An apparatus and a method for an online desktop distribution is described. In one embodiment, an online desktop operates on a client with an online desktop distributor having an operating system with one or more kernels compiled for usermode. A server coupled to the client stores and uploads a user profile setting to the client to configure the online desktop on the client based on a user login on the online desktop. The online desktop can be booted from the client with the online desktop distributor or run as a hosted operating system in usermode under a default operating system of the client.