Xfce 4.20: What's New?

Linux
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Xfce 4.20 desktop environment has arrived after two years since Xfce 4.18.
This major release is packed with features and updates, bringing experimental Wayland support, UI refinements, and performance updates.

Here’s a look at the highlights.

Xfce 4.20: New Features

Wayland Support

Xfce 4.20 introduces the option to use Wayland.
Tagged as experimental, this is a move towards replacing the X11 display server.
Wayland aims to provide improved security, smoother performance, and better support for modern hardware.
Thanks to the new libxfce4windowing library, Xfce components can run on Wayland without XWayland.

Workspace support, systray icons, and power management are still in progress.

HiDPI Scaling

Xfce 4.20 provides support for HiDPI displays.
Icon and thumbnail scaling issues have been addressed, eliminating blurriness and ensuring a sharp visual experience on 4K monitors or high-resolution laptops.

Thunar Updates

Thunar file manager receives upgrades in this release.
Performance improvements mean it can handle over 100,000 files.
New toolbar buttons, such as the View Switcher and Hamburger Menu, provide streamlined navigation, while client-side decorations (CSD) offer a modern look.

Here are some of the improvements in Thunar.

  • Easy controls of views from the toolbar icon and new tab icon. If it is not visible, enable it via the configure toolbar option.

  • Option to use client-side decoration (CSD) in Thunar 4.20.

  • Option to show the number of hidden files in the status bar.

  • Only successfully opened files are added to Recently Used Files; directories are excluded.

  • Option to use symbolic icons in the side pane and colored icons in the toolbar.

  • Folders open automatically on hover, and split-view pane focus updates when hovered using drag and drop.

  • Improved handling of large numbers of files through better container types, job separation, and throttled view updates providing performance improvements.

  • Shortcuts now work for custom actions in sub-menus.

  • Direct file comparison replaces slow MD5 checksums for file transfer. Parallel copying occurs only when devices are idle. File transfer dialogs are streamlined.

  • Shows launcher names instead of filenames for trusted launchers.

  • Confirmation dialog before deletion during undo operations.

  • Supports folder expansion in List View, similar to the tree-view side pane.

  • Shortcut to toggle between panes in Split View, with focused pane coloring. Confirmation dialog when closing a split-pane with multiple tabs.

Xfce Panel

The Xfce panel now offers more flexibility.
Configurable border widths, improved plugin discovery, and refined clock options (including LCD-style segments and 24-hour analog mode) provide greater control over the setup.

xfce4-power-manager

  • Screen Locking: Simplified lock screen management; Light Locker dropped. Lock-on-sleep synchronized with xfce4-session and xfce4-screensaver.

  • Power Settings: Support for power-profiles-daemon. Fixed charge state calculation. Prevented unintentional actions during critical power dialogs. Added hybrid sleep mode support. Device details tab shows energy rate.

  • Lid Close Options: Added “shutdown” and “do nothing” options.

xfce4-session

  • Logout Dialog: Removed checkbox for session saving.

Method 1: Starting Wayland Session via Command

The most effective way to start wayland session is via command.

Step 1: Open your terminal.

Step 2: Enter the following command.

startxfce4 --wayland

Method 2: Starting Wayland Session via Login

  • Wayland Session: Can be started during login, but may require configuration.

  • xdg-desktop-portal: Minimal support added for wallpaper, screenshot, and background xapp.

xfce4-settings

  • Appearance Settings: Icon themes load in a separate thread. Warning for incomplete icon themes. Opt-in for client-side decorations. Improved dark theme support.

  • Display Settings: Default display profile added to matching list. Profile management extended to all profiles. Scaling always applies to both dimensions. Improved mirror state management. Minimal dialog improvements.

  • Mouse Settings: Checkbox for adaptive/flat mouse acceleration. High-resolution scrolling support.

  • Mime Settings: Multiple items can be selected/changed at once.

xfconf

  • systemd User Unit: Added for D-Bus session service.

  • Whitespace Escaping: Properly escaped when writing xfconf channels to disk.

  • xfconf-query: Displays array contents.

xfdesktop

  • Background Management: Random wallpaper cycling avoids repeats until all wallpapers are shown. Old backgrounds ported to SVG. Gamma-correct gradient rendering.

  • Icon Grid: Optional confirmation dialog for arranging icons. Custom colors for icon labels and backgrounds. Independent icon grids per monitor.

  • Minimized Application Icons: Shown on the monitor where the window was minimized. Enhanced context menu options.

  • File Icons: Option to sort folders before files. Improved icon position saving. New files placed near the cursor. Option to show fixed disk/drive icons.

  • Preferences: Redesigned Desktop Icons tab. Configurable shortcuts using XfceShortcutsManager. Additional background image folders. Asynchronous wallpaper folder loading.

  • Context Menu: Correctly shows cascading custom actions. Multiple folders can be opened at once. Opens on button press. Styled middle-click window list menu.

xfwm4

  • Theme Variants: Support for stretch theme variants.

  • Compositor: Block softpipe for GLX vsync.

  • Focus: Include skip taskbar/pager when passing focus.

  • Crash Fix: Fixed crash when alt-tabbing.

Download

For Ubuntu users, this is expected to be available in Ubuntu 25.04.

Arch Linux users can get this update by upgrading their system or performing a fresh installation.

MX Linux 23.x users can get this by doing a dist-upgrade. Instructions are available here.

Xfce 4.20 balances its traditional design with modern functionalities, introducing Wayland support while refining the user experience with performance improvements.