A real Linux desktop on your iPad
Windows, tiling, workspaces and real Linux apps — Firefox, VS Code, Thunar, VLC, Node, git, Claude Code — running on the iPad itself. No VM. No jailbreak. One app.
Screenshots • Why LinPad • Features • How it works • Quick start • Install & updates • Shortcuts • Roadmap
LinPad OS with the monochrome Dot Matrix desktop. Development captures from the iPad simulator.
 Visual Studio Code editing a React and TypeScript project |
 Firefox browsing Wikipedia |
 LinPad Store with Linux apps and developer tools |
 Aqua desktop with files and terminal |
 Classic 98 desktop |
 Platinum desktop |
The iPad Air M3 is as fast as a MacBook Air. Put a Logitech keyboard with a trackpad on it and it looks like a laptop — but it can't do laptop things. No real terminal. No VS Code. No Linux tools. A powerful machine that ends up as a Netflix screen.
LinPad turns it into the computer the hardware already is.
| Stock iPadOS | LinPad | |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop | Stage Manager | Real windowed desktop with tiling, snapping, workspaces |
| Terminal | Toy shells | Full Alpine Linux — apk, bash, Node, Python, git |
| Code editor | Web-based at best | Visual Studio Code (the real one) |
| Browser engine | WebKit only | Firefox + Safari's engine side by side |
| Linux GUI apps | ❌ | Thunar, Mousepad, VLC, GTK & Qt apps |
| AI coding | ❌ | Claude Code in the terminal and VS Code |
| Keyboard + trackpad | Partial | Right-click, shortcuts, pointer everywhere |
| Cost | — | Free & open source |
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Window manager | Move, resize from any edge, snap to halves and quarters, maximize, minimize to the taskbar |
| Auto-tiling | Master-stack, columns, grid and monocle layouts — on or off per workspace, float any window |
| Workspaces | Switch with keys or three-finger swipes, drag windows between them in the overview |
| Overview & switcher |