GNOME 49 has officially arrived, folks! This release is called “Brescia” after the Italian city that hosted this year’s GUADEC. As someone who has long considered GNOME my favorite desktop environment, I am beyond excited for this update.
One of the biggest changes is the replacement of Totem. The classic video player is gone, and in its place is a new app called Video Player. Built with GTK 4 and Libadwaita, it offers a clean, modern design with a distraction-free window. Playback speed controls, subtitle support, video rotation, and screenshot capture are all included.
The document viewer has also been refreshed. Evince has been replaced by Papers, which is based on the same code but rebuilt with GTK 4 and Libadwaita. Papers feels faster and looks sharper. It handles PDFs, DjVu, TIFF, and comic book archives. It also adds streamlined annotations and digital signature support, making it more useful for everyday work.
Calendar has been polished too. The interface adapts better to different screen sizes, the sidebar can be hidden, and events can now be exported as .ics files. Accessibility is stronger, with improved screen reader consistency and better keyboard navigation. Small changes make event details easier to read at a glance.
GNOME Web has had more than 100 bugs fixed, and it introduces regional ad-blocking lists, a redesigned security dialog, and improved password handling. Reader mode can now show estimated reading time, and OpenSearch support has been added, complete with live suggestions. For anyone using GNOME Web as a daily browser, this is a big step forward.
Maps has gained interactive labels for quick details, localized icons for transit stations, and OpenStreetMap profile pictures. GNOME Software is now faster when browsing large repositories like Flathub, which is a big win for people on systems with less memory.
Visually, GNOME 49 should be stunning. The new HDR wallpapers, built for Display P3 color space, are some of the best backgrounds the project has ever offered. Mutter now handles 16-bit color depth for richer tones, and it makes the desktop feel more alive than ever.
Remote desktop support has been improved with multitouch input, relative mouse input for games, and even the ability to add virtual monitors. Smaller touches like lock screen media controls, HDR brightness controls, and a new accessibility menu at login make the overall experience smoother.
GNOME Circle also grows with two new apps: Mahjongg, a modern version of the tile-based classic, and Wordbook, a dictionary powered by WordNet and eSpeak.
As someone who already loves GNOME, I find this release truly exciting. GNOME 49 feels modern, polished, and full of energy. Every corner of the desktop shows improvement, and it proves why GNOME remains my favorite environment on Linux.
