System76 has released COSMIC 1.0.8 as a minor maintenance update, following their regular schedule to enhance the desktop environment and resolve issues quickly. Here’s what has changed.
Most of the work in this update focuses on the file manager. Now, you can copy the current path by pressing Shift. Paste options are automatically disabled if the clipboard is empty or not supported, and you can see a file count when using “Apply to all.”
Additionally, context menus close more reliably, unsupported actions are gone from Recents, and you can now clear Recents history right from the navigation bar. Text is handled better, with proper shortening where needed. Also, the related applet now disables the wgpu feature to prevent possible problems.
Apart from the file manager improvements, the compositor now does a better job of keeping windows in their expected state. Background gradients are generated in parallel, and workspaces also receive small tweaks, such as better text shortening.
System applets now fix D-Bus timeout problems by loading status notifier menu layouts only when needed. The Wi-Fi authentication dialog now automatically places the cursor in the password field. The media player also unmutes itself when you change the volume.
The terminal app now supports a new --working-directory argument. It also improves tab behavior when you close the one you’re using, adds a “Copy link” option to the context menu, updates the light theme, and makes menus wider for easier reading.
For theming, session integration now supports making Qt themes with qt5ct and qt6ct. The Settings app now restores disabled shortcuts after you replace them, uses the jiff crate where it fits, and removes extra custom wallpaper entries.
Finally, the store no longer refreshes updates automatically when you navigate, and its Flathub stats are now updated to January 2026.
For more information, see the changelog. The release announcement is here.
COSMIC Desktop 1.0.8’s packages are expected to land first in the repositories of rolling-release distros, such as Arch, openSUSE Tumbleweed, CachyOS, and others, in the coming days.
