If you own old laptop/pc then you know pain because lot of Linux distro dropping support for them. So, here’s best lightweight 32bit Linux distro for old laptop that you can use in 2023.
After 2007 almost every CPU comes as 64bit but older system comes as 32bit CPU. For older hardware dev have to test OS before realising. So, lot of big distros dropping support for 32bit Hardware.
Best Lightweight 32Bit Linux Distro
Linux distribution that supports 32bit hardware available but they all not good as this mentioned distribution.
Arch Linux 32

If you are a person who love to customization then you should give a try to this community-maintained project. It’s in active development so you don’t have to worry about update and all.
Since it’s based on Arch Linux so you can use arch features and make your desktop experience really good.
Debian
Debian is most stable and support maximum number of hardware that available in market so if you have old laptop/pc that doesn’t work properly then you should try Debian.
Debian comes as net installer or offline installer so you can give a try if you have 32bit system. Some people say that Debian is not updated but I think if you want stable performance from old hardware then you should not focus on latest software.
I think if you can able to install Debian 32 bit easily then stay on this because Debian is best lightweight 32bit Linux distro.
MX Linux
MX Linux is based on Debian stable and great community support if have any questions in your mind. Mx Linux Usses Less resources and run so smooth on old hardware.

With MX Linux you get complete desktop solution so you don’t have to worry about anything.
Zorin OS Lite
If you want out of the box good use-experience then you must try Zorin OS Lite because Zorin OS provide us bottom panel layout with gorgeous desktop with lot of customization.

With Zorin appearance you can customize accent color, themes and many more.
antiX
If we talk about best lightweight 32bit Linux distro and we forgot antix that’s not possible. antiX OS is based on Debian and work great on old hardware that’s going to scrape.
antiX Linux use less memory and processor so you can get all the performance for your work.
NixOS
NixOS comes with minimal ISO Image and with that NixOS support 32bit hardware. So, you want to use NixOS with Nix Package manager then this combination going to be great for your old hardware.
NixOS work great with Nix package. It’s different from other Linux system since you build your system every time when you install something. NixOS is best lightweight 32bit Linux distro for old laptops.
Void Linux

Void Linux is an independent general-purpose operating system. Void Linux uses XBP package manager. Void OS uses binary package for software or you can also build your software from directly from source using XBPS source packages.
Void Linux available for almost every hardware so you can easily download for 32bit system and enjoy stable rolling Release Void Linux.
Conclusion on Best lightweight 32bit Linux distro
Here in this post, we share some of most popular best lightweight 32bit Linux distro that you can try in 2023 for your old hardware. Also, if you have any new distro that support 32bit hardware then you can write to us so we can add that distro into this list.
Also Read:
- Best lightweight Debian Based Distro
- best things to do after installing Fedora KDE.
- How to install Waydroid On Fedora 37.
- best things to do after installing KDE Neon.
- Installing Brave Browser on Fedora 37.
- Best Fedora Based Distro in 2022.