Before you proceed to evaluate or install Endless OS, you may wish to briefly review the following topics:
There are a variety of options available that allow you to install or evaluate Endless OS on your computer.
The Endless USB Stick is the primary way to access Endless OS on your computer. Once running, it presents two main options:
Try Endless OS without formatting your computer
This feature allows you to evaluate Endless OS by running it directly from a USB device, without having to install it on your computer. This is quick and convenient, but the downside is that system performance may be limited due to the nature of running from a USB disk.
Reformat your computer with Endless OS
You can use this option to install Endless OS on your computer's hard drive. We call this "reformatting" to emphasize that this will remove and replace your existing Operating System and any applications and data currently stored on your hard disk.
The easiest way to create an Endless USB Stick is to use our specially crafted Endless OS Installer for Windows, which provides a convenient way to download the required files and create the USB stick from your existing Windows computer.
Linux, macOS and expert users can consult the following documentation to produce an Endless USB Disk through alternative means.
It is possible to dual-boot Endless OS alongside your existing Windows installation. When you turn on your PC, you will be presented with a menu that lets you choose between Endless OS and Windows. This lets you keep using your existing Windows applications and files, and just reboot your computer to switch between Windows and Endless OS.
Our Endless OS Installer for Windows makes this process simple (where compatible with your Windows installation), please consult the installation documentation:
This installation method is intended for the evaluation of Endless OS, it is not intended for long term usage or large scale deployment. This is because there are certain technicalities that make it difficult to dual-boot in this way, which may result in this option not working for you. We also believe that dual-boot is not a great solution for most people; it is disruptive to switch between different operating systems, and it is difficult to share your files and applications between them.
Please consult the Endless OS Installer for Windows documentation collection for more details on how this works, troubleshooting, uninstallation, and more.
There is currently no support for dual-booting Endless OS with other operating systems including macOS and other versions of Linux.
It is possible to run Endless OS in a Virtual Machine, where you run a different operating system inside your main system, as if it were an application.
It is also possible to run Endless OS in VMWare Workstation and GNOME Boxes but we do not yet have any documentation written about these options.
Hardware hobbyists, technologists and tinkerers may wish to run Endless OS on a Single-Board Computer (SBC).