COSMIC Epoch 1.7.0 Released: Accessibility, Usability, and System Stability Improvements Land in Pop!_OS Desktop
The open-source Linux desktop environment COSMIC Epoch shipped version 1.7.0 on August 25, 2026. The release touches nearly every component of the stack, bringing accessibility tweaks, file manager polish, and a structural shift in how the session starts up. Maintainer Jack Miller pushed the changes from the pop-os/cosmic-epoch repository, which now sits at 6,700 stars and 1,800 issues.
COSMIC started life as System76's desktop for Pop!_OS. Following a decision to make the project independent and fully open-source, it was rebranded as COSMIC Epoch. The desktop uses GTK4, Libadwaita, and Wayland-first principles. Any Linux distribution can now adopt it. The "Epoch" moniker reflects that break from Pop!_OS exclusivity.
Accessibility and Navigation
Shaking your mouse now summons a magnified view of the pointer, a move that should help you locate the cursor on those sprawling high-resolution multi-monitor rigs where pixel density makes the dot look like a grain of sand. Zoom operations progress incrementally with each keypress, giving you finer control over magnification levels. Cursor themes also scale without blurring at larger sizes.
The cosmic-settings app now includes a toggle for the shake-to-magnify feature, so you don't have to dig through config files to tweak it. cosmic-comp also fixed auto-unlock screen wake, meaning the display now powers on reliably when you unlock the session.
Next, the file manager got a solid injection of usability fixes. The Open With dialog now lets you search for apps instead of scrolling through a wall of text. You can navigate to network locations from any file browser panel, and sidebar favorites are finally renameable. SMB and NFS browsing is noticeably faster, and a crash caused by malformed timestamps has been squashed. Grid view alignment in cosmic-files also looks correct now.
System Changes and Remote Desktop
For the system admins out there, there's a change worth noting. start-cosmic, the script that launches the COSMIC session, has been rewritten to use POSIX sh rather than Bash. That cuts the hard dependency on Bash and broadens compatibility with minimal distributions. It's a small detail, but one that matters if you're deploying desktops on stripped-down base systems.
The xdg-desktop-portal-cosmic now supports remote desktop functionality. You can use Steam Input to control the keyboard and mouse over a network connection. It's a setup that's arguably useful for handheld Linux gaming or streaming sessions. The portal also fixed occasional clipboard failures when copying screenshots.
The cosmic-greeter gained resilience against PAM errors, so you won't be stuck at the login screen on systems with complex authentication configurations. cosmic-panel also received a long-overdue crash fix. A low-battery false positive that fired on desktops without batteries has been resolved as well.
Release Stats and Assessment
Release statistics look sparse if you only glance at the submodule commit count. One commit. Twenty-three files changed. However, the work is distributed across roughly 20 individual PRs merged across the component repos.
It's a strong polish update that addresses quality-of-life issues. The POSIX migration and accessibility features are particularly notable. The shift to an independent project is clearly paying off, though the Rust and GTK4 dependency means compile times remain a friction point for some.
Keep in mind that Pop!_OS 24.04 itself is still pending release. If you're running Pop!_OS, you'll likely see this trickle into the 24.04 branch once System76 pulls the trigger on the next update.
Head here to check out the full changelog and tag on GitHub. Keep an eye on the Pop!_OS 24.04 release schedule if you want this in your hands immediately.
