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GNOME 50 “Tokyo” Desktop Environment Officially Released, This Is What’s New
The biggest change in the GNOME 50 desktop environment is that the X11 session has been completely removed as GNOME goes Wayland-only from here on. However, running X11 apps is still supported, as well as the ability to run other X11 sessions from the GDM login manager, but not GNOME.
Some of the highlights of the GNOME 50 release include improved detection of discrete GPUs, support for handling external or locked keyboard layout sources in the top bar indicator, better screen time tracking with idle inhibitors, and better tab focus behavior in the Quick Settings menu.
Planet GNOME:
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Even a Stopped Clock
GNOME 50 just got released! To celebrate, I thought it’d be fun to look into the background (ding) of the newest additions to the collection.
While the general aesthetic remains consistent, you might be surprised to see the default shifting from the long-standing triangular theme to hexagons.
It's FOSS:
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GNOME 50 is Here, and X11 is Finally Gone
GNOME has had quite a journey so far, consistently evolving according to the community's needs, gaining both loyal users and ardent haters. Each release has brought steadier foundations, a more coherent design language, and a growing set of applications built around the same visual identity.
What it offers is fairly compelling. GNOME is built around a Wayland-first approach, with a consistent design system through Libadwaita, a decent attempt at accessibility, and a core app suite that handles most everyday tasks without much additional configuration.
Its latest release, GNOME 50, continues on that path with some major changes.
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GNOME 50 released – this is what's new - OMG! Ubuntu
The latest release, codenamed “Tokyo”, enables Variable Refresh Rate and fractional scaling by default, expands parental controls, and plumbs in support for hardware accelerated remote desktop sessions.
GNOME’s core apps also pick up improvements, with new ink and text tools in Document Viewer, faster thumbnail generation in Files, and the ability to see event attendees for public events in Calendar.
Ubuntu users will get GNOME 50 as part of Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, which is out in April 2026.
For a closer look at the user-facing changes available, read on.
LWN:
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GNOME 50 released
GNOME 50 has been released. Notable changes in this release include enhancements to the Orca screen-reader application, interface and performance improvements for GNOME's file manager (Files), a "
massive set of stability and performance updates
" for its display-handling technologies, and much more. See also the "What's new for developers" article that covers changes of interest to GNOME and GNOME application developers.