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Manjaro 26.0 Released with Linux 6.18 LTS, Xfce 4.20, KDE Plasma 6.5, and GNOME 49
Dubbed “Anh-Linh”, Manjaro Linux 26.0 is powered by the latest and greatest Linux 6.18 LTS kernel series and features the usual Xfce (flagship), GNOME, and KDE Plasma editions, which have been updated to the latest Xfce 4.20, GNOME 49, and KDE Plasma 6.5 releases.
One important change is that both the KDE Plasma 6.5 and GNOME 49 flavors use Wayland by default, which means that users who decide to upgrade to Manjaro 26.0 could lose their X11 sessions. The devs have published an article with known issues and solutions, so give it a read before upgrading your installations.
Linuxiac:
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Manjaro 26 Released With Plasma 6.5 and GNOME 49 on Wayland
After the early December preview-release of Manjaro Linux 25.1, the team has today officially pushed a new stable update, marking the release of Manjaro 26, code-named Anh-Linh, following the previous Zetar release from April 2025.
As we already informed you, the headline change is the move to Plasma 6.5 and GNOME 49, both now configured to use Wayland by default.
In light of this, users who still rely on X11 sessions, particularly for legacy workflows or hardware, are advised to review the project’s known issues before rebooting. For systems that require continued X11 support, the XFCE edition remains the recommended option.
DW:
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Arch at DW
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Distro Watch ☛ Distribution Release: Manjaro Linux 26.0
Philip Müller has announced the release of Manjaro Linux 26, a major update of the project's set of rolling-release distributions with a choice of GNOME, KDE Plasma and Xfce desktops. Besides updates to GNOME 49 and KDE Plasma 6.5, the release introduces the latest long-term supported Linux kernel, version 6.18: [...]
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Update (by Roy)
BetaNews also:
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Manjaro 26 makes a strong case for leaving Windows 11 behind
If you’ve been looking for a reason to ditch Windows 11, the latest version of Manjaro Linux might just be it. Manjaro 26.0 Anh-Linh (Vietnamese for a noble or sacred soul), updates all three of its main desktop editions with changes to app performance, window behavior, theming controls, and remote access.
This release focuses on parts of the system people use every day. App loading, desktop layout options, permissions, and system controls have all been improved, and are noticeable as soon as you start using the desktop.
LWN:
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Manjaro 26.0 released
Version 26.0 ("Anh-Linh") of the Arch-based Manjaro Linux distribution has been released. Manjaro 26.0 includes Linux 6.18, GNOME 49, KDE Plasma 6.5, Xfce 4.20, and more.
Linux Magazine:
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Manjaro 26.0 Primary Desktop Environments Default to Wayland
If you want to stick with X.Org, you'll be limited to the desktop environments you can choose.