Linux Mint 22.1 'Xia' is built on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and is consistently rated the #1 recommendation for users switching from Windows. It ships with multimedia codecs pre-installed, a familiar Cinnamon desktop, and a no-nonsense update manager. The Software Manager includes thousands of apps in a curated, user-friendly store.
Desktop Environment & Package Management
The default desktop is Cinnamon 6 / MATE / Xfce. Package management is handled via APT + Flatpak. Pre-installed multimedia codecs mean it plays audio and video out of the box without extra configuration.
Performance & Use Cases
Minimum RAM: 1 GB, Disk: 20 GB. Linux Mint 22.1 has solid gaming support — Steam and Proton work well out of the box. Linux Mint 22.1 is designed primarily as a desktop distribution.
Who Should Use Linux Mint 22.1?
Windows and macOS switchers, beginners, users on older hardware. Built on Ubuntu / Debian with a lts based release model.