Linux hardware vendor System76 has released the first stable version of its Rust-based COSMIC desktop environment alongside Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS. This Ubuntu-based distribution introduces a new desktop built from scratch for efficiency and familiarity. The release replaces several GNOME components with COSMIC-native applications.
System76, a prominent Linux hardware vendor, announced on December 11, 2025, the stable release of the COSMIC desktop environment and Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS. Based on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat), Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS features the COSMIC desktop, developed in the Rust programming language by System76. Designed for all GNU/Linux distributions, COSMIC aims to provide an efficient and fun user experience while maintaining a familiar interface.
Unlike previous Pop!_OS versions, which used a GNOME-based version of COSMIC, this release builds the desktop from scratch. Several applications have been updated to COSMIC equivalents: COSMIC Files replaces Nautilus, COSMIC Terminal replaces GNOME Terminal, COSMIC Text Editor replaces GNOME Text Editor, and COSMIC Media Player replaces Totem. The Pop!_Shop package manager has been succeeded by the COSMIC Store. Additionally, COSMIC includes a built-in screenshot tool and a Welcome app to simplify setup.
The COSMIC Launcher enables quick app launching and navigation, incorporating web search, calculator, and file search functionalities. It supports dual-panel and single-panel layouts, feature-rich workspaces, intuitive window tiling and stacking, multi-monitor configurations, and new theming options.
COSMIC extends beyond Pop!_OS, available for distributions such as Arch Linux, openSUSE Tumbleweed, NixOS, Fedora Linux, and AerynOS, as well as BSD and Redox OS platforms. Under the hood, Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS runs on the Linux 6.17 kernel and Mesa 25.1.5 graphics stack. Users can download 64-bit and ARM64 live ISO images for Intel/AMD or NVIDIA systems from the official website.
