Linux Mint 22.2 beta is now available for public testing. The latest version is called Zara.
Mint 22.1 Xia was based on Ubuntu 24.04, and was released in January 2025. Based on Linux Mint 22.2 Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS Noble Numbat, the latter was released last week.
Linux Mint 22.2 beta comes with a new Hardware Enablement Kernel (HWE). 9to5Linux It is reported that Mint 22.2 beta comes with Linux 6.14 kernel by default. I’ve been using 6.14 for a few weeks, it’s perfect.
There is a new app in Linux Mint 22.2 called “Fingvit“, which is a fingerprint configuration tool. You can use it to set up your computer’s fingerprint reader, and use biometric authentication for the login screen, screensaver, sudo commands, and admin apps.
(Image courtesy: Linux Mint)
The Cinnamon version of Mint is being improved to make input methods and keyboard layouts compatible with Wayland. The new version of Mint brings some theme updates (see image below), accent color support, improved libAdwaita compatibility.
(Image courtesy: Linux Mint)
In early July, I started testing Mint on an external SSD. Three weeks ago, I finally gave up Windows after 30 years, and moved to Linux Mint. I also briefly tested Fedora KDE on my external SSD, but switched it to Bayazite for testing purposes. Sure, Mint gets updates very slowly, and Wayland’s support isn’t impressive. But I have no issues with my games (Steam, GOG, Epic Games) or apps on the X11. I also have a Windows Virtual Machine (for testing features/writing about them) in QEMU/KVM.
Linux Mint 22.2 Beta ISO Cinnamon, Xfce, and MATE desktop environments are available for download. Since this is my primary machine, I won’t be testing the beta anymore. But I will install Mint 22.2 when the stable version is released, which will likely be next week.
From the other side, debian 13 trixie has been released. Linux Mint Debian Edition 7 will be based on Debian 13. LMDE 7 is called Gigi, and is expected to be released in September.
Have you tried Linux Mint 22.2?
