Cinnamon is a free, open-source Linux desktop environment from the Linux Mint team. Explore its history, features, pros, cons, and FAQs.
Category
Developer Tools
Pricing
Free and open source, from Free
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 19, 2026
Founded
2011
Headquarters
Developed by the Linux Mint project, commonly associated with lead developer Clement Lefebvre; no fixed corporate headquarters
From GNOME Shell Extensions to an Independent Desktop
Cinnamon's origin is directly tied to the controversial 2011 release of GNOME 3, which replaced the classic GNOME 2 desktop with GNOME Shell's activities-based interface. The Linux Mint team, wanting to preserve a more traditional desktop workflow for its users, first attempted a lighter-touch fix through Mint GNOME Shell Extensions before deciding a full fork was necessary.
That fork, launched as Project Cinnamon in January 2012, gradually diverged from GNOME Shell's codebase until Cinnamon 2.0 in October 2013 made it a fully standalone desktop environment that no longer depends on GNOME being installed, even though it still shares GNOME's underlying GTK toolkit and many conventions.
Nemo and the Cinnamon Ecosystem
Alongside the desktop shell itself, the Linux Mint team maintains Nemo, a file manager forked from GNOME's Nautilus, as Cinnamon's default file browser and desktop icon handler. Nemo adds features such as dual-pane browsing and a customizable actions system for right-click context menus.
Customization across Cinnamon happens through four main mechanisms: applets that live in the panel, desklets placed directly on the desktop, extensions that alter broader system behavior, and themes that restyle the interface. All of these are distributed through Cinnamon Spices, the project's central repository for community-made add-ons.
Who Uses Cinnamon and Why
Cinnamon is the default and most closely associated desktop environment of Linux Mint, one of the most widely used desktop Linux distributions, particularly among users transitioning from Windows who want a familiar taskbar-and-menu layout.
Beyond Linux Mint, Cinnamon is packaged for installation on other major distributions for users who prefer its conventional layout and GTK foundation over alternatives like GNOME Shell's activities view or KDE Plasma's more configurable but complex interface.
Key Features
Traditional desktop layout — Provides a familiar panel, application menu, taskbar, and system tray arrangement rather than GNOME Shell's activities-based workflow.
Nemo file manager — Ships with Nemo, a Nautilus-derived file manager offering dual-pane browsing, thumbnails, and a customizable actions-based context menu.
Applets and desklets — Panel applets and desktop-placed desklets let users add clocks, system monitors, and other small widgets to customize their workspace.
Extensions system — Extensions can modify broader desktop behavior, such as window effects and workspace management, beyond simple applet additions.
Cinnamon Spices repository — A centralized, in-app repository for browsing and installing community-made themes, applets, desklets, and extensions.
GTK-based but independent — Built on GNOME-originated GTK technologies while running independently of GNOME Shell since Cinnamon 2.0, requiring no GNOME installation.
Built-in theming and appearance controls — Includes settings for icon themes, window themes, and desktop effects to adjust the look and feel without third-party tools.
Ongoing Wayland support development — Recent Cinnamon releases have incrementally added Wayland display server support alongside its traditional Xorg foundation.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Free and open source with no licensing cost
Familiar, low-friction desktop layout that eases the transition for users coming from Windows
Highly customizable through applets, desklets, extensions, and themes via Cinnamon Spices
Nemo file manager offers useful power-user features like dual-pane browsing and custom actions
Actively maintained by the Linux Mint team with regular stability and feature updates
Lighter and generally faster than more resource-intensive desktop environments while still visually polished
Cons
Wayland support has historically lagged behind GNOME Shell and KDE Plasma
Tied closely to GTK and GNOME technologies, so some GNOME ecosystem changes can require Cinnamon-side rework
Smaller contributor base than GNOME or KDE, which can slow the pace of some features
Primarily optimized around Linux Mint's design goals, so on other distributions the experience can feel slightly less first-class
Fewer built-in accessibility and enterprise management tools compared to some larger desktop environments
Visual customization, while extensive, is less deeply configurable at a low level than KDE Plasma
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cinnamon the same as Linux Mint
No. Linux Mint is a Linux distribution that offers Cinnamon as its flagship default desktop environment, but Cinnamon can also be installed on other distributions like Fedora, Debian, and Arch Linux.
Is Cinnamon free to use
Yes, Cinnamon is free and open-source software with no licensing fees.
When was Cinnamon created
Development began in 2011 following GNOME 3's release, with the formal Project Cinnamon fork of GNOME Shell components starting in January 2012 and full independence achieved with Cinnamon 2.0 in October 2013.
Does Cinnamon require GNOME to be installed
No, since Cinnamon 2.0.0 in 2013, Cinnamon runs as a fully independent desktop environment and does not require a GNOME installation, even though it still uses GTK and other GNOME-originated technologies.
What file manager does Cinnamon use by default
Cinnamon uses Nemo, a file manager forked from GNOME's Nautilus, as its default file browser and desktop handler.
Does Cinnamon support Wayland
Cinnamon has been incrementally adding Wayland display server support in recent releases, though its Xorg support has historically been more mature and complete.
How do I customize Cinnamon
Cinnamon can be customized through applets in the panel, desklets on the desktop, system-level extensions, and visual themes, all browsable through the built-in Cinnamon Spices repository.
Who maintains Cinnamon
Cinnamon is developed by the Linux Mint team, led by Clement Lefebvre, along with a community of volunteer contributors.