Microsoft Defender Is Now Available for Linux Desktops

Microsoft Defender is now available for Linux desktops in public preview, extending the company’s endpoint security tools beyond servers, which have been supported since 2020.

Microsoft says the move addresses a “visibility gap” as more developers use Linux desktops at work. Corporate IT teams can manage eligible Linux workstations through the same security portal used for other devices.

The preview supports Ubuntu LTS releases from 16.04 to 26.04 on Intel and AMD systems, and from 20.04 to 26.04 on Arm64. It also covers supported versions of Debian, Fedora, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and Rocky Linux.

This is an enterprise product, not a home-user download. Organisations need a standalone Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 subscription, or Microsoft 365 E5 or E7. Deployment is handled by an employer using Microsoft’s existing onboarding methods; there is no separate desktop app for users to install.

Microsoft’s announcement has more details about the public preview.