COSMIC, an acronym for Computer Operating System Main Interface Components, is a

free and open-source Free and open-source software (FOSS) is software available under a Software license, license that grants users the right to use, modify, and distribute the software modified or not to everyone free of charge. FOSS is an inclusive umbrella term ...

desktop environment In computing, a desktop environment (DE) is an implementation of the desktop metaphor made of a bundle of programs running on top of a computer operating system that share a common graphical user interface (GUI), sometimes described as a graphi ...

for

Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...

and other Unix-like operating systems. COSMIC was originally the name of a modified version of

GNOME A gnome () is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and widely adopted by authors, including those of modern fantasy literature. They are typically depict ...

made specifically for

Pop!_OS Pop OS (stylized as Pop!_OS) is a free and open-source Linux distribution, based on Ubuntu, and featuring a customized GNOME desktop environment known as COSMIC. The distribution is developed by American Linux computer manufacturer System76. ...

. It is now a standalone desktop environment built from scratch using the iced GUI Library.

History

Computer manufacturer

System76 System76, Inc. is an American computer manufacturer based in Denver, Colorado, that sells notebook computers, desktop computers, and servers. The company utilizes free and open-source software, and offers a choice of Ubuntu or their own Ubuntu ...

announced in 2021 that it would be creating a new desktop environment, not based on any existing software. This desktop environment would be written in

Rust Rust is an iron oxide, a usually reddish-brown oxide formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the catalytic presence of water or air moisture. Rust consists of hydrous iron(III) oxides (Fe2O3·nH2O) and iron(III) oxide-hydroxide (FeO(OH) ...

and developed to be similar to

. System76 cited limitations with GNOME extensions, as well as disagreements with GNOME developers on the desktop experience, as reasons to build a new desktop environment. The first alpha release, branded as "Epoch," released on August 8, 2024. The second Epoch alpha released on September 24, 2024. It added more pages to the settings application which was unfinished in the first alpha, as well as several features for the file manager. The third alpha released on October 31, 2024. This release introduced multiple connectivity features, including the ability to connect to

wireless network A wireless network is a computer network that uses wireless data connections between network nodes. Wireless networking allows homes, telecommunications networks, and business installations to avoid the costly process of introducing cables int ...

s and

Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is li ...

devices from the built-in COSMIC Settings application. The fourth alpha released on December 4, 2024, introducing region and language settings, COSMIC Store improvements, and accessibility features. The fifth alpha released on January 9, 2025, adding a Users page to the settings application, and some minor UI improvements. It also introduced a

media player Media player may refer to: *Digital media player, home appliances that play digital media *Media player software, software that plays digital media *Portable media player, portable hardware that plays digital media *Windows Media Player Windo ...

. The sixth alpha released on February 21, 2025, adding improvements to settings such as desktop icons, the launcher, and scaling, as well as introducing various memory optimizations. The seventh alpha released on April 24, 2025, adding improvements to desktop workspaces management, new accessibility features, and global application shortcuts.

Features

COSMIC is made from scratch and is not based on any existing desktop environment. It features a custom theming system, utilizes the Rust-based iced graphics toolkit, streamlined window tiling, and its own applications (a

text editor A text editor is a type of computer program that edits plain text. An example of such program is "notepad" software (e.g. Windows Notepad). Text editors are provided with operating systems and software development packages, and can be used to c ...

, a

terminal emulator A terminal emulator, or terminal application, is a computer program that emulates a video terminal within some other display architecture. Though typically synonymous with a shell or text terminal, the term ''terminal'' covers all remote term ...

, a

file manager A file manager or file browser is a computer program that provides a user interface to manage computer files, files and folder (computing), folders. The most common Computer file#Operations, operations performed on files or groups of files incl ...

, a settings application, an

app store An app store, also called an app marketplace or app catalog, is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications, often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not i ...

, and a

COSMIC Edit

COSMIC Edit is the built-in text editor. It supports

bidirectional text A bidirectional text contains two text directionalities, right-to-left (RTL) and left-to-right (LTR). It generally involves text containing different types of alphabets, but may also refer to boustrophedon, which is changing text direction in ...

, ligatures,

emoji An emoji ( ; plural emoji or emojis; , ) is a pictogram, logogram, ideogram, or smiley embedded in text and used in electronic messages and web pages. The primary function of modern emoji is to fill in emotional cues otherwise missing from type ...

, and more. It also has programming-oriented features such as line highlighting and

Git Git () is a distributed version control system that tracks versions of files. It is often used to control source code by programmers who are developing software collaboratively. Design goals of Git include speed, data integrity, and suppor ...

integration.

COSMIC Terminal

COSMIC Terminal is the built-in terminal emulator. It was built using code from the terminal

Alacritty Alacritty is a free and open-source GPU-accelerated terminal emulator focused on performance and simplicity. Consequently, it does not support tabs or splits and is configured by editing a text file. It is written in Rust and uses OpenGL. His ...

and a custom renderer. It supports bidirectional text, theming, and GPU rendering. Furthermore, it also includes a feature that allows users to divide a terminal window into multiple areas.

COSMIC Files

COSMIC Files is the built-in file manager. It includes standard file manager functionality as well as keyboard shortcuts, built-in file archiving functions, and a file preview feature.

COSMIC Store

COSMIC Store is the built-in application center. It gives users an all-in-one solution to browse and install/update/remove apps from Flathub. It also provides a convenient way to update the system components.

COSMIC Settings

COSMIC Settings is the built-in configuration app that allows users to customize the desktop environment to their preferences. It includes a search bar to quickly find specific settings without browsing through menus.

COSMIC Media Player

COSMIC Media Player is the default media player. It uses

Vulkan Vulkan is a cross-platform API and open standard for 3D graphics and computing. It was intended to address the shortcomings of OpenGL, and allow developers more control over the GPU. It is designed to support a wide variety of GPUs, CPUs and o ...

for rendering and VA-API for decoding.

References

External links

* {{Desktop environments and window managers for X11 and Wayland Free desktop environments Free software programmed in Rust Unix windowing system-related software