TL;DR — Of the 40-odd Windows-only utilities in your inventory, most have a straight or better Linux counterpart: 7-Zip ships an official Linux build [17], CopyQ beats Ditto [15], QDirStat is WinDirStat’s direct descendant [16] ⭐ 2.5k, KDE Connect beats Phone Link [24], and PDFtk still runs as
pdftk-java[19]. Three things force a real workflow change: ShareX (you assemble it from 3–4 tools), Sandboxie (Firejail/bubblewrap sandbox by profile, not by transparently shadowing an installed app) [25], and 1Password (fine, but never install the Flatpak — it loses system unlock and the SSH agent) [20]. Two have no real answer: AutoHotkey — community consensus in 2026 is still that you replace it with 3–5 separate projects and accept that window automation is desktop-specific [2] — and Power Automate Desktop, which is Windows-MSI/Store-only with no Linux build at all [18].
Everything below is scoped to what is actually installed on the machine. The display server is the hidden variable in half of these rows: GNOME 50 removed the X11 session in March 2026 [12] and Plasma 6.8 drops it in October 2026 [13], so “just use X11” is no longer a migration strategy on a mainstream desktop.
Main table
| Windows app (installed) | Linux replacement | Parity | Migration notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| PowerToys 0.97.1 ⭐ 137k | no single package — see per-module table | ⚠ | 30 utilities [1]; ~2/3 are native features on Linux, the rest need a named tool |
| AutoHotkey 2.0.19 | keyd ⭐ 5.8k + keymapper ⭐ 1.1k + Espanso ⭐ 14k + compositor keybinds | ✗ | No single replacement exists; see the dedicated section [2] |
| Microsoft.PowerAutomateDesktop | Robot Framework ⭐ 12k, UI.Vision RPA, Actiona ⭐ 727, n8n ⭐ 199k (cloud/API flows only) | ✗ | Windows MSI/Store only, needs Windows Desktop .NET [18]. Nothing on Linux does record-and-replay UI automation over arbitrary GUI apps at PAD’s level [31] |
| Ditto 3.25 | CopyQ ⭐ 12k | ✓ | Superset of Ditto (scripting, tabs, item commands). ⚠ On Wayland: global shortcuts need xdg-desktop-portal, GNOME needs the CopyQ Shell extension, and modifier/mouse-position queries don’t work [15]. Minimal alternatives: cliphist ⭐ 1.5k, clipse ⭐ 1.0k |
| ShareX 21.0 ⭐ 39k | Flameshot ⭐ 31k or grim+slurp+Satty ⭐ 2.3k; ksnip ⭐ 3.3k; + Kooha ⭐ 3.5k / OBS ⭐ 74k for video |
⚠ | The single biggest workflow loss. Nothing bundles capture + annotate + OCR + custom-uploader + history. Flameshot’s own docs enumerate Wayland breakage (repeat portal prompts on GNOME, multi-monitor overlay bugs, shortcuts not firing) and say “We cannot do anything about it!” [14]. Custom uploaders become a shell script |
| Microsoft.ScreenSketch (Snipping Tool) | Spectacle (KDE) / GNOME Screenshot | ✓ | Both are Wayland-native and portal-based; Spectacle also records screen |
| WinDirStat 2.2.2 | QDirStat ⭐ 2.5k; Filelight (KDE); Baobab (GNOME); gdu ⭐ 5.9k / dust ⭐ 12k / dua ⭐ 6.1k in the terminal | ✓ | QDirStat is the KDirStat/WinDirStat lineage with the same treemap [16]. Bonus: Czkawka ⭐ 32k for duplicate hunting |
| Sandboxie 5.71.9 ⭐ 19k | Firejail ⭐ 7.6k; bubblewrap ⭐ 8.2k; Flatpak ⭐ 5.0k + portals | ⚠ | Windows-only, kernel-driver based [32]. Model differs: Sandboxie shadows writes of an already-installed app and lets you discard them; Firejail applies a namespace/seccomp profile at launch, bubblewrap ships no ready-made profiles, and Flatpak only confines Flatpak-installed apps [25]. “Run this .exe throwaway and delete the changes” has no direct equivalent |
| IrfanView 4.73 | XnView MP (closest, closed-source); nomacs ⭐ 3.1k; qView ⭐ 3.4k / qimgv ⭐ 3.1k for pure speed; ImageMagick ⭐ 17k for batch | ⚠ | XnView MP is the only one matching IrfanView’s format breadth + batch converter in one GUI [26]. Expect to move batch conversion to magick mogrify |
| Paint.NET 5.1.11 | Pinta ⭐ 3.8k; Krita; GIMP | ⚠ | Pinta is explicitly the Paint.NET-shaped option (layers, effects, low ceiling) [27]. Paint.NET plugins (.dll) don’t port |
| Microsoft.Paint | Drawing / KolourPaint | ✓ | Same scope, same speed |
| Microsoft.Windows.Photos | Loupe / Gwenview / gThumb | ✓ | gThumb also covers tagging + batch rename/convert [26] |
| Microsoft.RawImageExtension | LibRaw / darktable / RawTherapee | ✓ | RAW decoding is a library on Linux, not a shell extension — thumbnailers pick it up automatically |
| Notepad++ 8.9.1 ⭐ 29k (+ Store pkg) | Kate; Notepadqq ⭐ 2.3k; VSCodium ⭐ 33k | ⚠ | No official Linux build; the Wine/Snap package is an unofficial third-party effort [22]. Kate is the honest upgrade (multi-cursor, LSP, sessions); Notepadqq is the nostalgia option. NPP plugins don’t port |
| Microsoft.WindowsNotepad | GNOME Text Editor / Kate | ✓ | — |
| 7-Zip 25.01 ⭐ 3.6k | official 7zz 26.02 for Linux; p7zip; Ark / File Roller GUI |
✓ | Upstream ships x86-64/x86/arm64/arm console builds [17] — same engine, same switches. Only the Explorer context menu is gone (file managers have their own) |
| PDFtk / PDFtk Server 2.02 | pdftk-java; qpdf ⭐ 5.3k; poppler-utils (pdfunite, pdfseparate, pdftotext); PDF Arranger ⭐ 5.7k GUI |
✓ | pdftk-java keeps the CLI verbatim, so existing scripts survive [19]; qpdf is the better long-term target for structural edits |
| Clipchamp | Kdenlive; Shotcut ⭐ 15k; OpenShot | ✓ | All three exceed Clipchamp’s ceiling [29]; you lose the stock-library/templates layer |
| Microsoft.WindowsSoundRecorder | Sound Recorder / Audacity ⭐ 17k | ✓ | — |
| Microsoft.CommandPalette | rofi ⭐ 16k (X11) / Ulauncher ⭐ 4.5k / Albert ⭐ 8.0k / Walker ⭐ 2.9k (Wayland) | ✓ | Albert is the closest plugin-model match to PowerToys Run/Command Palette [28]; Walker/fuzzel if you go wlroots |
| Microsoft.WindowsTerminal | Ghostty ⭐ 59k; WezTerm ⭐ 28k; kitty ⭐ 34k | ✓ | Strictly better. WezTerm keeps the config-as-code + multiplexer model closest to WT profiles |
| Microsoft.YourPhone / MicrosoftWindows.CrossDevice | KDE Connect / GSConnect ⭐ 3.7k | ✓ | LAN-only, no cloud account; adds bidirectional clipboard, remote input, run-command, presenter mode [24] |
| Smart Connect (Motorola) 8.0 | KDE Connect | ⚠ | Vendor-specific desktop-mode/app-streaming from the Moto stack has no Linux client; KDE Connect covers notifications, files, clipboard, media, remote input [24] |
| 1Password 8.12 | 1Password for Linux (deb/rpm/AUR/tar.gz) | ⚠ | Full desktop client with system-authentication unlock via user password, fingerprint/biometrics or security key [21]. Use the deb/rpm, not the Flatpak — Flatpak loses system authentication, the SSH agent, and unified app↔browser unlock [20] |
| Microsoft.Windows.DevHome | nothing to migrate | ⚠ | It is a dashboard over winget/WSL/GitHub. The Linux analogue is declarative env config (Nix, mise, devcontainers), not an app |
| MicrosoftCorporationII.QuickAssist | RustDesk ⭐ 119k | ⚠ | Wayland capture via PipeWire + XDG portal with a remembered consent dialog, multi-monitor since 1.4.3, permanent password for unattended access [23]. Pre-login/headless needs a virtual-display setup — no “send a 6-digit code to a stranger” flow out of the box |
| Microsoft.SecHealthUI / McAfeeWPSSparsePackage | drop both; ClamAV only if you scan files for Windows peers | ⚠ | ClamAV is a signature scanner with no behavioural analysis, memory scanning or response — it is not a Defender replacement [30] |
PowerToys, per module
The installed 0.97.1 build plus the three shell-extension packages (FileLocksmith, ImageResizer, PowerRename) covers 30 utilities [1]. FancyZones / Workspaces / Grab And Move are window management — covered elsewhere in this expedition. The rest:
| PowerToys module | Linux equivalent | Parity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| PowerToys Run | Albert ⭐ 8.0k / Ulauncher ⭐ 4.5k / rofi ⭐ 16k | ✓ | Albert has the same plugin/calculator/web-search model [28] |
| PowerRename (shell ext) | KRename, Thunar Bulk Rename, gThumb; rnr ⭐ 590 CLI |
✓ | Regex + preview + undo all present; rnr has dry-run and undo scripts |
| ImageResizer (shell ext) | Nautilus/Nemo/Dolphin service menus over ImageMagick ⭐ 17k; Converseen | ✓ | You write a one-line .desktop action once |
| FileLocksmith (shell ext) | lsof / fuser -v |
✓ | No GUI, but Linux rarely blocks deletes on open handles — the problem mostly disappears |
| Text Extractor (OCR) | NormCap ⭐ 2.7k; Frog ⭐ 893 | ⚠ | NormCap is the direct analogue [28]; on GNOME/Wayland any screen-grab tool inherits the portal permission prompt problem [14] |
| Color Picker | gpick, gcolor3, KColorChooser, hyprpicker |
⚠ | X11 pickers grab pixels freely; on Wayland use the compositor-native picker (hyprpicker, Plasma’s) [28] |
| Advanced Paste | CopyQ ⭐ 12k item commands | ⚠ | Paste-as-plain-text and format conversion are scriptable in CopyQ; the AI-transform path is absent |
| Awake | systemd-inhibit, caffeine-ng, Plasma/GNOME “keep awake” |
✓ | — |
| Always On Top | compositor keybind (KWin, GNOME extension, hyprctl) |
✓ | Built into every WM |
| Peek | GNOME Sushi / Dolphin preview / ranger+ueberzug |
✓ | — |
| Quick Accent | XKB compose key / ibus |
✓ | Native input-method feature; no helper app |
| Screen Ruler | KRuler, xrestop-style GNOME extensions |
⚠ | KRuler is X11-oriented; on Wayland measurement tools are compositor-dependent |
| Mouse utilities (Find My Mouse, Highlighter, Crosshairs) | GNOME/Plasma accessibility: locate-pointer, click highlight, crosshair overlays | ⚠ | Distributed across accessibility settings, not one panel |
| Mouse Without Borders | Deskflow ⭐ 28k / Input Leap ⭐ 8.4k | ⚠ | Cross-machine KVM must inject input, so on Wayland it goes through the portal/libei route rather than raw X grabs [10] |
| Keyboard Manager | keyd ⭐ 5.8k / kanata ⭐ 7.7k | ✓ | Strictly more capable (layers, tap-hold, per-device) [3] |
| ZoomIt | Gromit-MPX ⭐ 1.4k, Plasma zoom effect, Kooha ⭐ 3.5k | ⚠ | Zoom + annotate + record in one hotkey has no single equivalent |
| Crop And Lock | — | ✗ | Niche; nothing reproduces the interactive cropped-thumbnail window |
AutoHotkey: the one with no answer
AHK is four products in one: a hotkey daemon, a key remapper, a text expander, and a scripting language with window/GUI/COM automation. Linux splits these across layers, and the layer determines whether it survives Wayland.
Layer 1 — kernel input (evdev/uinput). Display-server independent, so Wayland-proof.
| Tool | ⭐ | What it covers | Caveats |
|---|---|---|---|
| keyd | 5.8k | Layers, tap-hold, oneshot mods, macros, per-device, app-specific | Reads raw evdev and synthesises via uinput — works under X, Wayland and even a bare VT [3]. Linux-only; needs a root daemon |
| kanata | 7.7k | Same plus mouse output, chords, cross-platform config you can reuse on Windows | Needs /dev/* access (avoid-sudo recipes exist); unicode output leans on ibus and is inconsistent, rapid key events can misfire [4] |
| keymapper | 1.1k | The closest thing to AHK’s mental model — per-application context rules keyed on window title/class/process | Wayland context awareness requires the compositor to tell keymapper what’s focused: automatic on wlroots, otherwise via its GNOME Shell extension or KWin script; process path may be unavailable on Wayland [5] |
| kmonad | 5.0k | QMK-style layers | Older, fewer features than kanata; kanata was inspired by it |
| xremap | 2.1k | App-specific remapping, Wayland-aware | Needs a compositor-specific feature flag per DE |
Layer 2 — text expansion. Espanso ⭐ 14k is the real answer and it is genuinely good (triggers, forms, shell/script extensions, package registry). It ships separate X11 and Wayland builds; the Wayland one is still labelled experimental, requires setcap cap_dac_override+p, needs non-US layouts declared explicitly, app-specific config only works on KDE-Wayland if you also install kdotool ⭐ 378, and a newly plugged keyboard requires espanso restart [6].
Layer 3 — scripted GUI automation. This is where AHK dies.
- AutoKey ⭐ 3.9k is the historical AHK-for-Linux (Python scripting + phrase expansion + window ops) but it “is a Xorg application and will not function in a Wayland session” [7]. The only Wayland-capable variant is the autokey-wayland fork ⭐ 27 — GNOME-only, KDE “planned” [8]. A 27-star fork is not a foundation for your automation.
- Input synthesis: xdotool ⭐ 3.8k is X11-only by construction. On Wayland you get ydotool ⭐ 2.3k, which “uses the uinput framework of Linux kernel to emulate an input device” instead of sending X events — so it types and clicks anywhere, but its daemon “requires root permissions” and it has no window query/manipulation commands at all [9]. wtype ⭐ 549 types via
virtual-keyboard-unstable-v1, which GNOME does not implement. - Hotkey daemons: sxhkd ⭐ 3.0k (X11 only), swhkd ⭐ 854 (Wayland, privileged daemon). In practice you bind hotkeys in the compositor’s own config instead.
- GUI-flow automation: Actiona ⭐ 727 is the closest visual macro tool, but it descends from the X11 automation stack.
What Wayland makes structurally impossible. Wayland has no equivalent of XGrabKey/XTestFakeInput: a client cannot read the keyboard while unfocused, cannot enumerate or move other clients’ windows, and cannot inject synthetic input. Everything must go through a broker:
- Input injection → the XDG RemoteDesktop / InputCapture portals backed by libei, integrated since portal 1.17 with persistent authorisation since 1.21, which means “clients using XDG portals now work with any compositor that implements the portal, with no need for GNOME/KDE-specific APIs” [10]. But it is consent-gated and text/gesture/tablet support is still being added [10].
- Global hotkeys → the GlobalShortcuts portal, whose coverage is still patchy: wlroots’
xdg-desktop-portal-wlrships no implementation at all, so registration outright fails on Niri/Sway/River [11]. - Window manipulation → nothing portable. As the r/Linux-adjacent Lemmy consensus puts it: “you won’t find a single alternative, but you’ll have to find multiple projects for specific features… Window automation is DE/WM specific” [2].
Recommended stack: keyd (or kanata if you want one config across both OSes) for remaps and layers → keymapper if you need per-app rules → Espanso for text → compositor keybinds calling shell scripts for everything AHK’s scripting language did. Accept that pixel-hunting/window-poking macros do not port; rewrite them against CLIs and D-Bus instead.
The Wayland tax
Still X11-only or degraded in 2026, among the tools above — relevant because GNOME 50 [12] and Plasma 6.8 [13] no longer offer an X11 session:
| Tool | Status on Wayland |
|---|---|
| AutoKey (upstream) ⭐ 3.9k | ✗ Will not function in a Wayland session [7] |
| xdotool ⭐ 3.8k | ✗ X11 protocol by definition; only affects XWayland clients |
| sxhkd ⭐ 3.0k | ✗ X11 key grabs |
| Flameshot ⭐ 31k | ⚠ Portal-dependent; documented GNOME permission-prompt loops, multi-monitor overlay and hotkey failures [14] |
| Espanso ⭐ 14k | ⚠ Separate experimental Wayland build; setcap, layout declaration, keyboard-hotplug restarts, app-specific config only via kdotool on KDE [6] |
| CopyQ ⭐ 12k | ⚠ Needs portal for shortcuts, Shell extension on GNOME; modifier/mouse queries unavailable [15] |
| ydotool ⭐ 2.3k | ⚠ Works, but root daemon and no window operations [9] |
| wtype ⭐ 549 | ⚠ Requires virtual-keyboard-unstable-v1, absent on GNOME |
| keymapper ⭐ 1.1k | ⚠ Context rules need a per-compositor bridge; process path may be unavailable [5] |
| keyd ⭐ 5.8k / kanata ⭐ 7.7k / Espanso’s input layer | ✓ Below the display server entirely [3] |
Practical consequence: pick KDE Plasma or GNOME, not a wlroots compositor, if input automation matters — the portal implementations you depend on are missing on wlroots [11].
Already native / trivially replaced
No research needed for these — they are OS features or one-line installs on Linux:
- 7-Zip → official upstream
7zzbinary, identical CLI [17] - PowerToys Hosts File Editor →
/etc/hostsin any editor · Environment Variables → shell rc /systemdenvironment.d · Registry Preview → no registry exists · Command Not Found →command-not-foundships with Debian/Ubuntu and Fedora · Shortcut Guide → DE keyboard-shortcut settings · File Explorer add-ons (preview/thumbnails) → thumbnailers are system-wide · New+ (templates) →~/Templates· Light Switch → GNOME/Plasma scheduled night/dark theme · Power Display →ddcutil/ Plasma brightness applet - Snipping Tool → Spectacle / GNOME Screenshot · Paint → Drawing/KolourPaint · Photos → Loupe/Gwenview · Notepad → GNOME Text Editor/Kate · Sound Recorder → GNOME Sound Recorder · Windows Terminal → Ghostty/WezTerm/kitty · RAW extension → LibRaw, already in every thumbnailer
- Clipboard plumbing →
wl-clipboard⭐ 2.4k (wl-copy/wl-paste) replaces the clip.exe/PowerShell dance - Windows Security / McAfee → uninstall, don’t replace [30]