5 ways the new Cinnamon desktop is better than your default Linux DE – and how to try it

Cinnamon isn’t the default desktop environment for Linux Mint, it also happens to be a very popular GUI for several distributions, such as Artix Linux, FerenOS, Manjaro, Fedora Cinnamon, Debian, Gentoo Linux, Porteus, and EndeavorOS.

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Recently, the Cinnamon development team released the latest version of the desktop environment (DE), and it includes features you will definitely want to experience… especially if you’re using an older version of Cinnamon.

Here are five reasons why Cinnamon 6.4 is better than your default DE.

1. It’s speedy

Cinnamon lives in that strange void between full-blown desktop environments (such as GNOME and KDE Plasma) and lightweight DEs (such as LXDE, LXQT, Xfce, and MATE). Cinnamon feels like a full-blown DE but performs like a lightweight UI. 

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With the latest Cinnamon desktop, the Power applet now shows modes that are available to the Power Profiles daemon according to the FreeDesktop.org standard. This makes it much easier to switch between the three default modes: Balanced, Power Saver, and Performance. Keep in mind the Power Applet only appears when using Cinnamon on a laptop. If you’re using it on a desktop machine, the applet won’t appear because there’s no battery power to consider. 

With each new iteration of Cinnamon, it becomes an even more performant desktop, and 6.4 is no exception. This release definitely feels more like a lightweight desktop because it’s so speedy.

2. It looks more modern

If you’re currently working with an older version of Cinnamon, you’ll find version 6.4 to look considerably more modern. The “modernization” of Cinnamon comes by way of the new default theme, which is darker and uses more contrast, so everything looks cleaner. With the latest release, the default theme has been tweaked to add more rounded corners for windows and other elements, which gives it a cleaner, more modern look. 

On top of that, all modal dialogues (such as pop-ups that require user input) have been totally revamped and even support accent colors throughout. This is a big step forward, especially given previous releases had a tendency to look a bit outdated while other desktops continued to evolve with more modern aesthetics.

3. Night Light

Before the 6.4 release, Cinnamon did not have a built-in Night Light feature to help cut down on eye strain (especially when using the desktop in darker environments). With the new Night Light feature, you can adjust the color temperature to fit your needs and environment, as well as set a schedule for when it should automatically switch from regular mode to Night Light. With the scheduling option, you can select both a start and end time, but the schedule can only be applied daily (and not specific days of the week). 

4. Shading and unshading windows

Cinnamon comes with one of my favorite old-school Linux features, which is Shading and Unshading windows. What this does is roll a window up until the only thing showing is the title bar. This makes it very easy to multitask because you don’t have to always minimize a window to get it out of the way. I will often shade all of the windows I’m using, so all I have to do is locate the title bar of the app I want to work with and unshade the window. It’s not only more efficient, it’s a faster method of finding the window you want to use, using it, and then tucking it back away for later use.

5. Spices

The Cinnamon desktop also includes Spices, which are add-ons to enhance the desktop. There are Spices for themes, applets, desklets, actions, and extensions, all of which can be installed from the official Cinnamon Spices website. There are currently 465 available Spices to install, ranging from the infamous Desktop Cube, Burn My Windows, Opacify Windows, Blur Overview, and more. You can locate and install Spices from within the Extensions app by finding the Spice you want to install and clicking the associated Download button.

How to try Cinnamon 6.4

It’s going to take a bit of time before version 6.4 makes its way to Linux Mint. In the meantime, your best bet is to use one of the many rolling-release distributions based on Arch Linux. I used Manjaro Linux, and after an update, I was able to experience the latest version.

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If you’re interested in seeing what’s what with version 6.4, spin up a virtual machine of Manjaro, and once it’s installed and you’ve logged in, either head to the Update tab in the Add/Remove Software app or open a terminal window and issue the command:

After the update completes, restart the machine, log back in, and enjoy that new Cinnamon flavor.