Manjaro 26
Manjaro 26
One of the nippiest distros in our tests, and also easy for Windows switchers to get to grips with
Manjaro’s default desktop environment is KDE Plasma
WEBSITE
manjaro.org
BASED ON Arch Linux
LINUX KERNEL 6.18
RELEASED January 2026
NEXT VERSION Mid-2026
Manjaro is based on Arch Linux, which also forms the basis of EndeavourOS and SteamOS, the latter of which is used in Valve’s Steam Deck. It’s available with a range of desktop environments, including GNOME and Xfce, but in this instance we opted for the default Plasma 6, as seen in KDE Neon. There’s also a community image that uses Cinnamon, as found in Linux Mint.
Plasma 6 has a Windows-like panel at the bottom of the screen and a categorised applications menu in the lower-left corner. Right-click the panel and you can easily move it around the screen or change its behaviour, courtesy of a floating dialog. You’ll also find an option to expose and manage desktop widgets here, allowing you to keep a range of handy panels on permanent display.