According to Statcounter, Linux desktop market share has reached an all-time high of 4.44 percent in July. This is up from 4.04 percent in June, which was an increase from May at 3.77 percent. In fact, the Linux market share has been slowly creeping upward and that trajectory should continue to rise. At its lowest point in 2023, Linux was at 3.12 percent (July). Before July 2024, the peak was December at 3.83 percent.

Compare that to macOS and you see a completely different trend, where Apple's OS peaked at 21.01 percent in November 2023 and has steadily fallen to 14.92 percent in July 2024.

There are several possible reasons for this change. First is the growing frustration with Windows 11 (such as forced ads and AI). As for macOS, the continued rising cost of Apple hardware makes using the OS a challenge for many people. Also, the popularity of the Steam Deck (which is powered by Linux) has given the open source OS a considerable bump in popularity.

It doesn't hurt that just about any recent version of Linux is viable, even for new users.

If this trend continues, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Linux will hit 5 percent by the end of 2024 and could even inch closer to double digits by the end of 2025. The possibility of Linux finally surpassing macOS's market share has become a reality (as macOS continues to drop and Linux continues to rise).

It's also important to understand that the 4.44 percent could be an underestimate of Linux usage, as Statcounter depends on website trackers to collect data. Since many Linux users go to great lengths to retain their privacy, it's possible several thousands of Linux instances aren't being registered. That number could already be at or over 5 percent.

Keep checking Statcounter to see how this trend continues.