I recommend Zorin. It helps you to find the best way to install the apps you need. It also includes a WINE integration that greatly simplifies the process of using Windows apps on Linux. It’s built on Ubuntu, meaning it’s stable, has wide hardware compatibility, will run pretty much anything that works on Linux, and all the Ubuntu commands will work on it. It looks a lot nicer than Mint (Cinnamon). And supports lots of super useful trackpad gestures for laptops. It includes a version of Brave out of the box, stripped of all their BS.

Aurora, it’s the desktop version of massively popular Bazzite (which targets gaming). That means you’ll find tons of up to date tutorials online (Bazzite tutorials are usually applicable unless they are about the few features Bazzite and Aurora diverge specifically).

I explicitly advise against Ubuntu and Mint for the reasons I outlined here. Ubuntu and Mint have the added downside that almost none of the guides you’ll find about SteamOS will work: Different desktop, different philosophy.

People need to realize that since the success of Steam Deck the “old classics” of newbie recommendations are out of the window and what helps these users the most is a Linux distribution as close as possible to SteamOS but SteamOS is not available for random PCs, so Bazzite/Aurora are currently the way to go. Personally I like Fedora KDE but I shifted my stance since the linked post and trying out Aurora.

Just adding to the numbers recommending Linux Mint. Once it’s set up you don’t really need to fiddle with it much/at all. Software manager is easy to use to find what you need for your tasks.

So I use zorin and I feel its the best for typical windows users and anyone who just wants to install and get to immediately using thier pc. So basically its the lazy distro. Lot of software out of box including wine with play on linux so right after installation you could run or install windows programs if you wanted to (I would check out linux alternatives first). That being said my personal opinion if someone wants to run games is to dual boot a gaming distro or install a gaming distro and use it as your main one. Further I don’t recommend dual booting windows. If someone wants to keep windows around my sugestion, if they have it, is to install linux on your last older laptop. Anyone who had a machine that did not outright die and upgraded in the last ten years will be pleasantly surprised how well linux runs on older hardware compared to windows on newer. Once you have weaned yourself 100% off windows and realize how useless it is then install on the current laptop. Given if you don’t still have your older one then by all mean dual boot. I initially did that but have reversed the setup and now have linux on my better laptop as I was so annoyed with windows wasting the good one.

Do you know anyone in real life that has some experience with Linux, and is willing to help you out with it? If yes, use the same distribution (distro, or “OS”) as they do.

If not, as others said, Mint is a good start.

Bazzite if you want gaming working well without adding packages manually.

Whatever beginner friendly distro you choose, I suggest you use it as if you were a grandma, especially if you have experience in troubleshooting Windows. It’s natural to try to find the solution to a problem by doing a Google search, but first of all Linux changes quickly, so solutions that are older than 2 years may be outdated, over 5 years they likely are, and they may apply to different distros than yours, so be careful. Always check your DE’s settings app first, those have gotten really good in the last few years.
Don’t be afraid to ask in chatrooms if your distro has any, the myth of the rude Linux community is just that, a myth.

OpenSUSE, Fedora, maybe Ubuntu. I’d avoid immutable style distros like bazzite. They make things easier at the beginning but have other downsides where “normal” solutions need additional steps.

editing videos

What program will you use?

I have heard that DaVinci resolve is very hard to set up. as for Kdenlive, I have used it few times, and it felt very clunky.

I would go with mint if you have older hardware and bazzite if you have new hardware (especially nvidia graphics card). If you really want windows-like layout check zorin OS.

for actuall advice: I would try a bunch of them and stick with one where video editing works.

Start with Mint. You can always try something else when you’re more comfortable with Linux.

Here are my recommendations from last time I saw this question asked: https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/comment/17912220

Mint or Fedora. You’ll get tons of responses, and none of them are wrong, because no one can tell you what’s best for you, but those are the most popular choices among newbies, and they are very user friendly and approachable.

The best advice I can give you is try a bunch of different ones and see which one you like best. They’re free and easy to reinstall if you end up liking one over another.

Best of luck and I hope you find one that you truly love. :)

I will be the black sheep that strongly recommend against Mint. I have had more hardware compatibility problems trying to run Mint than any other distro. This is anecdotal, but consistent enough that I would make bets on it. Secondly, I hate Cinnamon, the default desktop environment. There are better choices.

Instead, I’ll suggest Fedora KDE. It’s rock solid, reliable, and the KDE Plasma desktop is the best currently available whether you leave it stock or customize it.

If you want to try things out, set up a spare thumb drive with Ventoy, which will let you boot to any ISO you copy to it. Most distros have “live” versions that you can boot to from the thumb drive and try out before installing. That said, most linux distros install in 5 minutes, so don’t be afraid to try anything and everything you’re curious about.

Also, avoid Cachy or other Arch based distros for now. They are great, but a far more hands-on. Something for the future, when you are more comfortable with linux in general.

This question is probably as old as Linux itself. While many (me included) do not like Ubuntu anymore, I still think its a good operating system for newcomers to Linux. Not at last because of the community it has. Ubuntu is only by those dislike who are long enough in this game. There are also different variants with different user interfaces and such (like Kubuntu).

Mint is popular for beginners. I went with Debian KDE because I wanted something a little more minimalistic and boring. Fedora and OpenSUSE are also good options.

If you want to stick with a Windows-like desktop, pick a KDE distro over GNOME.