Based on Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS (Noble Numbat) and powered by the Linux kernel 6.14, the release features a redesigned desktop interface with a floating, rounded panel, a lighter colour palette, increased tint for backgrounds and sidebars, and a new workspace indicator.
The Zorin developers revealed that about 78 per cent of those downloads came from Windows machines, meaning roughly 780,000 Windows users fancied giving the ISO a whirl.
No one knows how many of them went beyond grabbing the file and actually installed the thing, let alone stuck with it. The interest alone shows their pitch to make Zorin OS 18 feel like a comfortable home for ex-Windows types has clearly hit the mark with a curious crowd sniffing around alternatives.
The numbers leave plenty of unknowns, though the rising willingness of Windows users to try something different offers enough cause for a modest celebration among the penguin brigade.
Zorin OS 18 now plays more nicely with Microsoft services, offering direct OneDrive file access through Online Accounts when signing in with a Microsoft 365 account, so cloud files drop into the file manager without fuss.
The team bulked up its Windows app compatibility database and now serves native or web-based replacements for more than 170 Windows applications when users push .exe files through Wine or Bottles.
Brave has replaced Firefox as the default browser, and PipeWire is enabled by default to handle Bluetooth and audio without the usual fiddling.
The release ships with updated components, including GNOME Shell 46, Wayland, and the latest Nvidia, Mesa, and Troubled Chipzilla GPU drivers, which improve performance and hardware support, along with AMD Ryzen AI NPU6 and Panther Lake compatibility once Chipzilla gets its act together.
Security updates are promised through at least April 2029, giving it a decent lifespan for homes, schools, and businesses looking for something stable.
It comes in free Core and Education editions, as well as a Pro edition at €47.99, which is about $55.6 USD. Pro includes 11 extra apps, such as Deskflow for sharing a mouse and keyboard across devices, Warp for secure file sharing, Valot for time tracking, and Easy Effects for audio tweaking, along with six premium desktop layouts that mimic Cinnamon and elementary OS.
The Education edition folds in software like Gradebook for marking, Spedread for speed reading and TurboWarp for programming lessons.
While the distro supports both Intel and AMD hardware, there is still no ARM64 option.