Hyprland 0.52 Adds Input Rotation, Forceidle, and Rendering Tweaks

Nearly two months after the previous 0.51 release, Hyprland, a favorite among fans of eye-pleasing tiling window compositors, has just rolled out version 0.52. This update introduces an impressive list of new capabilities:

• A new modal property has been introduced for window rules, offering more fine-grained control over window behaviors.
• Auto-closing submaps can now be defined, allowing certain keybind layers to close automatically after execution.
• A new dispatcher: forceidle has been added.
• The fullscreen command now supports set, unset, and toggle options for fewer IPC queries and smoother state handling.
• New color management (CM) options have been added: dcip3, dp3, and adobe, improving color space flexibility.
• Per-device input rotation is now supported for devices that allow it — particularly useful for touchscreens and tablets.
• noscreenshare is now available as a layerrule, giving users finer control over screen sharing permissions.
• The cursor zoom feature gains a zoom_disable_aa setting to choose between pixelated or blurry magnification styles.

As usual, the dev team packed this update with stability improvements and refinements to the compositor’s behavior. Some of the most notable include:

• Rendering optimizations leading to smoother surface resizing, better damage tracking, and overall pixel-level polish.
• Screencopy improvements for 10-bit displays, addressing visual issues with high-depth color setups.
• Crash fixes across multiple subsystems, including plugin function hooks and gesture parsing.
• Virtual keyboard (IME) fixes for improved text input handling across applications.
• Restored slide and slidefade transitions, which now correctly accept forced directions.
• A fix for a rare DPMS lockup bug where monitors would fail to wake up after sleep.
• XWayland drag-and-drop fixes addressing subtle edge-case behavior.
• General cleanup of dependency breakage and plugin instability introduced by ABI changes

Looking Ahead: Hyprtoolkit Foundation

Beyond immediate features and fixes, version 0.52 continues laying the groundwork for Hyprtoolkit, an upcoming framework designed to unify the appearance and functionality of all future Hyprland graphical utilities. This forward-looking development suggests the project’s commitment to creating a cohesive ecosystem around the compositor.

Why This Release Matters

Hyprland has established itself as a compelling choice for Linux users who value both aesthetics and functionality in their desktop environment. The compositor appeals to power users who appreciate tiling window management while demanding the visual polish typically associated with more traditional desktop environments.

Version 0.52 reinforces this position by addressing real-world user needs. The per-device input rotation feature demonstrates attention to modern hardware usage patterns, while rendering optimizations show commitment to performance. The expansion of color management options acknowledges professional users who rely on accurate color reproduction.

The substantial bug fix list indicates active maintenance and responsiveness to user feedback, critical factors for any software that serves as the foundation of a user’s daily computing experience.

Conclusion

Hyprland 0.52 represents a solid evolutionary step for an already capable Wayland compositor. The mix of new features, performance improvements, and bug fixes demonstrates healthy project momentum and responsiveness to user needs.

Whether you’re managing multiple displays, working with touch input devices, or simply seeking a visually appealing and efficient desktop environment, Hyprland 0.52 offers compelling improvements worth exploring.

For detailed information about all changes in this release, consult the official announcement and full changelog available on the project’s GitHub repository.