Linux Mint 22.2 polishes the desktop, but kernel updates are the real deal
- Reference: 1757080932
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/09/05/linux_mint_222/
- Source link:
[1]Version 22.2 replaces 22.1, which [2]came out back in January . Along with the announcement, there's a quick-reference [3]New Features page and full [4]release notes .
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Mint 22.2 has a new version of Cinnamon, but it's not radically different
There's a new version of the Cinnamon desktop, although Wayland support is still experimental. Those who favor Xfce – The Reg FOSS desk included – still get the older [6]Xfce 4.18 , as also used in the [7]latest Linux Lite version 7.6 . It's the stock version in the Ubuntu Noble repos.
There are various small fit-and-finish enhancements too, including a new app to configure fingerprint recognition, if your machine has a fingerprint scanner. The Hypnotix IPTV player has been improved, and there are companion apps for iOS and Android for two of the Mint built-in accessories (although, oddly, not the same two). The Update Manager will now display a "Reboot" button if any of the updates require you to restart your PC.
Although it has a new codename, "Zara," this is just a point release for the existing Mint 22. Like its forerunners [8]"Wilma" and "Xia," it's based on Ubuntu 24.04 "Noble Numbat." This version is based on [9]Ubuntu 24.04.3 , and in a departure from Mint 21 and previous major versions, the project now adopts Ubuntu's Hardware Enablement Updates (as we described in the preceding link).
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So this means that Mint 22.2 is still based on Ubuntu 24.04, but this version comes with kernel 6.14 and all the associated updates to the kernel and graphics drivers that have been issued in 24.10 and 25.04. This in turn means that the Mint Edge editions, whose [11]announcement we covered in August 2023 and which we [12]tried that October , are no longer separate. In essence, the updates in the Edge edition of Mint 21 are now rolled into the normal point releases of Mint 22. Most users should see no difference, but there's a better chance that newer releases of Mint will work properly on the latest hardware. The only people who will be worse off are those with older Nvidia cards who need version 470 of the proprietary driver, which doesn't work on the new kernel. If you need that version, you're advised to install Mint 22.0 and then update, which will leave the older kernel 6.8 in place.
[13]
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Kernel and drivers aside, it's not a very big deal. For instance, the sticky notes app now has rounded corners, works on Wayland, and there's an Android version called StyncyNotes too, so you can sync your notes with your Android fondleslab. (The other mobile app is an iOS client for the [15]Warpinator easy file transfer tool.)
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Mint 22.2 comes with the same version of Xfce as the previous release, inherited from its Ubuntu Noble base
The themes have been adjusted to be very slightly bluer, the Software Manager has had a bit of a facelift and now more clearly distinguishes "native" .deb apps from cross-platform Flatpak packages. As before, the Software Manager doesn't show unverified packages, so Flathub is left looking a little bare. You won't find things like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Slack, or Zoom (to pick a few examples) here, because their Flatpaks are not official ones from the vendors. This inadvertently serves as an illustration of one of the big problems of these cross-distro app stores: they're full of useful proprietary freeware that is often tricky to install on Linux, but the bulk of them are not from the vendors – they're built by third parties. Canonical's problems with [17]malware in the Snap Store are well known, but the issue of unverified unofficial packages is not limited to the Snap Store by any means.
Mint 22.2 is available now, free of charge. If you're already using Mint 22, then your next routine upgrade should install Mint Update 7.1, and then the [18]upgrade to 22.2 should be offered automatically. Users still on Mint 21 will have to check for it manually, and if you haven't already, you should install 21.3 and all other updates first.
Now that 22.2 is out the door, the next expected update will be 22.3 based on Ubuntu 24.04.4, and that is expected in February. In the meantime, the Mint team will get to work on the next version of Linux Mint Debian Edition – LMDE 7 – which will be based on [19]Debian 13 "Trixie" and will be [20]codenamed "Gigi." Like its upstream distribution, though, there will not be a version for x86-32 machines. ®
Get our [21]Tech Resources
[1] https://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=4881
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/20/linux_mint_221_xia/
[3] https://www.linuxmint.com/rel_zara_whatsnew.php
[4] https://linuxmint.com/rel_zara.php
[5] https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/09/04/mint_22-2_cinn.jpg
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2022/12/08/forthcoming_xfce_418_on_show/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/04/linux_lite_76/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/29/linus_mint_22_wilma/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/08/ubuntu_24043_quietly_slips_out/
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aLsJE9XuWaTDG0i7Ont4OAAAAJE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/09/ubuntu_mint_zorin_updates/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/04/new_linux_mint_versions/
[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aLsJE9XuWaTDG0i7Ont4OAAAAJE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[14] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aLsJE9XuWaTDG0i7Ont4OAAAAJE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[15] https://warpinator.com/
[16] https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/09/04/mint_22-2_xfce.jpg
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/28/canonical_snap_store_scams/
[18] https://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=4882
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/12/debian_13_trixie_released/
[20] https://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=4840
[21] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Hibernate is missing by default
"it should happen when the lid is shut."
er , no .
I'm typing this on my work laptop and the lid is shut . I need two large screens and a proper keyboard and mouse ( and to lay off el Reg ) to do anything productive . Anybody working on a laptop at work who hasnt at the absolute minimum got an external mouse needs reprimanding!
Also the laptop in my garage that runs the big screen for music and how-to videos is only opened to press the power button and then closed .
Same for the one making the TV in the living room into a "smart tv"
Re: Hibernate is missing by default
> I have to do a bit of fiddling to get hibernate to work
It inherits this from Ubuntu. They disabled hibernation years ago.
There are several problems:
* It used to need a swap _partition_ and Ubuntu has been moving away from those towards swap _files_ for many years. I think this one is fixed now.
* Connected with this: hibernation needs a swap volume as big as RAM. Swap data is uncompressed by default. So if you're using swap you can't hibernate unless you've got free swap. Meaning you need _more_ swap than RAM. In today's era of PCs with tens of gigs of RAM, there is little need for swap, and so the perception is that this is wasted space.
* It is very buggy, and fails on many PCs. This can be severe, causing data loss. For instance, machines hibernate, and then resume again, but on resuming the keyboard and mouse do not work and you are locked out, unable to cleanly save your work. Leaving a feature on by default that can cause data loss is clearly undesirable.
* This is not improving as sleep mechanisms are changing and the industry is moving away from the older systems and sleep levels.
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Power_management/Suspend_and_hibernate
* The issue would be helped if people updated their firmware but few do this. Linux firmware-update tools only work on UEFI machines, need a large ESP, and so do not work on the older machines which arguably need it most.
Aside:
For comparison, up to and including Windows 2000, Windows used uncompressed hibernation files. XP did simple, fast hibernation data compression and as a result woke much faster. For me this was the single biggest advantage of XP.
Compressed hibernation would be a win for Linux.
As it is today, compressed swap works well. Many people like ZRAM now, which I use on machines with slow write-limited media such as Raspberry Pis. ZSwap is better if you have an HDD or SSD: it LZX or LZ4 compresses data going in and out of swap. So you still get swap but much less is read/written, so it's much faster.
This would also ameliorate the issue above of needing as much or more swap compared to RAM.
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> I use the Mate desktop on my laptops.
Mint still offers MATE. I am unwell this week and only working part time. Apologies for the inadequate coverage.
Mint 22.2 uses MATE 1.26, like its parent Ubuntu. It has yet to update to MATE 1.28, which came out just 2 months before Ubuntu Noble.
Hibernate is missing by default
The biggest annoyance that I have with Linux Mint is that I have to do a bit of fiddling to get hibernate to work; stuff that a new user would find very hard.
Hibernate is a must on laptops, it should happen when the lid is shut.
The reason that they do not do it is because, supposedly, it does not always work; I have never had a problem. Please could they provide a simple way of enabling it, eg something on the control panel that is off by default - even it is flagged in red with blood curdling warnings!
I use the Mate desktop on my laptops. Other distros do have it by default.