5 Powerful Things Linux Lets You Do That Windows Still Won’t
Linux offers a level of control, flexibility, and system transparency that Windows still does not provide. From deep desktop customization and portable live environments to extended hardware support and privacy-first design, Linux gives users true ownership of their computing experience. The following 5 examples highlight the most powerful things Linux lets you do that Windows still won’t.
1. Take Complete Control Over Your Desktop Experience
Windows allows only surface-level customization. You can change wallpapers, tweak accent colors, and adjust a few layout settings—but the core interface remains locked down.
Linux, by contrast, gives users full authority over how the system looks and behaves.
Total UI freedom on Linux
With Linux, you can:
- Swap entire desktop environments (KDE Plasma, GNOME, XFCE, Cinnamon, and more)
- Redesign menus, panels, window behavior, and animations
- Replace system components without hacks or paid tools
Instead of adapting to the OS, Linux adapts to you.
2. Move, Duplicate, or Redesign the Taskbar Any Way You Want
Windows 11 removed the ability to move the taskbar, forcing it to stay at the bottom of the screen. Linux never imposed such limits.
Panels without restrictions
On Linux, you can:
- Move panels to any edge of the screen
- Use multiple panels across monitors
- Create floating, auto-hiding, or stacked panels
- Replace taskbars entirely with docks or custom launchers
This level of flexibility is built in—not an afterthought.
3. Run a Full Operating System Directly From a USB Stick
Windows requires installation before it’s usable. Linux doesn’t.
Live environments and persistence
Linux lets you:
- Boot directly from a USB drive without installing
- Browse the web, edit documents, and access files immediately
- Enable persistent storage to save changes across reboots
This is ideal for troubleshooting, secure computing, and portable work setups. Microsoft’s discontinued “Windows To Go” never matched this flexibility.
4. Revive Old Hardware Windows Has Abandoned
Windows 11’s hardware requirements leave millions of functional PCs behind. Linux thrives on them.
Lightweight Linux distributions
Many Linux distros run smoothly on:
- Older dual-core processors
- 4GB of RAM or less
- Traditional hard drives
Linux turns aging laptops into usable machines instead of e-waste.
5. Use an Operating System That Respects Your Privacy by Default
Windows collects telemetry by default and increasingly integrates ads and AI features users didn’t ask for.
Linux takes a different approach.
Privacy-first by design
Most Linux distributions:
- Collect little or no telemetry
- Require opt-in for data sharing
- Contain no ads or forced AI assistants
- Allow full inspection and modification of system behavior
Privacy isn’t something you reclaim—it’s the default.
Bonus: Seamless Access to Windows Filesystems
Linux can read and write Windows NTFS drives out of the box. Windows, however, can’t natively read Linux filesystems like EXT4 or Btrfs.
For dual-boot users, this makes Linux far more practical for file recovery and cross-system access.
Things Linux does Windows can't
Windows is familiar and widely supported, but Linux excels at control, longevity, and freedom.
From running your OS off a USB drive to extending the life of old hardware and reclaiming privacy, Linux offers possibilities Windows still refuses to match. For users who want ownership of their computing experience, Linux remains in a league of its own.
If I had hardware that didn’t support Windows 11 or I wanted to avoid the Windows ecosystem which really what Microsoft is pushing with Windows 11. I would seriously consider trying out a few Linux distributions to see it one would work for your needs. There is no reason for Microsoft to try and block a local account creation in setup other than to benefit Microsoft. Especially home users who may not even use any of Microsoft’s other products. Really disappointing Microsoft has taken these steps to push their Microsoft account on everyone.
This one did it for me …
4. Revive Old Hardware Windows Has Abandoned
I am running Linux Mint on an old Core-Duo from 2006. It’s faster than it was with Windows 7.
1. Windows–Use Rainmeter for full customization.
2. Windows–StartAllBack for Taskbar tweaks–full, unconditional.
3. Windows–Win2USB, only one of several tools for making full Windows system for USB.
4. Windows–Use LTSC version for running Windows on older hardware.
5. Windows–privacy–so many high quality 3rd party tools to enhance.
Reading comments–it doesn’t sound like too many users who claim to be advanced were ever that advanced; Windows 11 is a gem for newbies because it’s so easy to tweak and so many tools are available; plenty of tutorials online.
Linux–love it; use it; find it an excellent tool. But it isn’t mainstream, and with 600 individual distros, each one following a different set of kernel instructions, it’s hard to work with if that’s what you do for a living. Each Linux distro takes hours to learn if I’m called out; Windows? Hasn’t really changed since XP.
I’m a Windows user but don’t kid yourself about W11’s privacy. No amount of hacks and tweaks will give you full privacy against Microsoft’s invasive practices.
1. Stardock WindowBlinds and other programs from Stardock can do full customizations. A lot of crashes though on Windows 11. I would not recommend using it beyond Window 10 or even 7.
2) There a few custom Taskbar and Start Menu customizing programs. I used one before that mimicked macOS.
Respect the user.
Windows (and BigTech) do not respect the user. We are meat to be molded, misinformed, have personal data shared with 3rd-parties (including government agencies, illegally), forced to the cloud because it makes data-theft easier (legal grey area). It is a toxic relationship.
I’ve been on Linux fulltime since before the release of Windows Metro. It was bad before… it’s horrific now.
Increasingly, Windows has been monetized, acquiring personal usage information and personal data, selling that data, and posting advertising everywhere from login screen through file manager. It’s virtually impossible to install Windows 11 using only local credentials; MS would rather they keep trasck of your credentials.
Linux lets me decide what information I want to be shared — if any.
Of the six PC’s I maintain, two are dual boot Win10 and Ubuntu, the other four just Ubuntu. Windows is only used for the very few apps that do not have a version that works in wine, or has Linux equivalent.
Use Rufus to install Windows 11. I use it to install directly to a local account on any PC that’s newer than the old Core 2 series of 20 years ago. It even installs monthly patches, but update the version. So, every couple of years it needs an upgrade install of the latest version, still using Rufus set to skip hardware checks.
1. For me this was fine between XP adn 7, I didn’t imagine you could do more with Linux and I never thought I needed more, only after trying Linux and it not working with my hardware, did I try to find shell replacements for Windows, one of which was called bbLean, something similar to BlackBox.
2. Same with 1. – I never knew I needed that.
3. This was definitely one thing that really surprised me about Linux and I didn’t even knew such a things was possible.
4. It’s amazing that compared to Windows, where the most up-to-date version requires very powerful hardware, you can have an up-to-date version of Linux on a significantly older hardware and still feel like you’re not using some compromised system that shouldn’t even be connected to the internet.
5. With how telemetry was sneaked into Windows and we don’t even know since what version – XP, Vista, 7, earlier? I have become more cynical and skeptic about privacy and would go as far as to say that Linux might be collecting some data too, although I don’t know how to check and its just my word against the distro creators’ word.
Increasingly, with each new version of Windows, it becomes more and more necessary that you become an advanced end user. This trend is increasingly driving away those who are opposed to continually having to tweak and troubleshot Windows.
I am an advanced end user, but it’s becoming more and more common for me to spend up to two hours trying to resolve a complex issue with Windows.
Linux is indeed beginning to look more and more attractive. And with the addition of Wine to Linux, more and more Windows software is capable of being run on Linux.
I started becoming an advanced user on Windows when I was always poking at it and tinkering it to the point where I would cause myself problems and having to learn how to solve them myself. But between Windows XP and 7, there was no need to know anything other than how to burn the OS on a CD or USB and install it, everything was OK and it worked easily out of the box.
It was with Windows 8, 10 and 11 where I had to spend an unbelievable amount of time after each install – close to 1-2 hours just customizing things, disabling things, uninstalling things, deleting things, installing other things just in hopes to recreate the experience from Windows 7. This wasn’t needed before, why is it needed now?
Then my patience ran dry so I moved to Linux.
But to tell you the truth, not many Windows users are advanced – some just use it as it comes – they probably don’t even know they can drag icons pinned to the taskbar, let alone move their centered icons and start menu back to the left side as it was before Windows 11.
Some just use it and don’t know anything and never cared to know anything.
Windows 7 and earlier had more customization options then Windows 10/11 has. I don’t know why Microsoft took away those customization features.
For example, you cannot customize the groups at the bottom of the start menu and in Windows 11, Micrsoft decided that the taskbar cannot be moved from the bottom of the screen
There is no valid reason why they took away customization options. Either they made it because they were lazy and didn’t want to support more things, which is why both the Aero Basic and Classic theme still exist in Windows 11, you just can’t use them under normal circumstances, but you can still see Basic in some events where some program opens a window inside a window and it defaults to the Basic theme.
Same is with Firefox – previous versions to 4.x had so much more customization and ways to change things, but later they reduced and removed most of it.