STEEL OS_
Built solid. Plays everything.
A desktop that works the way Windows does, on a Linux that cannot break itself. Updates land every Tuesday with the previous version one click away. Your everyday apps one click away. Printers found with one click. Steam games out of the box.
The first stable release is being built. Testers can try the preview below.
Five promises, in plain English
Updates that cannot break your PC
The whole system updates as one piece, in the background, every Tuesday. The version before is always in the boot menu. If anything goes wrong, you pick it and you are back.
Easy like Windows
A start menu, a taskbar, windows that overlap. The Steel OS Portal welcomes you on first login, and everyday tasks never need a terminal. Keyboard fans get shortcuts too: Super+Enter for the terminal, Super+Shift+Enter for Firefox.
Plays your games
Steam and Proton are already installed. Xbox and PlayStation controllers work when you plug them in, and flight-stick support is being tested. Built on Bazzite, the Linux the Steam Deck crowd runs.
One click for the apps you know
The Steel OS Portal lists Slack, Zoom, Discord, Chrome, GIMP, VS Code and more by category, each with one Install button. The App Store has thousands more, and every app updates itself.
Security built in
System files are read-only, every update is signed, apps run in their own sandbox, and Secure Boot stays on. Steel Shield, free virus protection that tells you plainly what it found, arrives with 1.0. Nothing to buy.
Ready on first login
Built in
One click away
Games and streaming
Tuesday, like clockwork
Steel OS checks for updates every Tuesday morning, downloads them in the background, and applies them at your next restart. Nothing interrupts you, nothing nags. Want it sooner? Click Update now in the Steel OS Portal.
Every update keeps the version before it. If something looks wrong afterwards, restart, pick the earlier version from the menu, and you are exactly where you were.
Apps keep themselves up to date too. A plain-English "restart to finish updating" note is on the way.
Weekly active devices
Fedora counts active devices once a week, anonymously: no names, no serial numbers, only the OS version. Steel OS shows its own line here as soon as the first release is out. The count can be switched off.
Statistics provided by DNF Count Me, Fedora's anonymous device count.
What you need
| Computer | Any 64-bit PC from the last ten years. Desktops and laptops. |
|---|---|
| Memory | 8 GB recommended, 4 GB minimum. |
| Disk | 64 GB free. Steel OS keeps a previous version, so give it room. |
| Graphics | AMD and Intel work out of the box. NVIDIA cards work with the open driver today; automatic detection with NVIDIA's own driver comes before 1.0. |
| Secure Boot | Supported. You may be asked once to enrol a key at first start. The preview has so far been tested with Secure Boot off. |
| To install | A USB stick of 8 GB or more, and a backup of anything on the drive you install to. |
Straight answers
Is Steel OS Windows?
No. It is Linux underneath, built on Bazzite and Fedora. It is designed so a Windows user feels at home: a start menu, a taskbar, overlapping windows, a settings app, an app store, and the Steel OS Portal with one-click installs for popular apps. Windows programs do not run directly; most have a Linux version or a one-click equivalent, and Windows games run through Proton.
Will my games work?
Most of them. Steam and Proton run tens of thousands of Windows games. The exceptions are games whose anti-cheat blocks Linux, such as some big online shooters. The EA app and Battle.net run through Lutris. Check your game on ProtonDB before you switch.
What about Xbox Game Pass?
Cloud streaming only. The Xbox Cloud Gaming app is one click away and plays well. Downloading PC Game Pass games to the machine is not possible on any Linux, because Microsoft's Xbox app does not exist for Linux.
Will my printer work?
Most modern printers are found when you click Add in the Printers settings page, with no driver to hunt for. Older HP, Canon and Epson printers need a driver, and Steel OS ships the common ones. Scanner support and USB printers such as the Canon PIXMA range are being tested now.
Does it need antivirus?
The system files are read-only and apps run in a sandbox, which already stops most of what antivirus is for on Windows. For downloads and USB sticks, Steel OS 1.0 adds Steel Shield: free, built-in virus protection that scans downloads automatically, never deletes anything without asking, and explains what it found in plain English. No subscription, no upsells.
Can I go back to Windows?
Yes. Steel OS can install next to Windows and let you pick at startup, or replace it. Either way, back up first.
Is it free?
Yes. Steel OS is free to download and use. It is built from free software, and its source is on GitHub.
Who makes it?
Steel OS is a Steel & Code project, made in partnership with Blackbox Entertainment: a developer and a product director who wanted a PC that does not need a mechanic. It is built on Bazzite by the Universal Blue community and on Fedora.