "Huzzah!" in celebration. Also: Linus Torvalds talks AI, Rust adoption, and why the Linux kernel is 'the only thing that matters' Anyone who follows such trends is probably laughing at such a low percentage, but for those who've been using Linux since the early days, that number represents a clear indicator of things to come. If you look at the past year (from July 2023 to July 2024), you see that Linux started at 3.12%, saw a fairly steady climb up (with just a few small dips on the way), and it wasn't until February that it finally broke 4% (at 4.03). This upward trend should continue and is most likely powered by users becoming disheartened by the Windows OS (and the looming end of support for Windows 10) and the rising cost of Apple hardware. It's also impossible to ignore Steam Deck's role in this. Steam Deck is a handheld gaming device that is powered by Linux. That, along with the increased user-friendliness of Steam on Linux, has led to the rising number of games that can be played on the open-source operating system. Many of us have believed (for years) that games would be key to furthering Linux adoption on the desktop. Also: Valve's Steam Deck turned this 40-year-old dad into a gamer again Should this trend continue, it's not a stretch to believe Linux will finally break the 5% mark before the end of the year (especially when the holidays arrive and more Steam Decks are purchased). Another thing to remember is that tracking Linux market share isn't quite as simple as it seems. Stat Counter collects data through website trackers. Many Linux users are very privacy-centric, so hundreds of thousands of Linux instances could go undetected because users have adopted anti-tracking measures. And considering that Linux has more than double the market share of Chrome OS, it's not a stretch to believe Linux will continue climbing. Also: How to install Steam and start gaming on almost any Linux distro - now it's a Snap I would not be surprised if Linux finally catches up to MacOS by the end of 2025, especially given the MacOS market share continues on a downward trajectory, peaking at 21.01% in November 2023 and dropping to a surprising 14.92% in July 2024. Linux's trajectory might be slow, but it's been fairly steady, so keep watching those numbers, and you might find yourself shocked sometime around Q3 of 2025.

Linux OS market share climbs towards 5%

It's still no "Year of the Linux Desktop," but the open-source OS keeps climbing as it's boosted by the Steam Deck's popularity. The Year of the Linux Desktop has become something of a sad meme in recent years, but the truth is that Linux as an alternative to Windows and macOS has never been more popular -- both in terms of total users and relative market share of operating systems. A recent analysis shows dips in Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS while Linux steadily climbs upward. See for yourself in StatCounter's regular update on desktop market share with numbers for July 2024. Linux has been on a slow-but-steady rise for years, but as of July, it's at 4.44 percent of the worldwide desktop market. If it keeps this pace up, it could break through five percent in early 2025. As Tom's Hardware notes, there's a small but definite bump in Linux users since the Steam Deck became a breakout hit for the gaming market in 2022. The Steam Deck isn't up front about its Linux roots, but Valve does use Linux as a base for its SteamOS software, the same as it did for the original console-style Steam Machines. Windows remains the de facto standard for PC gaming, but SteamOS is gaining users at a rapid pace according to Valve's own surveys -- and Valve isn't resting on its laurels, either. Recent interviews and release notes indicate that the company is working on builds of SteamOS for other gaming handhelds, specifically the Asus ROG Ally. It's also worth pointing out that more conventional desktop and laptop users aren't exactly thrilled with Windows as of late. Microsoft's increasing push to get Windows 10 users onto Windows 11, plus more and more intrusive advertising, plus bloating the OS with "AI" features, plus pokes to upgrade to subscription services isn't winning any fans. And that's not to mention all the users around the world using mobile platforms as their primary means of accessing the internet, or the "touchscreen generation" who are growing up without any interest in conventional PCs at all. It's easy to see why Linux is becoming a bigger part of the discussion as the relative prevalence of PCs declines for consumers, even while the total number of users continues to increase.