Linux Mint 22.2 “Zara” beta version has been released, giving testers and enthusiasts an early look at the next long term support release of the popular desktop Linux distribution. The final version will be supported until April 2029, but this preview is aimed at testing, so some issues are to be expected.
This update continues Mint’s focus on making small, but noteworthy changes. Sticky Notes now have rounded corners, Wayland support, and can sync with Android devices via the new StyncyNotes app. The login screen gains a blur effect, user avatars, and a cleaner layout.
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Hypnotix, Mint’s IPTV player, adds Theater and Borderless modes along with smoother performance and playback that avoids session timeouts.
A new tool called Fingwit brings fingerprint authentication for sudo commands, administrative apps, and unlocking the screensaver. On systems without encrypted home directories, it can also be set for login at the greeter.
Theme handling has also been improved. Mint has patched libAdwaita to respect themes, added accent colour support for Flatpak apps, and forked it into libAdapta for greater flexibility.
The Mint-Y theme shifts its greys toward cooler tones for a softer look, especially in dark mode.
Other changes include enhancements to Xviewer, editable WebApp descriptions, an AIFF thumbnailer, advanced file renaming tools, and an iOS version of the Warpinator file-sharing app. The Software Manager and MATE menu search have also been improved.
System requirements remain modest as always, with 2GB RAM as the minimum and 4GB recommended, plus 20GB of storage, although 100GB is suggested for smoother use. Displays of 1024×768 or higher are supported, with ALT-drag available for lower resolutions.
Linux Mint known issues
There are some beta-specific quirks. Shutdown timeout is now 10 seconds. VirtualBox users may need specific display settings to avoid black screens. Certain multimedia packages can cause crashes in virtual machines without 3D acceleration.
Pipewire is now the default audio system, with instructions provided for reverting to PulseAudio. Snap Store remains disabled.
Linux Mint 22.2 is based on Ubuntu 24.04 and uses kernel 6.14. The beta can be upgraded to the stable release, as can Linux Mint 22.1, once the final version is available.
For those keen to help shape the release and willing to work through a few rough edges, the Linux Mint 22.2 beta is available to download now. You can see more about what’s new and changed here.
What do you think about Linux Mint’s new features and refinements in 22.2? Let us know in the comments.
