The Cinnamon desktop environment has been updated to version 6.8, introducing support for one-to-one trackpad gestures on both Wayland and Xorg.
The developers also addressed several gesture-related issues, including problems with consecutive swipes, mouse dragging in Overview, and switching between windows. Additional fixes improve gesture handling in Expo, Overview, and the window switcher.
On the networking side, the network applet combines WireGuard and VPN connections into a single section, with each entry labeled by its connection type. Plus, support for identifying WPA3 and OWE wireless networks has also improved.
Moreover, Cinnamon 6.8 fixes several issues with saved Wi-Fi profiles, including duplicate network entries, incorrect access point updates, and problems removing individual profiles when multiple configurations exist for the same network. The applet also correctly identifies active connections through unmanaged devices instead of showing an offline status.
The sound applet has several usability improvements. Output devices now expand by default, making them easier to access. The input device selector remains visible after recording ends and is shown when multiple input devices are connected.
Additionally, the sound applet supports multiple instances, while a separate fix addresses duplicate buttons for opening and closing media players.
Window management has also been refined. The traditional window list now includes a context menu option to keep a window above others, and the grouped window list receives fixes for outdated labels, incorrect workspace handling, and window ordering.
On top of that, thumbnail previews can now be scrolled when their contents exceed available space. Other changes improve button sizing, spacing, and window title display when pinned applications launch.
For stability, Cinnamon 6.8 fixes an issue where rendering window shadows could freeze the desktop. It also improves scrolling behavior, popup menu handling, and the positioning of the on-screen keyboard.
Notifications include multiple fixes, particularly around removal and cleanup. These address situations where notifications could continue processing after being destroyed, along with unnecessary updates and issues involving critical notification indicators.
Input method handling has also improved, particularly for users relying on IBus. Changes include better application of keyboard layout variants, improved positioning of the layout popup, and more reliable handling of the IBus daemon during login.
Other changes include improved PAM and Polkit authentication handling, integration of oo7-portal with the Secret portal, and a security fix addressing a CWE-78 vulnerability. The update also improves keyboard shortcut conflict detection, user avatar handling, and power profile initialization.
Finally, Cinnamon 6.8 removes the OpenSearch provider and improves several asynchronous operations during desktop initialization.
Cinnamon 6.8 is expected to ship with the upcoming Linux Mint 27 “Adrien,” scheduled for release around Christmas 2026. Based on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, it will mark the distribution’s transition to a yearly release cycle, replacing the previous point-release model.
