Linux desktop environment Cinnamon 6.4 aims to fix its outdated look with a fresh default theme

Linux Mint has long been praised for its user-friendly design, with the Cinnamon desktop being a core feature. However, Cinnamon's look outside the Mint distro often leaves users unimpressed. In many distributions, Cinnamon’s default visual style feels outdated and unrefined, giving the impression that its aesthetics have been neglected.

Part of the reason for this is Mint’s focus on the Mint-Y theme, which brings a more polished and modern appearance to the desktop. The default Cinnamon theme, however, is largely left untouched, serving as a fallback option for troubleshooting. With little attention from theme developers, this results in a less-than-appealing experience for users of other distributions that don’t implement Mint-Y.

Distributions are generally expected to improve and customize desktop environments to fit their style. Yet, many opt to stick with default settings, focus on other desktop environments, or fail to invest in making Cinnamon look more attractive. This leads to Cinnamon being overlooked in favor of more visually refined options like GNOME or KDE Plasma.

To address this shortcoming, Cinnamon 6.4 developers are planning to debut it with a significantly enhanced default theme. This update aims to provide a better out-of-the-box experience, making the desktop environment look more polished regardless of which distribution it’s running on. Whether this will increase Cinnamon's appeal outside of Mint remains to be seen, but it’s a step in the right direction toward improving its visual identity.