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# All About the Pop!_OS COSMIC Desktop
- URL: https://itsfoss.com/news/pop-os-cosmic/
- Published: 2024-04-30T04:17:45.000Z
- Updated: 2024-08-30T14:22:49.000Z
- Description: Excited for the COSMIC desktop with Pop!_OS 24.04? Here's what you can expect!
- Author: Sourav Rudra
- Tags: Development Updates, News, #Import 2025-11-08 21:15

These past few years, System76 has been busy readying up COSMIC, their **Rust-based desktop environment** for [Pop!\_OS](https://pop.system76.com/?ref=itsfoss.com). We first [took a look](https://itsfoss.com/system76-rust-cosmic-desktop/) at it back in 2022, and since then, a lot has happened with the development progress!

Many users admire the approach System76 takes for implementing user-friendly features in Pop!\_OS, such as window tiling. The introduction of a new desktop environment allows them to do more such things in a better way.

Moreover, we already knew that COSMIC was coming with some [big changes](https://itsfoss.com/system76-pop-os-cosmic-de-changes/), and there were talks of a [COSMIC Fedora spin](https://itsfoss.com/fedora-cosmic-spin/) too. But, finally, we are now closer to an Alpha release of COSMIC Desktop.

So, let's see what you can look forward to with COSMIC.

🚧

The screenshots and features mentioned in this article are subject to change, as they were sourced from the pre-alpha builds of COSMIC. We will update the article when the Alpha build releases.

## COSMIC: Worth the Wait?

![a screenshot of cosmic desktop screen with a window being tiled](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/COSMIC_a-1.jpg)

Credit: Pop!\_OS

Even though **COSMIC is Wayland-only**, it has support for X11 apps via [XWayland](https://wayland.freedesktop.org/xserver.html?ref=itsfoss.com), so you don't need to worry about your beloved apps not working properly.

Moving on to the things that make it worth the wait. Here are the **key features** of COSMIC:

- **App Theming**
- **COSMIC Files**
- **COSMIC Edit**
- **COSMIC Terminal**
- **COSMIC App Store**
- **COSMIC Screenshot Tool**
- **Modern Lock/Login Screen**
- **Advanced Window Management**

### App Theming

![a screenshot of cosmic app theming](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/COSMIC_b.jpg)

Credit: Pop!\_OS

COSMIC features **theming support for GTK 3/4 and Flatpak applications**, with custom themes also being applied to GTK apps if a global theme is enabled. There is also the possibility of adding **custom icon themes** for both COSMIC and GTK applications.

Seeing as we are on the topic of applications, **COSMIC ships with many Rust-based native applications** that were specifically designed to gel in well with the desktop environment, while also keeping accessibility in mind.

### COSMIC Files

![a screenshot of cosmic files](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/COSMIC_c.jpg)

Credit: Pop!\_OS

No, it is not the nautilus file manager. It is the COSMIC **Files**, which isamong the newest additions. At the time of writing, I could not find a final feature-set for the file manager, but hopefully, I update this article with additional information when the alpha is released.

Of course, you see a resemblance, making sure that you can navigate your files/folders in a way that you already know.

### COSMIC Edit

![a screenshot of cosmic text editor](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/COSMIC_f.jpg)

Credit: Pop!\_OS

Then comes COSMIC Edit, which is **a lightweight text editor** that has support for bidirectional text (*read left-to-right/right-to-left)*, ligatures, emojis, and more.

It also comes with additional features like **Vim-style editing**, **Git integration**, the ability to **search for projects**, **showing the word count**, and even **highlighting the current line**.

I do not think we needed a COSMIC-specific text editor, but if it justifies its existence, many users looking for a lightweight and powerful editor would be happy.

### COSMIC Terminal

![a screenshot of cosmic terminal](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/COSMIC_d.jpg)

Credit: Pop!\_OS

As the name suggests, COSMIC Terminal is **the terminal emulator** for COSMIC, which was built using the [*alacritty\_terminal*](https://crates.io/crates/alacritty%5Fterminal?ref=itsfoss.com) framework, and a custom renderer based on [COSMIC Text](https://github.com/pop-os/cosmic-text?ref=itsfoss.com).

It has some really neat features, such as **support for both** [**LTR**](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/LTR?ref=itsfoss.com) **and** [**RTL**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-to-left%5Fscript?ref=itsfoss.com) text, **desktop themes**, **syntax themes**, **GPU renderin**g, etc.

There is also something called **splits**, which **allows the terminal window to be divided vertically**, providing access to two working areas, with the option to have multiple splits.

### COSMIC App Store

![a screenshot of cosmic app store](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/COSMIC_e.jpg)

Credit: Pop!\_OS

Following that, there's the COSMIC app store, which **feels modern and has a familiar layout** with apps arranged neatly under categories. Plus, there is also a handy “*Updates*” tab that notifies you when there's a new app or system upgrade.

### COSMIC Screenshot Tool

![a screenshot of cosmic screenshot tool](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/COSMIC_g.jpg)

Credit: Pop!\_OS

COSMIC also features **a native screenshot tool** that allows you to take screenshots of the whole screen, a specific application, or a selected area. You might find it a bit similar to the one GNOME has, but with a few more options.

### Modern Lock/Login Screen

![a screenshot of cosmic lock screen](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/COSMIC_h.jpg)

Credit: Pop!\_OS

The log-in experience on COSMIC is **set to be something unique**. As you can see from the early design mockup above, the login/lock screen takes a mobile approach, displaying information, and providing access to them in an organized space, instead of having things all around the screen.

### Advanced Window Management

![a screenshot of cosmic advanced window management in action](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/COSMIC_i-1.jpg)

Credit: Pop!\_OS

While Pop!\_OS already had the best implementation for window tiling out of the box, **COSMIC makes it simpler by giving more control to it.**

The ability to tweak the workspace behavior with a quick selection, and other usual keyboard shortcuts that we are familiar with on Pop!\_OS.

![a screenshot of cosmic window tiling applet](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/COSMIC_j-1.jpg)

Credit: Pop!\_OS

The **new tiling applet** that can be used to tweak the window tiling behavior, with options to enable auto-tiling of windows and further sub-options to toggle auto-tiling per workspace and to change its new workspace behavior.

![a screenshot of cosmic window management using the mouse](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/COSMIC_k.jpg)

Credit: Pop!\_OS

You also get more options to **manage windows**; just right-click on the header (*top part*) of a window, and you will get options such as move, resize, maximize, float, take screenshot, etc.

## When is the Release Date?

**COSMIC desktop has debuted with Pop!\_OS 24.04 LTS Alpha release**. It is an unstable release with missing features. But, you can experiment with it if you like.

You can also install it on other distro following the official instructions in their download page.

[COSMIC](https://system76.com/cosmic?ref=itsfoss.com)

*💬 Tired of waiting for COSMIC? Think that good things take time? Let us know in the comments below!*