Hi Zorin team,
I recently switched from Windows to Zorin OS 18 (free edition) and wanted to share a few technical observations I’ve run into.
Some are bug reports, some are fixable, but might frighten a 'less experiencend' Windows or Apple user to switch to Zorin/Linux. I'm no coding expert myself, So I had to use AI sometimes to help me around ( did work tho).
Moi, I’m a frequent gamer and I’m currently testing whether Zorin OS can fully replace Windows for me. I’m also considering buying Zorin OS Pro, mainly because I prefer a stable Linux system over going back to Windows. I'd rather support someone who puts heart in it then... you know, Bill Gates
System setup
- Zorin OS 18 (GNOME-based)
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS
- GPU: AMD Radeon 780M + NVIDIA RTX 4060 Max-Q
- RAM: 32 GB
- Display: 2560×1600 (100% scaling, high-DPI laptop)
Observations
1. Global shortcuts taking priority over applications
Apps involved
- Tomb Raider (Steam)
- KDE Connect
What I see
- GNOME global shortcuts (for example ALT-based ones) still trigger even when an application is focused or fullscreen.
- In Tomb Raider Remastered, ALT is used for gameplay, but GNOME shortcuts activate anyway.
- In KDE Connect, some shortcuts cannot be assigned because they are already globally reserved.
I would expect focused applications to have priority, or at least an easy way to override global shortcuts per app.
2. The Sims 3 freezing unless Proton is forced
Game
- The Sims 3 (Steam)
What happens
- The game freezes after about 5–10 minutes when using the default Proton selection.
- No clear error message.
What fixed it
- Forcing Proton 9.0-4 via
Steam → Properties → Compatibility
made the game stable.
It looks like the automatic Proton choice doesn’t always work well for older games.
3. Theme settings resetting after sleep / resume
What happens
- After the system goes into sleep:
- Resume sometimes doesn’t fully work.
- I have to log out and log back in.
- After logging back in, theme and visual settings are reset to defaults.
I’d expect visual settings to persist across suspend/resume.
4. Scaling issues at 200%
Context
- High-DPI display (2560×1600)
- Desktop scaling set to 100%
- Fractional scaling (150%) exists but I don’t use it on purpose.
What happens
- 100% is too small.
- 200% is usable, but:
- Some context menus and UI elements render incorrectly.
- Text appears vertically stacked (one character per line), making menus unreadable.
I don’t need extra scaling options, but 200% should render consistently.
5. Very aggressive fan behavior during gaming
What I notice
- During some games, the laptop fans ramp up very aggressively.
- This feels stronger than with similar workloads under Windows.
- Games usually keep running, so it doesn’t look like missing protection, just different behavior.
Possibly related to power / thermal management, GPU drivers, or energy profiles.
6. Steam UI scale breaking after sleep
App
- Steam (Linux client)
Steps
- Steam UI is very small at 2560×1600:10.
- UI scale is increased via
3.Steam → Settings → Accessibility*. - System goes to sleep, preferable crash moment.
- After resume, logout/login is sometimes needed.
- Steam UI becomes much smaller again, but the UI scale slider still shows the previous value.
Result:
- Slider value and actual UI scale are out of sync.
- UI cannot be enlarged further because the slider is already at max.
Workaround
- Lower UI scale to minimum.
- Put the system to sleep again, again to crash it.
- After resume, Steam UI becomes readable again.
Final note
Overall, Zorin OS has been very solid for me so far.
I'm very happy and relieved that this is becoming a dream reality after all. Again, these are observations from an amateur dweep gamer who fears codes more than hearing Jeff Besos laugh. If you need more info, or have temporarly consistent solutions, contact me
Thanks for the work you’re doing on Zorin OS. <3
