Snow OS

Download Snow OS

Write it to a USB stick, start your computer from it and install. You can try it first without erasing anything.

Current version

Snow OS —

Coming soon

The first public image has not been released yet. The system is being tested on real machines.

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What you need

A 64-bit computer

Any PC or Mac with a 64-bit processor and graphics that support OpenGL 3.0 (see Graphics compatibility below).

4 GB of memory

It runs with less, but 4 GB keeps the browser comfortable. An SSD makes a huge difference.

An 8 GB USB stick

It will be erased when writing the image. Back up anything that is on it.

How to install

  1. 1

    Verify the file

    Compare the SHA-256 of the downloaded file with the one on this page. If they differ, download it again.

    sha256sum snowos-0.0.iso

  2. 2

    Write it to the USB stick

    Use balenaEtcher (Windows, Mac or Linux): choose the image, choose the stick and click Flash.

  3. 3

    Start from the USB stick

    On a Mac, hold Option while it starts and pick the stick (“EFI Boot”). On a PC, open the boot menu (usually F12, F10 or Esc). Snow OS opens in try-out mode — nothing on your disk is changed.

  4. 4

    Install

    Like it? Click “Install Snow OS” on the desktop and follow the assistant.

Back up before installing. The default installation uses the entire disk. To keep your current system, choose “Install alongside” in the assistant.

Graphics compatibility

The desktop is drawn by the graphics chip, so this is what decides how Snow OS feels on your computer. It needs OpenGL 3.0 or newer.

Supported

Intel integrated graphics

Works out of the box on any chip that supports OpenGL 3.0.

Supported

AMD Radeon

Works out of the box on any chip that supports OpenGL 3.0.

Limited for now

Some older NVIDIA chips

They work, but the open driver can start them at their lowest speed, so the desktop feels slow. A fix is in development.

Not supported at the moment

Dual-GPU laptops

The extra, more powerful chip cannot be used yet. Snow OS runs on the integrated graphics instead.

Not supported at the moment

Chips with known hardware defects

Some models were shipped with a faulty graphics chip. Snow OS does not use it and falls back to the integrated graphics when there is one.

Not supported at the moment

Chips without OpenGL 3.0

Older chips cannot run the desktop, so computers that rely on them cannot run Snow OS.