Manjaro 26.1 “Bian-May” Preview Arrives with Linux 7.0 GNOME 50 & Plasma 6.6
Manjaro 26.1 “Bian-May” Preview Arrives with Linux 7.0 GNOME 50 & Plasma 6.6
- Linux Kernel Removes strncpy After Six Years and 362 Patches
- Linux Kernel Drops 40-Year-Old AppleTalk Protocol — AI-Generated Patch Flood Was the Last Straw
- Apple’s Native Linux Container Tool Has Arrived — But Can It Really Replace Docker?
- 60% of MD5 Password Hashes Can Be Cracked in Under an Hour with a Single GPU
- Dirty Frag: Root Access on Every Major Linux Distribution — No Patch, No Warning
Manjaro 26.1 “Bian-May” Preview Arrives with Linux 7.0, GNOME 50 & Plasma 6.6
The Arch-based rolling distro takes its first step toward a new stable release, bringing the freshest desktop environments and a brand-new mainline kernel.
The Manjaro development team released a preview build of Manjaro 26.1, code-named “Bian-May,” on May 5, 2026 — marking the distro’s first new milestone since the Anh-Linh release in January. The preview is open for community testing and ships with three flagship desktop environments alongside the freshly minted Linux 7.0 stable kernel.
Manjaro Linux, the popular Arch-based distribution known for making rolling releases accessible to a broad audience, is preparing its next stable version. Today’s preview gives testers an early look at what Bian-May will offer, and the headline upgrades are significant: the three official desktop flavours — GNOME, KDE Plasma, and Xfce — have all moved to their latest generation releases.
Desktop Environments at a Glance
GNOME 50, which officially launched in March 2026, brings a multitude of fixes and polish. KDE Plasma 6.6 delivers the latest innovations from the KDE community. For those who prefer neither, Xfce 4.20 rounds out the trio as a proven, resource-friendly alternative.
Kernel Options
Manjaro 26.1 preview defaults to the newly stable Linux 7.0 kernel, giving users access to the most recent hardware support and driver improvements. Two older kernels are included as fallback choices for compatibility with established hardware:
| Kernel | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Linux 7.0 | Default / New | Latest stable kernel; best hardware support for modern devices. |
| Linux 6.18 | Also Available | The kernel that shipped with Manjaro 26.0 “Anh-Linh” in January 2026. |
| Linux 6.12 | LTS | Long-term support kernel for maximum stability on older hardware. |
Having three kernel choices at install time is a longstanding Manjaro tradition, allowing users to match the kernel to their hardware requirements without additional manual setup.
“Give the preview a spin if you want to test these desktop tweaks before they hit stable. Report any compositor crashes back to the bug tracker so the team can patch them before the final release rolls out.” — Manjaro Team, official forum announcement
Background: From Anh-Linh to Bian-May
Manjaro 26.0 “Anh-Linh” was released on January 4, 2026, following the previous “Zetar” release from April 2025. Anh-Linh shipped with KDE Plasma 6.5, GNOME 49, and Xfce 4.20, using Linux 6.18 as the default kernel — with 6.12 LTS and 6.6 LTS also available. Both the GNOME and Plasma editions moved to Wayland as the default display server in that release.
In the months since, GNOME 50 and KDE Plasma 6.6 have both landed upstream, prompting the Manjaro team to begin work on Bian-May. The arrival of Linux 7.0 as a stable kernel provided an additional incentive for a new release cycle.
This Is a Preview — Not a Stable Release
It is important to note that today’s build is a preview release intended for testing purposes, not a production-ready update. The Manjaro team is actively soliciting feedback — particularly around compositor behaviour — before issuing the final stable release, expected in the weeks ahead. Existing Manjaro users on rolling updates do not need to reinstall; they can continue using their package manager as normal.
How to Get Involved
Download links for the Bian-May ISO images — available in Full and Minimal variants for all three desktop editions — are hosted on the official Manjaro forum. Users who test the preview are encouraged to file bug reports directly on the forum thread so the team can address issues before the stable launch.
Download the Manjaro 26.1 “Bian-May” preview, read the release notes, and submit your feedback directly to the development team.
Visit the Manjaro Forum →Sources: Manjaro Linux Forum, Phoronix, 9to5Linux. Published May 5, 2026.
