Best Linux Distro for Old Laptop

8 Best Linux Distro for Old Laptop in 2023

Best Linux Distro for Old Laptop – Therefore, it’s time for those of you who have an old notebook to change their operating system to a safer and newest one. And the choice is if not Windows, let alone Linux? however there are various kinds of Linux, usually called distros.

These distros have a variety of purposes, there are Linux distros that are intended for beginners, there are also Linux distros that are focused on servers or Linux distro games such as SteamOS made by Valve.

And what you might be looking for is the lightest and best Linux distro for old computers or laptops. For this category, there are various distros that you can try, including Lubuntu, Bodhi and others.

Even though the Linux distros below are categorized as the lightest, the operating system is still fast and safe to use.

Best Linux Distro for Old Laptop

1. Lubuntu 

If you list Linux distros but don’t include Lubuntu, that’s a big mistake. Lubuntu is very fast and uses a lightweight desktop environment called LXDE as well as a variety of other lightweight applications.

Some of the applications are Mozilla Firefox, PDF reader, CD burner, Audacious and others. LXDE is specifically made for computers or laptops with low specifications.

By focusing on speed and efficiency, it can be said that Lubuntu is the best choice for your old laptop.

Even on the website itself it is stated that this OS must run on computers that are more than 10 years old.

What is a plus again, Lubuntu and Ubuntu have the same repositories so you can install all the applications on Ubuntu for Lubuntu.

Minimum system requirements to install Lubuntu:

  • Pentium II
  • 256MB RAM

2. Bodhi Linux

Bodhi Linux is a Linux distro that has been released since 2011. The name bodhi itself in English is enlightenment which can be interpreted as enlightenment.

According to their claims, this Linux distro can run on a processor with a minimum speed of only 500 MHz.

Bodhi Linux is built on the basis of Ubuntu LTS using Moksha Desktop. Moksha is a continuation of Enlightenment 17 Desktop which has some additional features but with fewer bugs.

The initial appearance of Bodhi Linux looks neat, clean and minimalist because there aren’t many applications installed by default.

However, because Bodhi Linux is built on the basis of Ubuntu, you will get access to a variety of free applications available for Ubuntu.

Minimum system requirements to install Bodhi Linux:

  • 500MHz processor
  • 128MB RAM
  • 4GB storage space

3. Puppy Linux

Linux distros usually have unique names and purposes and most of them are easily customizable. One of the Linux distros that has a unique name and purpose is Puppy Linux.

Puppy Linux is not built on any Linux basis, but users can add several packages from other distributions such as from Ubuntu and Slackware.

Hence, its initial size is only 200MB which makes it one of the smallest among the other distros.

And because of this small size, it doesn’t have any popular apps installed by default and that’s understandable.

Minimum system requirements to install Puppy Linux:

  • 333MHz processor
  • 256MB RAM

4. Linux Lite

This operating system has developed so rapidly lately. Apart from being a light distro, Linux Lite is also easy for beginners to use and has a pretty decent appearance.

The Linux distro is built on the basis of Ubuntu LTS and comes with a variety of useful applications such as Mozilla, LibreOffice, Thunderbird, GIMP, VLC and others.

With these applications, it feels like you don’t need other applications to be installed.

Because Linux Lite uses the XFCE desktop environment, its appearance will remind you of Windows XP, that’s why everything will look easier for beginners who are new to the Linux OS.

Minimum system requirements to install Linux Lite:

  • 700MHz processor
  • 512MB RAM
  • VGA with a screen resolution of 1024 x 768

5. Peppermint OS

Peppermint OS has a unique quality that makes it different from other Linux distros. Peppermint OS combines both Internet-based applications and the usual applications installed on a Linux computer.

Apart from that, Peppermint OS is also fast and light and this Lubuntu-based distro supports both 32-bit and 64-bit computers.

The combination displayed on Peppermint OS looks beautiful even though it uses LXDE which seems similar to Windows XP.

And because it’s based on Lubuntu, this distro can have all the advantages you get from Ubuntu.

Minimum system requirements to install Peppermint OS:

  • 512MB RAM

6. Arch Linux

If you are experienced with Linux and like customizing your system to make it more personal, we recommend you use Arch Linux.

Actually, what determines whether an operating system is light or heavy lies in the selection of the desktop environment used.

So we recommend it for those of you who are experienced in using Arch Linux and combined with a lightweight desktop environment.

Some that can be examples are Xfce and LXQt in order to make Arch Linux a fast and light operating system.

But one thing that should be known is that Arch Linux no longer supports the use of 32-bit based machines.

So you have to use a laptop or computer with a 64-bit architecture.

Minimum system requirements to install Arch Linux:

  • 64-bit
  • 512MB RAM

7. LXLE

LXLE is based on Lubuntu and uses the same desktop environment, namely LXDE. This Linux distro is designed to revive old computers.

Even though it’s based on Lubuntu, LXLE has its own support. Like Lubuntu, LXLE also comes with a variety of applications preinstalled by default.

Some of them are LibreOffice, GIMP, Audacity and others. Apart from that, LXLE also has an application called uCareSystem which is used to update all packages, install updates, clean up old Linux kernels and various other important functions.

Because it uses LXDE, its appearance reminds you a little of Windows XP so it will be easier for you to understand how to operate it.

Minimum system requirements to install LXLE:

  • Pentium III
  • 512MB RAM

8.  Manual Linux Xfce Edition

There are tons of other Linux distros that are also fast and light but none can match Manjaro.

Despite its name, which you may rarely hear, this distro is actually the 3rd most popular distro in the Distrowatch ranking, beating Ubuntu and only losing to Linux Mint and Debian.

Manjaro is also one of the fastest growing distros. Xfce edition is one of the series owned by Manjaro.

By using Arch base, Xfce can run very fast and light on Manjaro.

Although not as lightweight as the other Linux distros on this list, Manjaro still deserves to be featured on this best list.

Minimum system requirements to install Manjaro Linux Xfce Edition:

  • 1GHz processor
  • 1GB RAM

That’s the list of the 8 lightest Linux distros that you can choose and don’t forget that you can also try it with a Live CD first before deciding to install it on an old laptop or computer.

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