Zohara OS

Arch-based Linux · KDE Plasma

A Linux that feels like home.

Zohara OS gives you a desktop you already know how to use: a familiar taskbar and Start menu, a Settings app laid out like Windows 11, a software store, and voice typing that runs entirely on your own computer.

Get Zohara OS See it

Free and open source. x86_64 PCs. Still being finished; see status.

The Zohara OS desktop: a blue and coral wallpaper, with a taskbar along the bottom holding the Start button, Settings, Software Store, Files and Brave Origin.

Made for people coming from Windows

Linux is powerful, but it usually asks you to learn a new way of doing everything. Zohara keeps the parts you know and puts a button on the parts that used to need a terminal.

A desktop you already know

A taskbar with a Start button, a Start menu with search and Favorites, and a Windows-flavoured look on top of KDE Plasma. Nothing to relearn on day one.

Settings that change real things

A custom Settings app in the Windows 11 layout: display, sound, Bluetooth, network, storage, accounts, default apps, gaming and printers. Each page controls the actual system, not a mock-up.

Voice typing, fully offline

Press Meta + H, speak, and the words are typed where your cursor is. Recognition runs on your computer with whisper.cpp and a multilingual model that ships in the ISO. Nothing is uploaded.

A real software store

Zohara Store installs apps and handles updates. It shows what is changing, lets you choose what to update, and offers a way back if an update goes wrong.

Snapshots around updates

On Btrfs, a snapshot is taken before and after every package change, so there is something to go back to. Updates follow a date that the project approves, not the raw Arch stream.

Problems get reported, not hidden

If the installer fails, one button on the Welcome screen saves a report to a USB stick. In the installed system, Settings keeps a log and offers one-click fixes on the Troubleshoot page.

A look around

Click any picture to see it full size. These are from a test build running in a virtual machine.

Zohara Store's home page with large cards for Firefox, Steam, GIMP and VSCodium, and an Editor's Picks row below.
Zohara Store. Find and install apps in one place.
Zohara Settings home page showing the device name, network and update status, storage use, recommended settings and Bluetooth.
Settings. A left rail and card groups, like the Windows 11 layout.
Zohara Update page saying You're up to date, with options to pause updates, see update history and choose a channel.
Updates. Check, pause, review history, or pick a channel.
The Start menu open over the desktop, with Favorites for Brave Origin, Settings, Dolphin and Software Store, and categories on the left.
Start menu. Favorites, categories and search.
The Accessibility settings page with vision, hearing and speech options such as high contrast, cursor size and a screen reader.
Accessibility. Contrast, text size, a screen reader and more.

What is inside

  • Arch Linux base, with the KDE Plasma 6 desktop on Wayland.
  • The Zen kernel, tuned for desktop and gaming rather than servers.
  • NVIDIA open drivers included, so supported NVIDIA GPUs need no manual driver setup.
  • Brave Origin as the browser: Brave's ad and tracker blocking without the wallet, VPN or news.
  • The Calamares installer, which can install alongside Windows when it finds it.

Download

The ISO is about 3.9 GB. It is hosted on SourceForge, which is free and serves it from mirrors; it is too large for a GitHub release file.

Zohara OS 2026.09.30

Download the ISO (3.9 GB) SourceForge mirror

  1. Download the ISO with the button above.
  2. Optional: check it. Its SHA-256 is 29a22b6b19731dc82bbb132f7ef61f3fc64279e6aff2b4603ad026b269402a46, also listed in SHA256SUMS next to the download.
  3. Write the ISO to a USB stick with Ventoy, balenaEtcher or dd.
  4. Boot from the stick and choose Install Zohara, or Try Zohara to look around first.

Tagged versions and release notes are on the GitHub Releases page. The newest development build is always available from GitHub Actions (sign-in required).

System requirements

Minimum requirements
Processor64-bit x86 (Intel or AMD). Older CPUs work; voice typing is slower on them.
Memory4 GB RAM
Storage20 GB free
FirmwareUEFI or legacy BIOS
GraphicsIntel, AMD, or a modern NVIDIA card

Open source, made by one person

Zohara OS is created and maintained by Zohaib Baig (@Zohaib8090). It is dual-licensed under MIT and GPL-3.0-or-later, and third-party software keeps its own licenses.

Issues, ideas and pull requests are welcome on GitHub.

Repositories