GNOME 51 “A Coruña” launches with better frame scheduling and simplified graphics support

GNOME 51, released on September 16, 2026, introduces smoother graphics performance and a new app store. The release, code-named “A Coruña” after the Galician host city of this year's GUADEC conference, is the product of six months of development aimed at making the popular Linux desktop environment more accessible, practical, and user-friendly. Among the headline changes are reworked frame scheduling in the Mutter compositor, which keeps animations smooth even under heavy system load, faster screen capture, and simplified graphics support following the removal of legacy NVIDIA driver interfaces.

The update also introduces Bazaar, a new app store for GNOME focused on discovering and installing apps and add-ons from Flatpak remotes, particularly Flathub, complete with a curated section that distributions can tailor to their own needs. On the usability front, GNOME 51 adds an auto rotate option for devices with accelerometers, a setting that automatically disables the touchpad when a mouse is plugged in, and persistence of monitor brightness levels across reboots. The Files app receives refinements too, including a drag counter badge showing how many items are being moved, smarter selection behavior for newly copied files, and improved responsiveness when navigating large folders. A refreshed default wallpaper rounds out the visible changes, with additional variants available in the wallpaper chooser.