It’s been just over a month since System76 dropped the first stable COSMIC desktop (Epoch 1.0) with Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS on December 11, 2025. The Rust-based environment has been receiving rapid point releases, and hot on the heels of the recent addition of system-wide rounded corners and window shadows (now configurable under Settings > Appearance > Experimental Settings > Window shadow and corners, applying consistently across GTK, Qt, Iced, and native apps), version 1.0.3 landed on January 20, 2026.
This update focuses on usability tweaks, bug fixes, better multi-tasking in core apps, and improved reliability especially welcome for early adopters on Pop!_OS and users pulling it from rolling distros.
Standout Changes in COSMIC 1.0.3
COSMIC Files (File Manager) Gets Real Workflow Love
- Easier multi-directory workflows: Open multiple folders as separate tabs more smoothly.
- New “Open” button in the multi-preview pane for quicker access when previewing several items.
- Refined Shift-click selection now properly includes hidden files (fixing a previous annoyance when selecting ranges).
- Handy new feature: Copy file timestamps — super useful for backups, rsync, or any sync setup where preserving modification/access times matters.
Other App & Component Polish
- COSMIC Notifications: Cleaned up logging for better debugging.
- COSMIC Player: Auto-mutes audio during thumbnail generation—no more surprise sounds while browsing your media library.
- COSMIC Settings: Added fallback to save network passwords at the system level if the secret agent (e.g., gnome-keyring) channel fails.
- New CLI option to apply RON theme files directly (great for scripting or quick theme switches).
- COSMIC Terminal: More secure handling of passwords in memory (careful loading/clearing when toggling the passwords page).
System-Level & Integration Fixes
- xdg-desktop-portal-cosmic: No longer crashes/aborts without dma-buf support—better compatibility on varied hardware (including older GPUs).
- Sets proper PipeWire data flags for memfd, which should fix or improve screen casting/recording in apps like OBS Studio.
- Rectangle selection in portal configs now saves only after drag completes (prevents partial/invalid saves).
- Compatibility enhancements for Nix flake setups and other declarative environments.
- Updated translations across the entire COSMIC suite.
These changes build on COSMIC’s strengths: lightweight performance, beautiful tiling window management, and a modern look without the bloat of older DEs. With rapid iteration like this, it’s clear System76 is committed to making COSMIC a serious contender against GNOME and KDE.
How to Get COSMIC 1.0.3
- Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS users: The update is already rolling out—just run your regular system update (e.g., via Pop!_Shop or sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade).
- Rolling-release distros (Arch Linux, openSUSE Tumbleweed, Fedora, NixOS, CachyOS, Serpent OS, etc.): Packages are being prepared and should hit repos in the coming days.
- For bleeding-edge or manual builds: Check the main repo at https://github.com/pop-os/cosmic-epoch (full changelog in the epoch-1.0.3 release tag).
If you’re on Pop!_OS or curious about a fresh Rust-written desktop that’s fast, consistent, and actively developed, now’s a great time to jump in. COSMIC feels more refined with every point release.
- Design
