Linux Mint 22.1 “Xia” has now been released, with software updates and security fixes promised until 2029. You can download it now on your PC.

The beta release for Linux Mint 22.1 only showed up in December, so we didn’t have to wait long at all for the stable version. It’s based on Ubuntu 24.04’s packages and Linux kernel 6.8. Since Ubuntu 24.04 is one of Canonical’s long-term support releases, that gives Linux Mint an easy way to maintain updates and critical security patches over several years.

The Linux Mint team went through “a thorough review and modernization of APT dependencies” for this release to “create a streamlined, future-proof set of package management tools and libraries.” As a result, the aptdaemon system component has been replaced with Aptkit, and Captain serves as the new graphical installer for packages. The general process for installing packages from the terminal or downloaded files hasn’t changed, so you don’t need to re-learn anything, but much of the infrastructure there has been overhauled.

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Linux Mint 22.1 Cinnamon desktop screenshot.
Linux Mint

These changes should reduce bugs and “longstanding localization issues,” make future development easier for the Linux Mint developers, and improve compatibility with the Wayland desktop compositor. It’s great to see Linux Mint is trying to provide the best experience possible for managing traditional packages, while still allowing Flatpak, Snap, and other modern formats as needed.

Linux Mint 22.1 also has updated Power Modes, allowing you to choose between ‘Power-saver mode’ to save energy and ‘Balanced mode’ to adjust performance based on the detected system demand. Some PCs will also have a ‘Performance mode’ that pushes your hardware (and power usage) to the limit. The new settings are available from the power applet or in the ‘Power Management’ section of the Preferences panel.

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There’s a bunch of other helpful improvements too, including a new default theme, a built-in Night Light to replace the Wayland-incompatible Redshift, and general tweaks to the Cinnamon desktop environment.

You can download Linux Mint 22.1 from official mirrors or torrents, and it should be available as an update for any existing installs. The official system requirements call for a 64-bit x86 PC with 2GB RAM, 20GB of disk space, and a 1024×768 resolution screen.

Source: Linux Mint Blog