LXQt 2.4.0 hit the scene on April 20, 2026. The lightweight Qt-based desktop environment now stands shoulder-to-shoulder with heavyweights like GNOME 50 and KDE Plasma 6.6. Developers focused on bug fixes, code cleanup. But they slipped in practical tweaks too. Many changes rolled out earlier via point releases since November 2025.
The Phoronix report captures the momentum: “The LXQt 2.4 desktop released today for joining the modern open-source desktop party alongside the likes of the recently debuted GNOME 50, KDE Plasma 6.6, and others.” Wayland support got the biggest push. Desktop items now show consistently across multi-screen setups. No more glitches when hiding them per monitor.
Separate settings for X11 and Wayland sessions in LXQt Sessions. Install lxqt-wayland-session to see them. Users can open the main menu on Wayland. Just add a shortcut for “lxqt-qdbus openmenu” in compositor settings. Panel menus on Wayland disable shortcut selectors. A tooltip explains configuration. These fixes make Wayland feel production-ready. Or close to it.
Power management stepped up. LXQt-Powermanagement adds distinct monitor blanking timeouts for AC and battery power. Combo boxes shed useless options. The UI layout tightened. Battery life on laptops just got smarter.
And the panel. Volume plugin switched to horizontal layout. It lists all audio sinks. Scroll the mouse wheel or touchpad over the icon to adjust the default sink. Simple. Effective.
LibFM-Qt and PCManFM-Qt, the file manager backbone, highlight the base filename in save dialogs. Rename instantly. Wayland multi-monitor desktop visibility fixed. Small. But users notice.
QTerminal shone brightest among apps. Custom tab naming works better. Add shortcuts to the lock button in dropdown mode. Bookmarks file creation fixed for new profiles. New “Nord” theme. Search highlights every match. URL patterns fixed—no more 404s on links with closing brackets. Context menu actions like Open/Copy link won’t vanish. Highlighting code refined. Solid upgrades for terminal fans.
LXQt Runner’s calculator launches on number input. Not just equals sign. Notifications skip transients in “Do not disturb” mode. No song titles cluttering history. xdg-desktop-portal-lxqt gained an access portal: org.freedesktop.impl.portal.Access. Essential for Flatpak, PipeWire screen sharing.
Other bits. $XDG_STATE_HOME directory support. .desktop files respect NotShowIn=LXQt. Systemd logout works. Transient notifications ignored in do-not-disturb.
The official LXQt announcement sums it: “LXQt 2.4.0 brings mostly bugfixes and code cleanup but also some more nice improvements… Required Qt versions have not changed, so building it on Debian ‘Trixie’ and derivatives is still possible.” Team thanks contributors: “We got quite a few good contributions in the last time, thanks to everyone!”
9to5Linux details the rollout: “Coming more than five months after LXQt 2.3, the LXQt 2.4 release improves Wayland support with separate settings for Wayland and X11 sessions…” Expect packages soon in distro repos. Arch, Fedora rolling releases first. Debian Trixie compatible—no Qt bumps.
LXQt traces to 2013. Razor-qt and LXDE-Qt merged. Born for low-resource systems. Think embedded, old hardware, servers with GUI. Qt base keeps it snappy. Modular design. Pick components. Unlike monolithic desktops.
Resource tests bear this out. Forums show LXQt sipping RAM—around 1.3-1.4GB idle on modern tests. Beats Cinnamon, rivals XFCE. Wayland push aligns with industry. X11 fading. Compositors like Labwc, Sway pair well.
But challenges remain. Wayland session experimental. Needs lxqt-wayland-session. Full parity lags KDE, GNOME. Portal additions help apps. Screen sharing, file pickers smoother.
Distros embrace it. Lubuntu defaults to LXQt. Debian, Fedora spins. MX Linux, Void. Rolling distros package fast—OpenSourceFeed notes Arch likely first. Source tarballs on GitHub: lxqt/lxqt 2.4.0. Component repos like pcmanfm-qt 2.4.0, qterminal 2.4.0 mirror.
Community buzz on X. 9to5Linux tweeted: LXQt 2.4 with Wayland gains. Linuxiac highlights multi-monitor fixes. AlternativeTo praises file manager, power tweaks.
So where next? Official site hints rhythm: April, November releases. Point updates bridge. Wayland maturity tops list. Full session without qualifiers. More portals. App convergence.
LXQt carves niche. Not flashy. Reliable. Light. In desktop wars, that’s power. Users on ancient netbooks, VPS GUIs, efficiency chasers—welcome 2.4. It delivers.
WebProNews is an iEntry Publication