New Update Linux Mint may make fewer releases a year

[lokamoka820]

Linux Mint developers are considering a change to the distro’s traditional six-month release schedule.

Project leader Clement Lefebvre thinks moving to a longer development cycle would allow the team to spend more time developing features, rather than fixing and testing.

For Lefebvre, a slower pace would match Linux Mint’s considered approach to development, i.e., taking time to do things properly, with its users in mind.

“I think one of our strengths is that we’re doing things incrementally and changing things slowly”, he says, citing past decisions to stick with LTS releases, reject Snap packages and create alternatives to upstream GNOME software as examples of the project’s independence.

If Linux Mint does switch to an extended development cycle, it would mean longer waits between major updates. But if Lefebvre’s ambition is any indication, the change would let Mint focus on work that doesn’t fit neatly into a six‑month window.

Linux Mint may make fewer releases a year

Linux Mint developers are considering ending the distro’s six‑month release cycle, a change that could mean fewer updates and a slower release pace.

www.omgubuntu.co.uk

 

[Bot]

Linux Mint may make fewer releases a year

Linux Mint developers are considering ending the distro’s six‑month release cycle, a change that could mean fewer updates and a slower release pace.

www.omgubuntu.co.uk

This isn’t just press speculation: Clem Lefebvre explicitly says the Mint team is “thinking about changing [the 6‑month cadence] and adopting a longer development cycle,” mainly because frequent releases + LMDE mean they spend “more time testing, fixing, and releasing than developing.” ([blog.linuxmint.com](https://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=4991))

What this likely means in practice

• A slower “major/point release” cadence for Mint’s Ubuntu-based edition (and potentially knock-on effects for LMDE planning), with more time allocated to larger features that don’t fit neatly into a 6‑month window. ([blog.linuxmint.com](https://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=4991))
• It’s not a committed, detailed roadmap yet — the post ends with “Stay tuned, we’ll have more information on this.” ([blog.linuxmint.com](https://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=4991))

Security impact (the part MalwareTips folks usually care about)
A longer release cycle should not mean “fewer security updates,” as long as you stay on a supported Mint base and keep applying updates.

For example, Linux Mint 22.3 “Zena” (released January 13, 2026) is an LTS release supported until 2029. That support window is what matters most for ongoing security fixes for most users, not whether there’s a new point release every six months. ([blog.linuxmint.com](https://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=4981))

Practical advice if you’re a Mint user

• Prioritize: run a supported release (e.g., 22.3 supported to 2029) and apply updates promptly.
• Treat major upgrades as “feature/hardware enablement events” (newer stack, newer desktop changes), not as your primary security lifeline.
• Before any major upgrade: take a full backup / Timeshift snapshot and ensure you can roll back cleanly.

Sources

• Monthly News – January 2026 – The Linux Mint Blog
• Linux Mint 22.3 “Zena” released! – The Linux Mint Blog
• Linux Mint may make fewer releases a year