The Cinnamon 6.4 desktop environment delivers a refined and visually appealing experience.
For several months, the Linux Mint team has been diligently working on Cinnamon 6.4, a desktop environment update designed to enhance both aesthetics and productivity. This release introduces a collection of improvements, features, and a visual overhaul to the desktop experience.
Here’s a quick overview of the key features in this release.
Key Features of Cinnamon 6.4
Cinnamon 6.4 brings a noticeable visual overhaul. The new theme features darker tones, sharper contrasts, and rounded interface elements for a modern and sleek appearance.
The increased spacing between applets and the panel reduces clutter. This design choice enhances readability and minimizes eye strain, offering a minimalist yet functional desktop environment.
The visual enhancements extend beyond the main theme. The calendar applet has been updated to match the new design principles. Dialog boxes have been redesigned with colored buttons for improved visual appeal and intuitive navigation. Key pop-up dialogs now utilize the Clutter library, ensuring smooth and responsive performance. Even the “application not responding” dialog has been refreshed.
Beyond aesthetics, Cinnamon 6.4 includes practical improvements that enhance daily workflow by migrating dialogs to Clutter. The on-screen display (OSD) indicators for volume adjustments and virtual desktop switching have been modernized to be both informative and unobtrusive.
For users working late into the night, the integrated “Night Light” mode is a valuable addition. This feature intelligently adjusts the screen’s color temperature based on the time of day, reducing blue light exposure to minimize eye strain and promote better sleep.
Notification management has also been improved. The redesigned notification dialogs feature reduced horizontal button spacing for better ergonomics. There’s also an option to display notifications even in full-screen mode, ensuring important alerts are never missed.
The Alt-Tab task switching, an essential desktop productivity tool, receives significant enhancements. Users can now display only windows on the current monitor for streamlined multitasking across multiple displays. Handling of minimized windows has also been improved.
The main menu has been refined with updated styling and increased indents to enhance readability. Support for numeric keypad navigation has been added to improve accessibility. Menu animations have been simplified for a smoother experience. Additionally, improved JPEG-XL image previews have been incorporated to enhance the user experience.
Cinnamon 6.4 also introduces a new status bar applet, providing enhanced system monitoring capabilities. A new password entry widget improves security and user experience. The power module now offers power consumption profiles managed via a new DBus interface. The option to install Wayland session files provides expanded compatibility.
Availability
This version is expected to be available in the upcoming Linux Mint 22 release in 2025. In the meantime, the source code is available on GitHub.
Cinnamon 6.4 incorporates modern design trends, drawing inspiration from GNOME to provide a contemporary visual experience, enhanced functionality, and improved performance.