The Arch-based yet beginner-friendly distribution Manjaro has been released as version 26.1 “Bian-May”. The release ships the current Linux kernel 7.1 and updated desktops – as a rolling update, it reaches existing users automatically through the stable repositories.
Kernel and desktops
The default kernel is Linux 7.1; those who prefer stability can still choose the long-term series 6.18 LTS and 6.12 LTS. For the desktops, Manjaro 26.1 ships the current editions: GNOME 50 “Tokyo”, KDE Plasma 6.7 (with KDE Frameworks 6.28 and Gear 26.04) and Xfce 4.20.
More than 1000 updated packages
Under the hood, more than 1000 packages were updated, and the system moves to Python 3.14. A handy highlight is in GNOME 50: parental controls have been significantly improved. Parents can monitor screen time and set daily limits and bedtimes for child accounts directly in Settings – when a limit is reached, the screen locks automatically.
For those switching from Windows, Manjaro remains one of the most accessible ways into the Arch world – with a graphical installer and curated stable repositories.
Sources: OpenSourceFeed, Phoronix.
