Linux Mint 23: Release Date and New Features

Linux Mint 23 is the next major release of the popular Ubuntu-based desktop distribution, confirmed to arrive in December 2026 based on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS “Resolute Raccoon”. The Linux Mint team has officially shifted to a longer development cycle and shared a growing list of confirmed features, including full Wayland support for Cinnamon, a new LMDE-based installer replacing Ubiquity, and a range of desktop improvements announced in the project’s monthly newsletters.

Release Date

Linux Mint 23 has a confirmed target release window of December 2026, aiming for a Christmas release. This was announced by project lead Clement Lefebvre in the March 2026 monthly update and represents a deliberate shift away from the previous cadence of shipping 2–3 months after the Ubuntu LTS base:

• Linux Mint 20 (“Ulyana”) , released June 27, 2020 (Ubuntu 20.04: April 23, 2020)
• Linux Mint 21 (“Vanessa”) , released July 31, 2022 (Ubuntu 22.04: April 21, 2022)
• Linux Mint 22 (“Wilma”) , released July 25, 2024 (Ubuntu 24.04: April 25, 2024)
• Linux Mint 23 (“Alfa”), targeting December 2026 (Ubuntu 26.04: April 2026)

The ~8 month gap after Ubuntu 26.04 is intentional. Lefebvre stated the longer cycle is needed so the team can “fix bugs and improve the desktop” without rushing, and to invest more time in feature development rather than release management. The move to a longer cycle is now confirmed policy, not merely under consideration.

Codename & Naming

Linux Mint exhausted its A–Z codename series with Linux Mint 22.3 “Zena”, released in January 2026. In the January 2026 monthly blog post, project lead Clement Lefebvre acknowledged the situation directly: “our next release will be based on a new LTS and we just ran out of codenames.”

The current development release is officially referred to as Linux Mint 23 “Alfa”, as confirmed in the March 2026 monthly update. “Alfa” is explicitly a placeholder name, not the final codename. Lefebvre has indicated that a new naming or version numbering scheme is possible — some community members have suggested aligning the version number with the release year (e.g. “Mint 26”) — but no decision has been made publicly. The final codename will be announced closer to release.

Wayland Support

The most significant advancement in Linux Mint 23 is expected to be full Wayland support for the Cinnamon desktop. Wayland has been listed as an “experimental” session in recent Linux Mint releases, with the Cinnamon team systematically removing blockers over the past two years. As of Linux Mint 22.3, Cinnamon’s keyboard handling was already rewritten to be Wayland-compatible, and the window manager (Muffin) received substantial Wayland-related updates.

Importantly, Linux Mint has been clear that supporting Wayland does not mean defaulting to Wayland. In the February 2026 monthly update, Clement Lefebvre stated: “Whether or not we want to default to Wayland in the future is a different topic, but we certainly want to have the option on the table.” X11 will continue to be fully supported, and the choice of default session will depend on testing and user experience results.

MATE and Xfce editions are not yet at the same stage of Wayland readiness as Cinnamon, though Mint’s cross-desktop tooling (XApps and system tools) is being developed with Wayland compatibility in mind.

New Cinnamon Screensaver

The last remaining blocker for full Cinnamon Wayland support was the screen locker. The existing cinnamon-screensaver was a separate process designed for X11 only, making it incompatible with Wayland sessions and difficult to maintain. The Linux Mint team identified this as the “last missing piece of the puzzle” in the January 2026 blog post, where they announced work on a replacement.

By the February 2026 update, the new screensaver was completed. Key improvements include:

• Integrated directly into Cinnamon, no longer a separate process
• Full compatibility with both X11 and Wayland sessions
• Smoother, flicker-free transition between desktop and lock screen
• Modern lock screen UI showing battery level, media controls, notifications, and fingerprint reader support
• Fixes a longstanding “privacy peek” bug where the desktop could briefly flash before the lock screen appeared

For Linux Mint 23, both the new and old screensavers will ship; the legacy cinnamon-screensaver will remain as a fallback during testing. It is expected to be fully removed in a subsequent point release once the new version is well-tested across hardware configurations.

New Features & Improvements

The May 2026 monthly newsletter detailed a number of confirmed improvements coming in Linux Mint 23:

Nemo File Manager

Nemo’s navigation is significantly more responsive in Mint 23. The previous release (22.3) had an intentional 200 ms delay between clicking a directory and its contents rendering. Mint 23 removes this lag by rendering directories immediately in most cases. Alongside this, Nemo gains a persistent interactive search bar: typing filters the directory view in real time, and the search bar stays visible rather than disappearing when you stop typing or click away.

Built-in Screenshot Tool

Cinnamon is gaining its own native screenshot utility, replacing the dependency on GNOME Screenshot. The new tool supports window screenshots with or without window shadows, multi-monitor captures (all monitors or a single one), and on-capture cropping before saving or copying. This is implemented as a new XApp, consistent with Mint’s approach of maintaining cross-desktop tooling.

WPA3 and OWE Wi-Fi Support

Cinnamon’s network applet now supports WPA3 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 3) and OWE (Opportunistic Wireless Encryption), improving security on modern routers and public networks.

Dialog and Theme Improvements

Several UI polish changes are coming to Cinnamon dialogs: buttons no longer run together in GNOME-style dialogs, titlebars use bold text and symbolic icons, and many dialogs (such as the logout prompt) now use Clutter pop-ups that can float above windows and be moved around. In dark mode, the Mint-Y, Mint-L, and Mint-X themes now use XSI symbolic icons for GTK dialogs, matching the icon set used in Nemo and improving visual consistency across applications.

Under the Hood

As a distribution built on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, Linux Mint 23 will inherit a significant toolchain refresh. The Ubuntu 26.04 base brings Linux kernel 7.0 (confirmed in the current Mint 23 “Alfa” development build per the Phoronix report on Mint 23 Alfa), Python 3.14, GCC 15, Mesa 25.3, and OpenJDK 25.

New Installer: LMDE Live-Installer Replaces Ubiquity

A major under-the-hood change confirmed in the March 2026 update is the retirement of the Ubiquity installer. Linux Mint 23 will adopt the live-installer already used by Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE), which is based on the System Installer from Debian. This new installer supports BIOS/UEFI, SecureBoot, OEM setups, and LVM/LUKS encryption out of the box. The Mint 23 “Alfa” build is already testing it.

However, Linux Mint does not simply repackage Ubuntu. The team selectively adopts upstream changes and has a track record of diverging where upstream decisions conflict with Mint’s user experience goals. For example, Mint added its own XApp Symbolic Icons (XSI) project when Adwaita dropped support for symbolic icons outside of GNOME, ensuring consistent theming across Mint applications.

Other confirmed work planned for the next release includes:

• A new Sensors page in the System Information tool (formerly System Reports), showing real-time CPU temperature and fan speed data
• A new Users page in the Administration Tool (mintsysadm) for user account management
• Continued PipeWire integration (moved to PipeWire in 22.3 with a PulseAudio fallback option)

What Linux Mint Won’t Adopt

Some changes shipping in Ubuntu 26.04 are unlikely to appear in Linux Mint 23, based on the project’s established policies and developer statements:

• Snap packages: The Snap Store remains disabled in Linux Mint. In January 2026, Clement Lefebvre explicitly cited “rejecting Snap” as one of Mint’s deliberate independence decisions. This is expected to continue.
• Ubiquity installer: Ubiquity is being dropped entirely in favour of the LMDE live-installer (see Under the Hood above).
• ZFS installer support: ZFS was removed from the Linux Mint installer in 22.3 due to low usage and maintenance overhead. It is not expected to return.
• Ubuntu App Center as default: Linux Mint uses its own Software Manager, not Ubuntu’s App Center.
• Wayland as the only session: Unlike Ubuntu 26.04’s GNOME session (which drops X11), Linux Mint plans to support both X11 and Wayland.

Support Lifecycle

Linux Mint releases follow the support timeline of their Ubuntu base. Linux Mint 23, based on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, is expected to receive:

• Standard support until April 2031
• Continued security updates through Ubuntu’s upstream repositories

Linux Mint considers a release End of Life once it exits Ubuntu’s main support period. Ubuntu Pro’s Extended Security Maintenance is available for underlying packages but is not covered by Linux Mint’s own repositories.

Conclusion

Linux Mint 23 is shaping up to be a meaningful release, not for radical change, but for completing long-running work. The new integrated Cinnamon screensaver removes the last Wayland blocker, the new LMDE live-installer modernises installation, and a raft of Cinnamon and Nemo improvements deliver tangible day-to-day improvements. The Ubuntu 26.04 LTS base brings the Linux 7.0 kernel, a modern toolchain, and improved hardware support.

The defining characteristic of this release cycle is intentional patience: the team has confirmed December 2026 as its target in order to ship something well-tested rather than rushing to follow Ubuntu’s April timeline. Linux Mint has a strong tradition of moving carefully, and this release is a deliberate expression of that philosophy. Follow the official Linux Mint blog for monthly updates as development progresses.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When will Linux Mint 23 be released? December 2026 is the confirmed target, with the team aiming for a Christmas release. This was announced by project lead Clement Lefebvre in the March 2026 monthly update. Unlike previous cycles, this is not an estimate extrapolated from the Ubuntu release date — it is an intentional decision to extend the development window.
2. What codename will Linux Mint 23 have? The current development release is called Linux Mint 23 “Alfa”, but “Alfa” is explicitly a placeholder, not the final codename. Linux Mint exhausted its alphabetical A–Z series with 22.3 “Zena”. A new naming scheme has not been confirmed; some community members have suggested using the year (e.g. “Mint 26”), but Clement Lefebvre has not committed to any format.
3. Will Linux Mint 23 use Wayland by default? Almost certainly not for the initial release. Linux Mint has been explicit that supporting Wayland does not mean switching to it by default. The goal is a fully working, supported Wayland session alongside X11 (which remains the default). Lefebvre has stated: “Supporting Wayland doesn’t mean we’ll start using it by default, but it makes it a possibility.”
4. Will Snap packages be available in Linux Mint 23? No. The Linux Mint team has consistently disabled the Snap Store, and project lead Clement Lefebvre reaffirmed this stance in January 2026. Users who need Snap packages can re-enable Snapd manually, but it will not be available out of the box.
5. Should I wait for Linux Mint 23 or install Linux Mint 22.x now? If you need a stable system today, install Linux Mint 22.x, which is supported until April 2029 and is a mature, well-tested release. There is no reason to wait. For the upgrade from 22.x to 23, given the jump across two Ubuntu LTS bases, the Mint team is likely to recommend a fresh installation; no official upgrade path has been announced.
6. What is changing with the Linux Mint development cycle? The team has officially adopted a longer development cycle starting with Mint 23. Rather than shipping 2–3 months after Ubuntu LTS, Mint 23 will ship roughly 8 months after Ubuntu 26.04 (April → December 2026). The goal is fewer, more polished releases rather than rapid incremental updates.
7. What new features are confirmed for Linux Mint 23? Beyond Wayland support and the new screensaver, confirmed features include: a new LMDE live-installer replacing Ubiquity; Nemo speed improvements (200ms delay removed, persistent interactive search bar); a built-in Cinnamon screenshot tool with cropping and multi-monitor support; WPA3 and OWE Wi-Fi support; draggable Clutter-based dialogs; improved dialog and theme styling; and Linux kernel 7.0.