Windows-to-Linux Glossary

Overview

A quick-reference mapping of Windows concepts, terms, and locations to their Linux equivalents. When you see a Linux term you don’t recognize, look it up here.

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System Concepts

Windows Term	Linux Equivalent	Notes
Windows (the OS)	Distribution / Distro (e.g., Linux Mint, Zorin OS, Ubuntu)	Linux is the kernel; the distro is the full OS
Windows Update	sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade	Updates are faster and don’t require restarts (usually)
Control Panel / Settings	System Settings (Cinnamon) or Settings (GNOME)	Access from app menu
Registry	Config files (text files in ~/.config/, /etc/)	No central registry — each app has its own config file
Task Manager	System Monitor or htop	htop is more powerful (install with sudo apt install htop)
Device Manager	lspci, lsusb, lshw	No single GUI — use terminal commands
Disk Management	GParted or fdisk	GParted is the GUI equivalent
Event Viewer	journalctl or /var/log/syslog	See Log Analysis Guide
System Restore	Timeshift	See Timeshift Guide
Command Prompt / PowerShell	Terminal (bash)	Open with Ctrl+Alt+T
Run as Administrator	sudo	Prefix any command with sudo for root privileges
Services (services.msc)	systemd / systemctl	systemctl status service-name
.exe installer	.deb package or apt install	See Package Management Guide
Programs and Features	apt list --installed or Software Center	sudo apt remove package-name to uninstall
Environment Variables	Same concept, different location	Set in ~/.bashrc or /etc/environment
PATH variable	Same concept	Edit in ~/.bashrc: export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

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File System

Windows Term	Linux Equivalent	Notes
C: drive	/ (root)	Linux has one directory tree, no drive letters
D: drive, E: drive	Mount points (e.g., /mnt/data, /media/usb)	External drives mount into the tree
C:\Users\username	/home/username or ~	~ is shorthand for your home directory
C:\Program Files	/opt/, /usr/local/	Third-party and manually installed applications
C:\Windows\System32	/usr/bin/, /usr/sbin/	System executables and admin binaries
%AppData%	~/.config/	Application settings
%LocalAppData%	~/.local/share/	Application data
%Temp%	/tmp/	Cleared on reboot
Recycle Bin	Trash (~/.local/share/Trash/)	Right-click → Move to Trash, or gio trash file
Hidden files (attribute)	Files starting with . (dot)	ls -a to see them, Ctrl+H in file manager
File extension determines type	File permissions + MIME type	Extensions are conventions, not enforced
Backslash \ path separator	Forward slash /	Always use / on Linux
Case-insensitive paths	Case-sensitive paths	File.txt and file.txt are different files
NTFS	ext4 (default)	ext4 is the standard Linux filesystem

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Desktop & UI

Windows Term	Linux Equivalent	Notes
Desktop	Desktop	Same concept, usually at ~/Desktop
Start Menu	Activities or App Menu	Click top-left corner or press Super key
Taskbar	Panel or Dock	Linux Mint Cinnamon and Zorin OS both have a Windows-like taskbar by default
File Explorer	Files (Nautilus on GNOME/Zorin, Nemo on Cinnamon/Mint)	Default file manager varies by desktop
Notification Area / System Tray	System Tray	Bottom-right panel on Mint Cinnamon; top-right corner on GNOME/Zorin
Desktop icons	Desktop icons	Supported by default on both Mint Cinnamon and Zorin OS
Themes (Windows 10/11)	Appearance / Themes settings	Mint Cinnamon: System Settings → Themes. Zorin OS: Settings → Appearance
Dark Mode	Dark Mode	Both Mint Cinnamon and Zorin OS support dark mode; Zorin also supports auto light/dark switching by time
Snap layouts (Win 11)	Window tiling / snap-to-edge	Both Mint Cinnamon and Zorin OS support snapping windows to screen edges by dragging or with keyboard shortcuts
Multiple desktops	Workspaces	Swipe with 3 fingers or Super+scroll; supported on both desktops

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Networking

Windows Term	Linux Equivalent	Notes
ipconfig	ip addr or ifconfig	ip addr is the modern command
Network Connections	Settings → Network	Or nmcli in terminal
Wi-Fi adapter	Identified by name (e.g., wlp9s0)	ip link show to see all adapters
Ethernet adapter	Identified by name (e.g., enp8s0)	Names are based on hardware slot
firewall (Windows Defender)	ufw (Uncomplicated Firewall)	sudo ufw status

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Package Management

Windows Term	Linux Equivalent	Notes
Microsoft Store	Software Center (GNOME Software)	GUI app store — each distro may brand it differently (e.g. “Ubuntu Software”, “Zorin Software”)
Download .exe from website	sudo apt install package	Package manager is preferred
Installer wizard	sudo apt install ./file.deb	Or apt install from repos
Uninstall from Programs	sudo apt remove package	Or use Software Center
Auto-update	sudo apt upgrade (manual) or unattended-upgrades	Ubuntu can auto-install security updates
Portable app (.exe)	AppImage	Download, chmod +x, run — no install needed

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Development

Windows Term	Linux Equivalent	Notes
Visual Studio	VS Code (same on both)	sudo apt install code or download .deb
Git Bash	Terminal (bash is native)	Git is native on Linux — no special shell needed
WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux)	You’re already on Linux	WSL was designed to bring Linux tools to Windows
PowerShell	bash (or zsh, fish)	bash is the default shell
Batch script (.bat)	Shell script (.sh)	chmod +x script.sh && ./script.sh
scheduled tasks	cron	crontab -e to edit scheduled tasks

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Keyboard Shortcuts

Windows Shortcut	Linux (Ubuntu) Equivalent	Action
Ctrl+C/V/X	Ctrl+C/V/X	Copy/Paste/Cut (same in most apps)
Ctrl+C/V in terminal	Ctrl+Shift+C/V in terminal	Terminal uses Shift modifier
Win key	Super key	Opens Activities/App menu
Alt+Tab	Alt+Tab	Switch windows (same)
Ctrl+Alt+Del	Ctrl+Alt+Del (logout)	Or use htop for task management
Win+E	Super+E or Files from dock	Open file manager
Print Screen	Print Screen	Screenshot tool (same)
N/A	Ctrl+Alt+T	Open terminal (Linux-specific)
Win+L	Super+L	Lock screen

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Related Guides

• What to Expect — Mental model shift from Windows to Linux
• Filesystem Hierarchy — Where files go on Linux
• Terminal Cheatsheet — Essential terminal commands