Linux Mint 22.2 ‘Zara' makes the desktop "more comfortable" than ever

Clem Lefebvre, head of the Linux Mint operating system, has announced the beta release for Linux Mint 22.2 “Zara”. Like all Linux Mint versions, this is a long-term support (LTS) release and will be supported until 2029, just like the other Linux Mint 22 versions. This update includes updated software, refinements, and many new features that are intended to make the desktop experience “even more comfortable to use.”

Given Linux Mint’s reputation as a stable operating system, this disc image is likely quite solid. With that said, it is still a beta and may contain critical bugs, and should only be used for testing purposes. Users running other Linux Mint 22 versions will be able to do an in-place upgrade sometime after the stable release.

One of the first things that you may notice with Linux Mint 22.2 is the new blur effect on the panel and dialog box at the login screen. Additionally, you can finally see your user avatar letting you personalize your desktop a bit more. The relatively new Hypnotix streaming app has also received Theater Mode and Borderless Mode as well as performance improvements.

The team has also been busy working on a new app for its XApp app collection called Fingwit, which has been introduced for fingerprint authentication for the screensaver and admin commands. This will make the operating system feel a bit more modern. One note users should be aware of though with Fingwit is that the login screen still requires a password for most users who use home directory encryption or a keyring.

Not all of the changes are user-facing, there are several notable behind-the-scenes improvements for better visuals. For example, libAdwaita has been patched to work with themes and now Mint-Y, Mint-X, and Mint-L support it. There’s also a new XDG Desktop Portal XApp that supports access colors in libAdwaita Flatpak applications based on the GTK theme. Finally, the core theme has been subtly adjusted with a hint of blue to align with modern design practices and libAdwaita’s new color scheme.

While Linux kernel developers are already working on version 6.17, Linux Mint 22.2 will only ship with version 6.14. It’ll also be heavily based on Ubuntu Noble Numbat’s package base. The development team will continue to use the same package base for future versions until next year, focusing all efforts on its development.

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Posted Wednesday 13 August 2025 at 3:53 am AEST (my time).

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