Files are organized pretty differently on Linux compared to Windows.
On Windows you have drive letters, starting with C: (because A: and B: were originally reserved for floppy disks). Each physical drive gets its own letter (D:, E:, and so on). Network shares often show up under the well-known Z: drive.
On Linux things work differently. It doesn’t matter how many physical drives you have — everything lives under a single starting point: /, called the root directory.
Linux uses forward slashes (/) to separate directories. Windows chose backslashes (\), partly because Unix had already standardized on / before Windows existed.
Your computer’s entire file system tree begins at /. No letters, no multiple roots. Just one hierarchy. Simple. But not quite boring.
File Structure Basics
On Windows, the base layout has been relatively simple: you see Windows, Program Files, and later Users.
Linux, however, comes with a fixed set of directories under /, a convention that’s been around since the early days of Unix. Here are the most common ones you’ll encounter:
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/bin– essential system binaries (commands likels,cp,cat). -
/boot– files needed to start (boot) the operating system, including the kernel. -
/dev– device files (your disks, USB sticks, sound cards). -
/etc– configuration files for the whole system. -
/home– personal directories for each user. -
/media– where removable drives (USB sticks, DVDs) get mounted automatically. -
/mnt– a generic mount point for temporarily attaching extra drives. -
/opt– optional or third-party software. -
/proc– a virtual directory exposing kernel and process information. -
/root– the home directory for the root (administrator) user. -
/run– temporary runtime files, like sockets or process IDs. -
/sys– system and device information, managed by the kernel. -
/tmp– temporary files, deleted on reboot. -
/usr– userland applications, libraries, and documentation. -
/var– variable data such as logs, caches, or mail queues.
You’ll see these directories in almost every Linux installation, whether it’s Ubuntu, Fedora, or Arch.
Where Do Your Files Go?
The closest equivalent to Users on Windows is /home. Each user gets their own folder — for example, /home/john/. Inside, you’ll find familiar directories such as:
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Desktop
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Documents
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Downloads
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Music
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Pictures
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Videos
This is your workspace. Anything you download or create belongs here. Want a Games folder? Just make one. Want to store your photos? Drop them in Pictures.
System software, however, doesn’t install here — it gets placed under /usr, /opt, or sometimes /var depending on its type.
Multiple Drives
Windows makes each drive look separate (C:, D:, E:). Linux merges everything into the same tree. To access additional hard drives or partitions, you mount them into a directory.
For personal use, you can mount extra drives inside your own home folder (e.g., /home/john/Drives/SSD2). For system-wide access, drives are usually mounted under /mnt or /media.
This approach means you don’t have to remember what letter your second drive is — you just go to the mount point.
A Note on Configuration
On Windows, if you want to edit something like the hosts file, you head to:C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
On Linux, the same file is simply:/etc/hosts
That’s the philosophy: system configuration lives in /etc, user data lives in /home, and everything else has its place.
Conclusion
The Linux file system might look alien at first compared to Windows drive letters, but it follows a clear logic. System stuff lives in predictable places, while your personal data stays neatly in /home. Most of the time, you won’t need to leave your home directory at all — unless you’re configuring the system, in which case you know exactly where to look.