Free · Hardened · Privacy-first Linux

Widow9OS

FAST. FIERCE. PRIVATE.

A sleek desktop that protects you from the first minute. Firewall, encrypted DNS and tracker blocking are already switched on, and Widow9 itself collects nothing about you.

↓ Download Widow9 OS 1.0 What's protecting you ❯
64-bit PCs · 4 GB RAM or more · Free forever
Two editions, one install

Pick your edition

Choose when Widow9 first starts. You can switch any time later, with no reinstall.

STANDARD

Everyday privacy for home and work.

  • Web, email, office, music and video
  • All the protection switched on
  • Green accents
The Widow9 spider with green accents

CYBER MONK

For people learning ethical hacking.

  • Everything in Standard
  • Kali Linux's top 10 tools in a sealed container
  • Tor Browser, and red accents

Only test systems you own or have written permission to test (Computer Misuse Act 1990).

The Widow9 spider with red accents
On from the first minute

What's protecting you

Every Widow9 PC checks these live on its Welcome screen and its desktop gauge.

Firewall

Blocks unwanted connections coming in from the internet.

Encrypted DNS

Web lookups go to Quad9, encrypted, so your internet provider can't read them.

Tracker blocking

Over 239,000 tracker and advert domains blocked for every app, updated weekly.

Hardened Firefox

Telemetry off, HTTPS-only, uBlock Origin and Mosquito9 built in.

Automatic updates

Security fixes install by themselves in the background.

Snapshots

Restore points, so a bad change or update can be undone.

Wi-Fi privacy

A random hardware address when scanning Wi-Fi, so you're harder to track.

System hardening

Extra kernel and network protections switched on.

No system is 100% secure. These make you a much harder target.

Free download

Get Widow9 OS 1.0

One download for both editions. Put it on a USB stick, try it without installing, then install when you're ready.

Widow9 OS 1.0 · 64-bit

File
widow9-os-1.0-amd64.iso
Size
3.2 GB
Needs
64-bit PC, 4 GB RAM (8 GB comfortable), 40 GB disk, an SSD strongly advised
Based on
Linux Mint 22.3
↓ Download the ISO

SHA-256 checksum

d6144c5d56a34e755cbbbfd340f10254a9491a15448f1740e84ad717c1783275

Check it, then make a USB stick

  1. Check the download is genuine. Windows: open PowerShell in your Downloads and run Get-FileHash widow9-os-1.0-amd64.iso. Linux or Mac: sha256sum widow9-os-1.0-amd64.iso. The result must match the checksum exactly.
  2. Make the USB stick (8 GB or bigger, it will be wiped) with Rufus on Windows or balenaEtcher on Mac.
  3. Start the PC from the USB. Tap the boot menu key as it starts (often F12, F11, F9 or Esc).
  4. Try it, then install with the installer on the desktop.
Straight talking

Honest limits

What Widow9 won't do

  • Run every Windows program. Microsoft Office desktop and Adobe apps need their web versions or free swaps like LibreOffice.
  • Run games that use anti-cheat.
  • Protect you from a weak password, or from a scam you choose to follow.

What it is

  • Built on Linux Mint and Ubuntu, with thousands of free apps in Software Manager.
  • Works offline once installed. No online account needed to sign in.
  • Free to download and use. Supported by donations and the Mampi Technologies rescue service.