A new version of the Linux distribution Linux Mint is now available. Linux Mint 22.1 is a long term service release that will be supported until 2029. Downloads are already available on the official website and various mirror servers.
As always, Linux 22.1 is available in three editions: Cinnamon, Xfce, and MATE. Cinnamon is the most popular version, Xfce is a lighter version that does not support some of the Cinnamon features, but is lighter on resources because of that. Mate is a traditional edition that continues to be supported.
Tip: check out the list of known issues here before you start the upgrade or installation.
Linux Mint 22.1 improvements (Cinnamon)
The official release notes reveal what is new and changed. Here are the highlights:
- APT dependencies modernization, which lays the groundwork for future improvements.
- Night Light support, which “adjusts the screen to help reduce eyestrain, headaches, and improve sleep quality”. You can configure it under Settings > Night Light.
- New default theme with “smoother, rounded elements and darker tones”, and cleaner, modern dialogs.
- Wayland compatibility improvements by using native dialogs for better integration.
- Software manager optimizations (“better speed, ensuring faster application browsing and installations”).
- Nemo actions support for keyboard shortcuts.
- Improved Alt-Tab experience.
- Support for notifications on fullscreen windows.
Now it is your turn. Have you tried Linux Mint before or this particular release already?
I have installed Mint 22.1 on two computers. A laptop with a 150u Intel CPU (Raptor Lake) and a small desktop with a 13th gen H Intel CPU. Only been a couple days but I want to try and move past Windows 11 which after 24H2 has been nothing but nagging issues. So far very impressed as I had no issues installing on either PC. I have used Mint in the past with good success as well. Sounds like there is more under hood improvements with 22.1 then anything but I definitely enjoy OS so far. What I have noticed right away is the battery life mostly par’s what I got with Windows 11. That tells me the OS works well with the hardware configuration. Good job Mint team!