Manjaro 23.1 "Vulcan" Is Available for Download with GNOME 45, Linux 6.6 LTS

Manjaro Linux 23.1 is available for download as the first major update in the Manjaro Linux 23 series bringing a newer kernel, newer desktop environments, and updated components to the Arch Linux-based distro.

Manjaro 23.1 is here a little over three months after Manjaro 23.0 and it’s powered by the latest and greatest Linux 6.6 LTS kernel series. Manjaro 23.0 shipped with Linux kernel 6.5, which now reached its end of supported life, so the new release should bring an extra layer of hardware support.

Dubbed “Vulcan”, Manjaro 23.1 ships with the usual editions featuring the Xfce, GNOME, and KDE Plasma desktop environments. While the flagship edition is using Xfce 4.18, the KDE Plasma and GNOME editions have been updated to the latest KDE Plasma 5.27.10 LTS and GNOME 45.2 releases.

Of all the editions, I like the GNOME one. It’s very smooth and the dark theme by default makes everything appealing to the eye (check out the featured screenshot above to see it in action). The Xfce edition has a dark theme enabled by default as well.

The KDE Plasma edition also comes in a semi-dark style that’s only applied to the panel and applications menu, not to the windows. I should also mention the fact that the KDE Plasma edition comes with the latest KDE Frameworks 5.112 and KDE Gear 23.08.4 software suites.

Being based on Arch Linux, Manjaro Linux follows a rolling-release model where you install once and receive updates forever. Therefore, the new Manjaro release is here only for those who want to deploy the GNU/Linux distribution on new computers.

So, if you want to install Manjaro Linux, you will find download links below for each edition. Manjaro also provides Minimal editions with both Linux 6.6 LTS and Linux 6.1 LTS kernels on their SourceForge page. Existing users need only to update their installations by running the following command in a terminal emulator.