Linux Mint 23 - Release Date and New Features

Date First Published: 22nd August 2026

Linux Mint 23 is arriving with new desktop features, updated software tools, and system performance boosts. In this video, we will explore the expected release timeline, the latest Cinnamon desktop updates, and the core improvements you will see upon upgrading.

Release Date

Linux Mint 23 is scheduled to be released in December 2026, timed around the Christmas season. The team delayed the launch from its typical summer release to move to a longer development cycle. This gives them more time to fix bugs and address more complex codebase tasks before launching it to the public. It will be based on Ubuntu 26 and will receive long term-support until around 2031.

We recommend waiting a few weeks or until the first point release before upgrading to Linux Mint 23 rather than installing it as soon as it's released. Mint 23 brings major architectural changes like an overhauled installer and early Wayland support for Cinnamon, so minor bugs are common. Until the official upgrade path opens, it's best to wait. Linux Mint 22 will be supported until April 2029, so you will still have over 2 years after the release of Linux Mint 23 before you need to upgrade. But, if you're eager to test the new installer and desktop engine changes, you can install it right away.

Wayland Support

Linux Mint 23 will have full Wayland support. Wayland will no longer be considered experimental and will be treated as a fully production-ready, stable option. Unlike other distributions, such as Fedora or Ubuntu that have strongly pushed to eliminate X11, Linux Mint will continue to fully support X11 right alongside Wayland. Out of the box, Linux Mint 23 is expected to keep X11 as the default session to guarantee absolute stability. You will simply be able to choose Wayland from the login screen if you want to use it.

The development team spent several years redesigning desktop elements to ensure the experience is nearly identical to X11. These changes include a redesigned screen saver, which natively supports both display systems, proper mapping, sizing, and positioning for new application windows, applets, and context pop-up menus, and improved support for multiple monitors.

New Features

Linux Mint 23 will have several new features. It's not a complete visual redesign and the team will continue to design all three editions to use the same classic layout with a bottom panel, start menu, system tray, and matching green Mint themes.

Instead, developers are focusing on stability and foundations under-the-hood. It will have a brand-new lock screen and screensaver architecture integrated directly into Cinnamon, specifically written to support Wayland. It will also have a redesigned screenshot tool that supports image cropping before you save or copy the image and it will support multiple monitors.

The Nemo file manager will be improved with an Interactive Search. When you start typing, a permanent search bar appears at the top of the window, and it filters to show matching results and hide unrelated files rather than blindly jumping to results. This will replace the old hidden text box located in the corner. By analysing context and loading contents right away, it aims to remove the slight delay when opening folders.

Linux Mint 23 will change how kernel management works by moving it out of the update manager and into the system administration tool. The core notification and software update features remain in the Update Manager, but you will still be able to select a kernel series to track instead of dealing with messy individual kernel files. Unused old kernels are deleted automatically once a week to save disk space.

The operating system will bring official support for WPA3 wireless encryption, alongside Opportunistic Wireless Encryption. This creates a protective layer of data encryption even when accessing public Wi-Fi hotspots that don't use passwords.

The dialogue boxes will be improved. Instead of locking the screen, you will be able to move the box around so you can access something before clicking on the dialogue. System dialogues for power actions, authentication, and network joins will fix compatibility issues and ensure a consistent appearance under Wayland sessions.

Installer

Linux Mint 23 will feature a completely new installer. The project is replacing the older Ubuntu-based Ubiquity installer with the modern live installer already used in Linux Mint Debian Edition. This will merge the installation experience between the main Ubuntu-based edition of Linux Mint and the debian edition. It includes better built-in support for Secure Boot and EFI systems. It will also include enhanced tools for manufacturers pre-installing the operating system on hardware.

What Linux Mint 23 Won't Include?

There are some features Linux Mint will continue not to include. Linux Mint 23 will not include Snap packages, forced Wayland migration or Ubuntu’s native App Center. The development team has made deliberate choices to keep certain upstream features out of their operating system, and this tradition continues with Linux Mint 23.

The Snap Store remains explicitly blocked and disabled. Linux Mint 23 continues to reject Canonical's Snap ecosystem, opting instead for standard deb packages and Flatpaks handled using Mint's own software manager. They will be left disabled by default, continuing Mint's long-standing policy against Canonical's containerised package format. It will completely bypass Ubuntu's default App Center and the development team is maintaining independence by sticking to their custom-built Software Manager.

The classic ubiquity installer will not be included in Linux Mint 23. It will be removed and replaced by the newer installer brought over from Linux Mint Debian Edition.

While Wayland support is fully integrated, Linux Mint 23 won't fully remove X11 support. Unlike several other distributions, X11 remains fully available and supported. Linux Mint won't force you onto it.

The option to install the system on a ZFS file system is not returning. It was previously removed due to maintenance overhead and low user adoption, and there are no plans to re-integrate it into the Mint 23 installer.

Conclusion

Overall, Linux Mint 23 is an upcoming major release of the popular Linux distribution targeted for release around Christmas 2026. It marks a big shift for the project, as the development team has adopted a longer development cycle to focus heavily on the user experience and performance. It will offer full Wayland support, an improved screenshot tool, and upgrades to Nemo file manager. It will continue to retain its strict privacy and user choice philosophy with no forced snap packages, no forced Wayland, and it will continue its tradition of releasing official Cinnamon, Mate, and XFCE editions. Once it releases, you can upgrade, but we recommend waiting for the first point release.

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