Linux Mint


Linux Mint is a community-developed Linux distribution based on Ubuntu. First released in 2006, Linux Mint is often noted for its ease of use, out-of-the-box functionality, and appeal to desktop users. It comes bundled with a selection of free and open-source software. The default desktop environment is Cinnamon, developed by the Linux Mint team, with MATE and Xfce available as alternatives. A Debian based version of Linux Mint also exists, called Linux Mint Debian Edition. Linux Mint is available for x86-64 systems.

History

2006–2013

Linux Mint began in 2006 with a beta release, 1.0, code named 'Ada', based on Kubuntu and using its KDE interface. Linux Mint 2.0 'Barbara' was the first version to use Ubuntu as its codebase and its GNOME interface. It had few users until the release of Linux Mint 3.0, 'Cassandra'. Linux Mint 2.0 was based on Ubuntu 6.10 using Ubuntu's package repositories and using it as a codebase. It then followed its own codebase, building each release from the previous one, but continuing to use the package repositories of the latest Ubuntu release. This made the two systems' bases almost identical, guaranteeing full compatibility between them, rather than requiring Mint to be a fork.
Initially, there were two yearly Linux Mint releases, timed to be approximately one month after Ubuntu releases. In 2008, Linux Mint adopted the same release cycle as Ubuntu and dropped its minor version number before releasing version 5 'Elyssa', and every fourth release was labeled a LTS version, indicating that it was supported for longer than traditional releases. The same year, in an effort to increase compatibility between the two systems, Linux Mint decided to abandon its codebase and starting with Linux Mint 6 'Felicia' each release was based completely on the latest Ubuntu release, built directly from it, and made available approximately one month after the corresponding Ubuntu release.
In 2010, Linux Mint released Linux Mint Debian Edition. Unlike the other Ubuntu-based editions, LMDE was originally a rolling release based directly on Debian and not tied to Ubuntu packages or its release schedule. It was announced on May 27, 2015, that the Linux Mint team would no longer support the original rolling release version of LMDE after January 1, 2016. LMDE 2 'Betsy' was a long-term support release based on Debian Jessie. When LMDE 2 was released, it was announced that all LMDE users would be automatically upgraded to new versions of MintTools software and new desktop environments before they were released into the main edition of Linux Mint.

Since 2014

In 2014 the successor to 17 Qiana was announced to be 17.1 Rebecca; the development team said that from a technical point of view Linux Mint was no longer tied to the Ubuntu schedule, so it could be released at any time, although the six-month cycle provided rhythm, leading to a late November 2014 target.
On February 20, 2016, the Linux Mint website was breached by unknown hackers who briefly replaced download links for a version of Linux Mint with a modified version containing malware. The hackers also breached the database of the website's user forum. Linux Mint immediately took its server offline and implemented enhanced security configurations for their website and forum.
Beginning with the release of Linux Mint 18, the OEM version, and the No Codecs version was discontinued in order to reduce the number of ISO images that needed to be maintained.
Starting with Linux Mint 20, only 64-bit architecture is supported. This is because Canonical decided to drop 32-bit support from Ubuntu 20.04, which is the base from which Linux Mint 20 is derived. Starting with LMDE 7 The Debian-based LMDE no longer supports 32-bit processors as Debian 13 Trixie that LMDE 7 is based upon no longer supports 32 bit.

Features

Linux Mint primarily uses free and open-source software. Before version 18, some proprietary software, such as device drivers, Adobe Flash Player and codecs for MP3 and DVD-Video playback, were bundled with the OS. Starting with version 18, the installer provides an option to install third-party, proprietary software.
Linux Mint comes bundled with a wide range of application software, including LibreOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird, Transmission, and VLC media player. Additional programs can be downloaded using the package manager, adding a PPA, or adding a source to the sources file in the /etc/apt/ directory. Linux Mint allows networking ports to be closed using its firewall, with customized port selection available. The default Linux Mint desktop environments, Cinnamon and MATE, support many languages. Linux Mint can also run many programs designed for Microsoft Windows, using the Wine compatibility layer.
Linux Mint is available with a number of desktop environments to choose from, including the default Cinnamon desktop, MATE and Xfce. Other desktop environments can be installed via APT, Synaptic, or via the custom Mint Software Manager.
Linux Mint implements Mandatory Access Control with AppArmor to enhance security by default, and restricts the default network-facing processes.
Linux Mint actively develops software for its operating system. Most of the development is done in Python and the source code is available on GitHub.

Software by Linux Mint

Cinnamon

The Cinnamon desktop environment is a fork of GNOME Shell with Mint Gnome Shell Extensions on top. It was released as an add-on for Linux Mint 12 and has been available as a default desktop environment since Linux Mint 13.

Hypnotix

Hypnotix is the IPTV software developed by the Mint team. The first prototype was released in 2020 following positive reaction to the announcement of the team that it could develop an IPTV application.

MintTools

  • Software Manager : Designed to install software from the Ubuntu and Linux Mint software repositories, as well as Launchpad PPAs. Since Linux Mint 18.3, the Software Manager has also been able to install software from Flatpak remotes, and is configured with Flathub by default. It features an interface heavily inspired by GNOME Software, and is built upon GTK3.
  • Update Manager : Designed to prevent inexperienced users from installing updates that are unnecessary or require a certain level of knowledge to configure properly. Updates can be set to notify users, be listed but not notify, or be hidden by default. In addition to including updates specifically for the Linux Mint distribution, the development team tests all package-wide updates. In newer versions of the operating system, this safety level mechanism is largely deactivated in favor of system snapshots created by the Timeshift tool.
  • Main Menu : Created for the MATE desktop environment. It is a menu of options including filtering, installation, and removal of software, system and places links, favourites, session management, editable items, custom places and many configuration options.
  • Backup Tool : Enables the user to back up and restore data. Data can be backed up before a fresh install of a newer release, and then restored.
  • Upload Manager : Defines upload services for FTP, SFTP and SCP servers. Services are then available in the system tray and provide zones where they may be automatically uploaded to their corresponding destinations. As of Linux Mint 18.3, this software is no longer installed by default but is still available in the Linux Mint software repositories.
  • Domain Blocker : A basic domain blocking parental control tool introduced with v6. Enables the user to manually add domains to be blocked system-wide. As of Linux Mint 18.3, this software is no longer installed by default but is still available in the Linux Mint software repositories.
  • Desktop Settings : A tool for configuration of the desktop.
  • Welcome Screen : Introduced in Linux Mint 7, an application that starts on the first login of any new account. It provides links to the Linux Mint website, user guide, and community website. It also gives a user some first steps such as choosing a desktop color, installing updates and drivers, and making system snapshots.
  • USB Image Writer/USB Stick Formatter : A tool for writing an image onto a USB drive or formatting a USB stick.
  • System Reports : Introduced in Linux Mint 18.3, the purpose of System Reports is to allow the user to view and manage automatically generated application crash reports. This application can also suggest users to take actions on their system such as installing drivers or taking system snapshots.

    Editions

Linux Mint has multiple editions based on Ubuntu, with various desktop environments available. It also has a Debian-based edition.

Ubuntu-based editions

As of Linux Mint 22.2, there are three main editions developed by the core development team and using Ubuntu as a base. One includes Linux Mint's own Cinnamon as the desktop environment, the second uses MATE and the third uses Xfce. Since the release of version 19 in June 2018, the three editions are released simultaneously.
Beginning with the release of Linux Mint 19, the KDE edition was officially discontinued; however, the KDE 17.x and 18.x releases were supported until 2019 and 2021, respectively.

Cinnamon (Edge) Edition

In addition to its regular ISO images, Linux Mint sometimes provides an "edge" ISO image for its latest release. This image ships with newer components such as the kernel to be able to support the most modern hardware chipsets and devices. As of Linux Mint 22 series, there are no edge editions and instead use the latest HWE kernel series if available.

LMDE

The Linux Mint Debian Edition uses Debian Stable as the software source base rather than Ubuntu. LMDE was originally based directly on Debian's Testing branch, but it was designed to provide the same functionality and look and feel as the Ubuntu-based editions. LMDE has its own package repositories.
The original LMDE had a semi-rolling release development model, which periodically introduced 'Update Packs'. Installing an Update Pack allowed the user to keep LMDE 1 current without having to reinstall the system every six months, as with standard Mint. LMDE 2 was released in 2015 and was based on Debian Jessie, transitioning into a fixed point release model. It received automatic updates to the latest versions of MintTools and the installed desktop environment before they were released into the main Mint edition. LMDE 2 was available with both the MATE and Cinnamon desktop environments. Unlike the Debian version it was based on, LMDE 2 remained based on sysvinit but with a 'functional logind' from systemd.
LMDE 3 completed the switch from sysvinit to systemd. It was based on Debian Stretch and was released in 2018, shipping as a single edition with Cinnamon. The latest version of LMDE, version 7, based on Debian Trixie, was released on 14 October 2025. It dropped support for i386, exclusively supporting amd64.