The 9 Best Live USB Linux Distros You Can Use on the Go
If you travel a lot, it’s not always possible to bring your computer along or access your data remotely. This is where live USB Linux distros come in handy. These are full-fledged operating systems that it’s possible to run directly from a USB drive, without requiring installation or any changes to the host computer.
Let’s look at a few of the best USB-bootable Linux operating systems to use.
1.Puppy Linux
Puppy Linux is one of the oldest and most lightweight distributions on this list. The installation size caps at approximately less than 400MB, making it the ideal Linux distribution for thumb drives and small storage spaces.
It is also incredibly user-friendly and is advertised by the developers as “grandpa-friendly certified ™”. It offers a high level of customizability and is optimized to work well with hardware of all generations. From an old 90s ThinkPad to the latest gaming laptop with bleeding-edge tech, Puppy Linux runs everywhere.
2.Kali Linux
Kali Linux is a pentester’s favorite Linuxdistribution. It comes with the XFCE desktop environment preinstalled and being security-focused, it doesn’t ship with any bloatware applications, allowing it to fit right into your thumb drive space.
Create a USB bootable pen drivefrom the Kali Linux ISO file and plug it in whenever you need to access its massive arsenal of penetration testing tools. Kali Linux also offers USB persistence and encrypted USB persistence, which you can select from the boot menu.
3.Porteus Linux
Porteus Linux is a highly optimized Linux distribution designed to work on any bootable media. Its install size is less than 500MB, and it’s compatible with both 64- and 32-bit hardware.
It is also insanely fast and offers a lot of customizability for an OS of its size. Unlike a regular Linux distribution, Porteus doesn’t rely on package managers and rather has a unique module-based software management system.
4.MX Linux
MX Linux is a midweight Debian-based distribution that primarily ships with the XFCE desktop environment.
Although MX offers live boot mode, it’s best used as a regular distro. But using MX Linux as a live distro is worth it as it’s quite optimized and high-performant, owing to the lightweight XFCE desktop.
If you wish to try MX Linux with a different desktop, you can either install it manually on your pre-existing MX installation or flash a fresh ISO with a different edition of the OS.
5.Parrot OS
Parrot OS is a penetration testing distro based on Debian. Much like Kali, it features a massive arsenal of security auditing tools to perform security testing on all sorts of software and devices.
It also comes equipped with privacy tools like VPN and proxy so all you have to do is configure it with your credentials, and then you may surf the internet anonymously.
Moreover, the penetration testing tools allow you to self-audit your IoT devices and network, which is difficult to do from a virtual machine setup.
6.Linux Lite
Linux Lite, as the name suggests, is a lightweight but feature-rich Debian-based Linux distribution that uses a fork of XFCE as its desktop environment.
Linux Lite imitates the Windows user interface to help newcomers smoothly transition when migrating from Windows to Linux. It is also highly secure and the community forum is very helpful when you run into any errors.
It’s easy to set up Linux Lite with USB persistence. The official site also offers a handy guide onusing Linux Lite with USB persistence.
Tails is a security and anonymity-focused Linux distribution designed to work on a USB or temporary storage media of any kind. The word Tails is an abbreviation for “The Amnesic Incognito Live System.”
You can opt to use Tails if you’re looking for a quick and highly secure way to access non-trusted, shady websites or visit the dark web. It comes with identity masking tools like VPNs, proxies, etc. pre-installed.
Tails never touches the system’s hard disk or SSD; instead, it works with storage from the USB and the RAM of the computer. This ensures that no traces are left on the machine once you pull out the pen drive. So you can use it to handle sensitive and confidential data with maximum security.
8.elementary OS
elementary OS is perfect for someone migrating to Linux from Windows or macOS. It’s neat, easy to use, and fast. You can never go wrong with elementary OS.
Do note that elementary OS was originally designed to be used as a regular OS rather than a live boot one. So you might run into a few errors, but once they are resolved, you will simply love the experience elementary OS provides.
Slax is a fan-favorite when it comes to live bootable Linux distros. It comes in two builds: Debian and Slackware. You get to pick your own base and then customize it as you like.
As rightfully advertised, Slax is a compact, quick, and modern distribution that blends modularity with a simple and neat aesthetic to give you a smooth and enjoyable Linux experience.
It’s also one of the fewdistros that offer 32-bit supportin case you have an old 32-bit machine. It installs and performs gleefully well on systems with all generations of hardware. You should give it a shot if you want to revive your old laptop with Linux.
Now You Know Which Linux Distribution Is Right for Live Booting
Linux on a USB stick can run fine if you pick the right distribution. This list includes distributions that have been historically successful in meeting the needs for live booting.
Although live booting is fine for temporary or task-specific usage, if you want to experience and explore the true potential of Linux, it’s better to install it bare-metal on your machine, either standalone or dual-boot.
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