MX Linux explained

MX Linux
Developer:MX Dev Team
Family:Linux (Unix-like)
Source Model:Open source
Latest Release Version:25.1
Working State:Current
Marketing Target:Personal computers
Language:Over 63 languages
Package Manager:Apt (dpkg)Flatpak
Supported Platforms:x86-64
Kernel Type:Monolithic (Linux)
Update Model:Long-term support LTS
Userland:GNU
Ui:Xfce, Fluxbox & KDE
License:Linux Foundation Sublicense No. 20140605-0483

MX Linux is a midweight, desktop-oriented Linux distribution based on Debian Stable 13 "trixie" that emphasizes stability, performance, and ease of use. MX Linux uses core antiX components, with additional software created or packaged by the MX community.[1] The development of MX Linux is a collaborative effort between the antiX and former MEPIS communities. The MX name comes from the "M" in MEPIS and the "X" in antiX â€” an acknowledgment of their roots.

The MX Linux community's stated goal is to produce "a family of operating systems that are designed to combine elegant and efficient desktops with high stability and solid performance". They maintain an active community with comprehensive documentation, support forum, and video tutorials to support diverse user needs.[2]

Beginnings

MX Linux began in a discussion about future options among members of the MEPIS community in December 2013.[3] Developers from antiX then joined them, bringing the ISO build system as well as Live-USB/DVD technology. To be listed on the Linux distribution clearinghouse Web site DistroWatch, MX Linux was initially presented as a version of antiX called MX "Fusion".[4] It received its own DistroWatch page with the release of the first public beta of MX Linux 16 "Metamorphosis" on 2 November 2016.[5]

Distribution

MX Linux offers ISO images for installation that can be downloaded directly[6] or by using BitTorrent.[7] Physical discs can also be bought from retailers.[8] Fluxbox, KDE and Xfce are available in 64-bit variants of those releases.[9]

The MX Devs create Snapshots for ease of installation after a release. These begin a few months after a release. Snapshots include all upgrades & subsequent bug fixes. This greatly reduces the time spent and updating bandwidth usage during an installation.[10]

Releases

Desktop editions

MX Linux uses Xfce as the main desktop environment, to which it adds a freestanding KDE Plasma version and, in 2021, a stand-alone Fluxbox implementation. Other environments can be added or are available as "spin-off" ISO images.[17]

The four MX Linux editions:

The MX Linux editions major difference from each other in the following:

SoftwareXfceKDEFluxbox
KernelDebian Linux kernelstyle=text-align:centerLiquorix[21] Debian Linux kernel
Display serverstyle=text-align:centerX.Org Serverstyle=text-align:centerWaylandstyle=text-align:centerX.Org Server
Sound serverPipeWire
MultimediaVLC and StrawberryMPV and Audacious
Window Managerstyle=text-align:centerXfwm4style=text-align:centerKWinstyle=text-align:centerFluxbox
Desktop Environmentstyle=text-align:centerXfcestyle=text-align:centerPlasma Desktopstyle=text-align:centernone
Primary toolkitstyle=text-align:centerGTKstyle=text-align:centerQtstyle=text-align:centerC++
Primary Package Managerstyle=text-align:centerMX Package Installer[22] style=text-align:centerDiscover[23] style=text-align:centerMX Package Installer
BrowserFirefox
Office suiteLibreOfficestyle=text-align:centerqpdfview[24]
Email and PIMThunderbirdstyle=text-align:centernone
Image viewerstyle=text-align:centerNomacs[25] style=text-align:centerQimgv[26] style=text-align:centerNomacs

Recent releases

A table of current MX Linux Development Team supported releases and how long Debian will provide Long Term Support.[27]

VersionCodenameReleasekernelAHS kernelNotes
 Infinity January 12, 2026 6.12.63 6.16 Liquorix[28] Dual-init is now once again possible; included are both systemd and sysVinit on the same ISO.
[29] 9 November 2025 6.12.48 6.16 Liquorix[30] Changes:[31] Xfce 4.20, Fluxbox 1.3.7, KDE/plasma 6.3.6
Debian Main Support to August 9th, 2028. Debian Long Term Support to June 30th, 2030.[32]
[33] Libretto 13 April 2025 6.1.133 6.14
Liquorix
6th refresh of MX 23 with many bugfixes. Debian 12.10 "bookworm" base. New MX Tool - UEFI Manager for managing UEFI settings. Updates to: kernel, applications, and firmware.
[34] 13 January 2025 6.1.123 6.12.8
Liquorix
5th refresh of MX 23 with many bugfixes. Updates to: kernel, applications, firmware, and updated Xfce 4.20 core packages.
[35] 15 September 2024 6.1.106 6.10.10 LiquorixMX 4th refresh. Bugfixes, updates of kernel & applications, updated firmware packages & updated Xfce core to 4.18.
[36] 19 May 2024 6.1.90 6.8.9 3rd refresh of MX 23. AHS now has the 6.8.9 Liquorix Kernel.
[37] 21 January 2024 6.1.x 6.6 2nd refresh of MX 23. AHS now has the 6.6 Liquorix Kernel.
15 October 2023 6.1.x 6.5 First refresh of MX 23. All ISOs have been updated to the newest 6.1 Kernel, and AHS now has the 6.5 Kernel.
[38] 31 July 2023 6.1.0[39] 6.4.0 Xfce Desktop Environment upgraded to 4.18. Debian Main Support to June 2026. Long Term Support to June 30, 2028.[40]
Wildflower 21 October 2021 5.10 6.0 Debian Main Support to August 2024.
Long Term Support to August 31, 2026.

Historical releases
MX Linux 14-21

Design and features

Core architecture

With MX Linux being based on Debian Stable this provides high reliability and long-term support through rigorously tested packages, with updates focused on security and bug fixes rather than frequent feature additions. At its core, MX Linux integrates key components from antiX (a lightweight Debian derivative), to create a hybrid architecture. The antiX base contributes to a low-resource boot process and efficient system initialization, allowing MX Linux to run effectively on older hardware while still supporting modern PCs. Kernel options in MX Linux prioritize stability with the Debian 6.12 LTS series. For users with newer hardware, the Advanced Hardware Support (AHS) repository provides access to updated kernels, such as the 6.16 Liquorix variant in MX-25, ensuring broader compatibility without compromising the core stable base.

MX Linux supports installations on both UEFI[59] and legacy BIOS (MBR) PCs, external drives, USB medium and other block access devices through the graphical Gazelle installer[60]

MX Cleanup can now remove: unused dkms drivers (wifi), MX Manuals and FAQs for languages other than the default. MX Linux has a GUI-based method to change the Linux kernel.

MX Tools

MX Tools[64] is a suite of 37+ user-oriented utilities, many of which were developed specifically for MX Linux, while some were forked from existing antiX applications or are existing antiX applications; a couple were imported with permission from outside sources. These tools are also available in Debian Stable-based Linux distributions. The Qt based GUI MX Tools have been migrated to Qt6.

The MX Tools (see screenshot at right) are as follows:

MX Boot Repair

MX Boot Repair addresses bootloader issues, supporting both BIOS (legacy) and UEFI systems by reinstalling GRUB or regenerating the Grub configuration file. Launched from a live USB session, it offers options to repair GRUB on the installed system, detect operating systems.[72]

MX Boot Options

Allows installing GRUB themes and updating boot menus for simpler startup customization and handles a common UEFI boot failure like Windows overtaking Grub in boot menu.[73]

A few tools exist in special cases. Live-USB Kernel Updater and Remaster Control Center are stand-alone tools. Eject USB is a stand-alone tool in Fluxbox and Xfce.

A particularly popular one is MX-snapshot,[74] a GUI tool to remaster a live session or installation into a single .ISO file.[75] The "cloned" image is bootable from a disk or USB flash drive, maintaining all settings, allowing an installation to be completely backed up, and/or distributed with minimal administrative effort, since an advanced method of copying the file system developed by antiX Linux uses bind-mounts to perform the "heavy lifting".[76]

Live vs installed

MX Linux can be installed or run "Live" (running from USB), unlike a Windows boot USB. Windows can only be installed (no live option). When booted from a USB, you can continue running 'Live' without being prompted to install MX Linux. This Live environment gives you a fully functional desktop experience. MX Linux accomplishes this by way of a runtime inherited from antiX[77] to give a fast read-write live boot media.[78] This can be coupled with a persistent live USB setup[79] to save any changes to settings and new program additions.[80]

As of November 9, 2025, there are a total of 106 MX Linux repository download mirrors worldwide in operation.[81] The MX Linux operated repos almost always are in sync without error. They are: United States: Los Angeles (CA) & Salt Lake City (UT). Alblasserdam (Netherlands) and Milan (Italy).[82]

GDebi replaced by Deb Installer

GDebi was an APT tool that was used to install .deb files from earlier versions of Debian. Deb Installer, a new MX Tool (GUI) can install local .deb files like the dpkg command, but with access to repositories to resolve dependencies.

Package management

Included: MX Package Installer, Synaptic, Deb Installer, Aptitude,[83] APT and Nala.[84] Discover is used on the KDE edition as Synaptic is not installed by default. Flatpaks are managed via the MX Package Installer. AppImage and Snaps are currently user-managed.

System requirements

Minimum

Recommended

Derivatives

The developers of MX Linux have also been releasing their own "Community Re-spins", which are treated as unofficial releases. They currently are:

MX Linux Raspberry Pi respin

This “Ragout2” is a specialized, Debian-based Linux distribution optimized for Raspberry Pi 4, 400, and 5, combining MX Linux's, MX Linux's tools with the Pi's hardware capabilities. It features a lightweight XFCE desktop, Chromium browser, and is noted for being fast, stable, and user-friendly, supporting GPIO and common desktop apps.[85] A tips Wiki article is available.[86] Both a Raspberry Pi and an Orange Pi[87] editions are offered.

Community respins

Some community members exchange posts at the MX Linux Forum and distribute their own custom respins.[88]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Smith . Jesse . MX Linux 17 . DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD. . distrowatch.com . 24 October 2021 . 744 . Copenhagen . en-US . 1 January 2018.
  2. Web site: Wallen . Jack . MX Linux has an old-school look and feel. Here's why it's so popular . ZDNET . Ziff Davis . 8 December 2025 . Chicago, Illinois, USA . en-US . 8 August 2022.
  3. Web site: About Us . mxlinux.org . 13 September 2021 . en-US.
  4. Web site: antiX A Fast And Lightweight Linux Distribution . LinuxAndUbuntu . 19 May 2025 . en-US . 3 February 2018.
  5. Web site: Smith . Jesse . Development Release: MX Linux 16 Beta 1 . DistroWatch.com . Atea Ataroa Limited . 18 March 2025 . en-US . 2 November 2016.
  6. Web site: Download Links . mxlinux.org . MXLinux . 21 June 2025 . 2025.
  7. Web site: Torrent Files . mxlinux.org . MXLinux . 21 June 2025 . 2025.
  8. Web site: Shop Linux Online - Linux Distros on CDs, DVDs, USB Flash Drives and Manuals . www.shoplinuxonline.com . The Galactic Studio . 21 June 2025 . 2024.
  9. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . Download Links . mxlinux.org . MXLinux . 25 June 2025.
  10. Web site: MX-Linux - Browse /Snapshots at SourceForge.net . sourceforge.net . 25 June 2025.
  11. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . MX-23.1 'Libretto' released! . mxlinux.org . MXLinux . 16 October 2023 . 15 October 2023.
  12. Web site: Cafiero . Larry . MX Linux 23.6 Libretto: High Performance on Legacy or Bleeding-Edge Hardware . FOSS Force . Unicorn Media . 10 October 2025 . 9 October 2025.
  13. Web site: Borisov . Bobby . MX Linux 25 Officially Released with Debian 13 Base . linuxiac.com . Linuxiac . 15 November 2025 . en-US . 9 November 2025.
  14. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . MX-25.1 “Infinity” ISOs now available! – MX Linux . MX Linux Blog . MXLinux . 19 January 2026 . en-US . 19 January 2026.
  15. Web site: Gentoo Authors . sysvinit - Gentoo wiki . wiki.gentoo.org . Gentoo Foundation, Inc. . 12 January 2026 . en-US . 15 April 2022.
  16. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . MX-25.1 “Infinity” beta 1 ISOs now available for testing purposes – MX Linux . mxlinux.org . MXLinux . 12 January 2026 . en-US . 12 January 2026.
  17. Web site: MX-Linux - Browse /Community_Respins at SourceForge.net . 2024-06-02 . sourceforge.net.
  18. Web site: Xfce development team . News – Xfce 4.20 released . xfce.org . 14 April 2025 . en-US . 15 December 2024.
  19. Web site: Albert . Jose . MX Linux 25 Beta 1: A first look at the future of MX Linux 25 . Desde Linux . 15 November 2025 . en-US . 23 September 2025.
  20. Web site: Download Links . mxlinux.org . 13 September 2021.
  21. Web site: Steven Barrett . Liquorix Kernel . liquorix.net . 21 June 2025. 29 March 2023.
  22. Web site: Jerry . HELP: MX Package Installer . mxlinux.org . MXLinux . 21 June 2025 . 14 July 2020.
  23. Web site: Discover - KDE UserBase Wiki . userbase.kde.org . KDE . 7 June 2021.
  24. Web site: m holger . Welcome to the qpdf wiki! . GitHub . 21 June 2025 . en . 28 September 2024.
  25. Web site: Markus Diem . nomacs/nomacs . GitHub . 15 November 2025 . Vienna . en-US . 14 November 2025.
  26. Web site: easymodo . easymodo/qimgv . GitHub . 15 November 2025 . Ukraine . 13 November 2025.
  27. Web site: Wiki Staff . LTS - Debian Wiki . wiki.debian.org . Debian.Org . 25 June 2025 . en-US . 2 February 2025 . Debian Long Term Support (LTS) is a project to extend the lifetime of all Debian stable releases to (at least) 5 years..
  28. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . MX 25 'Infinity' isos now available! . MX Linux Blog . MXLinux . 9 November 2025 . en-US . 9 November 2025.
  29. Web site: Smith . Jesse . Development Release: MX Linux 25 Beta 1 . distrowatch.com . Atea Ataroa Limited . 24 September 2025 . en-US . 22 September 2025.
  30. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . MX 25 'Infinity' isos now available! . MX Linux Blog . MXLinux . 9 November 2025 . en-US . 9 November 2025.
  31. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . Changes coming with MX 25 . MX Linux Blog . MXLinux . 24 August 2025 . en-US . August 4, 2025.
  32. Web site: Debian 'trixie' Release Information . Debian Project News . Debian . 10 August 2025 . 9 August 2025.
  33. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . MX-23.6 now available! . mxlinux.org . 14 April 2025 . en-US . 13 April 2025.
  34. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . MX 23.5 Now Available! . mxlinux.org . 4 February 2025 . en-us . 13 January 2025.
  35. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . MX-23.4 'Libretto' now available! . mxlinux.org . 16 September 2024 . en-us . 15 September 2024.
  36. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . MX 23.3 now available . mxlinux.org . MXLinux . 20 May 2024 . EN . 19 May 2024.
  37. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . MX-23.2 'Libretto' released! . mxlinux.org . 24 January 2024 . EN-US . 21 January 2024.
  38. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . MX-23 'Libretto' now available . mxlinux.org . 31 July 2023.
  39. Web site: Nestor . Marius . Linux Kernel 6.1 LTS Released with Initial Support for the Rust Programming Language . 9to5Linux . 28 June 2023 . 11 December 2022.
  40. Web site: wiki staff . Debian Releases - Debian Wiki . wiki.debian.org . Debian.Org . 25 June 2025 . 5 May 2025.
  41. Web site: Jesse Smith . DistroWatch.com: MX Linux . distrowatch.com . Atea Ataroa Limited . 22 October 2021.
  42. Web site: New "Advanced Hardware Support" Repo (ahs for short) . 29 November 2019 . mxlinux.org . 22 October 2021.
  43. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . MX-21.3 'Wildflower' released! . mxlinux.org . 31 July 2023.
  44. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . MX-21.2.1 'Wildflower' released! . MX Linux . 18 September 2022. en-US. 18 September 2022.
  45. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . MX-21.2 'Wildflower' released! . mxlinux.org . MX Linux . 29 August 2022. en-US. 28 August 2022.
  46. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . MX-21.1 'Wildflower' released! . mxlinux.org . MX Linux . 9 April 2022 . en-us . 9 April 2022.
  47. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . MX-21 'AHS' iso now available . mxlinux.org . MXLinux . 22 November 2021 . en-US . 22 November 2021.
  48. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . MX-21 'Wildflower' released! . mxlinux.org . MXLinux . 22 November 2021 . en-US . 21 October 2021.
  49. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . MX-19.4 now available! . mxlinux.org blog . mxlinux.org . 9 November 2021 . en-US . 31 March 2021.
  50. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . MX-19.2 now available! . mxlinux.org . 9 November 2021 . en-US . 1 June 2020.
  51. Web site: MX-19 'patito feo' released!. mxlinux.org. 30 October 2019 . 2020-01-01.
  52. Web site: MX-18 Continuum Now Available. mxlinux.org. 4 January 2019 . 2020-01-01.
  53. Web site: MX-17 released December 15, 2017. mxlinux.org. 4 January 2019 . 2020-01-01.
  54. Web site: Igor Ljubuncic . MX Linux MX-16 Metamorphosis - Winds of change . dedoimedo.com . Dedoimedo . 24 October 2021 . en-US . 14 January 2017.
  55. Web site: Smith . Jesse . MX Linux 16 . DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD. . distrowatch.com . 24 October 2021 . en-US . 9 January 2017.
  56. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . MX-16.1 now available . mxlinux.org . 4 January 2019 . 24 October 2021 . en-US.
  57. Web site: anticapitalista . MX-15 released. - antiX oldforums archive . antixlinux.com . 28 July 2025 . 24 December 2015.
  58. Web site: Igor Ljubuncic . AntiX MX-14.3 review . dedoimedo.com . Dedoimedo . 24 October 2021 . 16 January 2015.
  59. Web site: Jerry Bond . UEFI . MX Linux WiKi . MXLinux . 8 December 2025 . 26 June 2025.
  60. Web site: Adrian . gazelle-installer . GitHub . MXLinux . 8 December 2025 . en-US.
  61. Web site: zram: Compressed RAM-based block devices — The Linux Kernel documentation . Nitin Gupta . 4 October 2025 . docs.kernel.org.
  62. Web site: Jerry Bond . Mike O'Toole . MX 25 Users Manual . MX Linux WiKi . MXLinux . 8 December 2025 . 37 . 3 October 2025.
  63. Web site: Damentz . Liquorix Kernel . liquorix.net . 8 December 2025 . 2025.
  64. Web site: MX Linux Developers . Tools To Make Common Tasks Easier . Current Release Features . mxlinux.org . 23 October 2021 . en-US . 10 October 2021.
  65. Web site: Jerry . HELP: Disk Manager . mxlinux.org . 21 August 2025 . 23 November 2021.
  66. Web site: Jerry . HELP: Boot options . MX/antiX Technical Documentation Wiki . MXLinux . 21 August 2025 . 3 July 2022.
  67. Web site: Jerry . HELP: MX Boot Repair . MX/antiX Technical Documentation Wiki . MXLinux . 21 August 2025 . 1 September 2022.
  68. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . HELP: MX SAMBA CONFIG . MX/antiX Technical Documentation Wiki . MXLinux . 21 August 2025 . December 17, 2021.
  69. Web site: Adrian . HELP — Service Manager . MX/antiX Technical Documentation Wiki . MXLinux . 21 August 2025 . August 31, 2023.
  70. Web site: Adrian . New MX tool app: deb-installer . www.reddit.com . Reddit . 21 August 2025 . 2022.
  71. Web site: Adrian . Jerry . fehlix . UEFI Manager . MX/antiX Technical Documentation Wiki . MXLinux . 21 August 2025 . 27 June 2025.
  72. Web site: Mike O'Toole . HELP: MX Boot Repair . MX linux Support Forum . 8 December 2025 . New Jersey, USA . en-US . 18 November 2025.
  73. Web site: Adrian . fehlix . HELP: MX Boot options – MX Linux . MX Linux WiKi . MXLinux . 8 December 2025 . en-US . 3 July 2022.
  74. Web site: Jerry . HELP: MX Save system to ISO (Snapshot) . MX Wiki . MXLinux . 26 November 2022 . en-US . 13 June 2015.
  75. Web site: Ljubuncic . Igor . MX Snapshot - Superb system imaging and backup tool . www.dedoimedo.com . Dedoimedo . 10 May 2023.
  76. Book: Jaskiran Kaur . Mathew Rooney . Shahryar Raz . bin Uzayr . Sufyan . Mastering KDE: A Beginner's Guide . 2023 . CRC Press . 9781032313665 . 221.
  77. Web site: Peregrine . MX Linux – Midweight Simple Stable Desktop OS . mxlinux.org . MXLinux . 19 May 2025.
  78. Web site: The Most Extensive Live-usb on the Planet! . 2025-05-18 . antixlinux.com.
  79. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . Create a Live usb w/Persist from a Windows Desktop . mxlinux.org . 10 April 2025 . en-US . 14 October 2018.
  80. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . Do cool stuff with live-usbs . mxlinux.org . 10 April 2025 . 8 January 2022.
  81. Web site: Perigrine . the status of MX Linux mirrors . rsync-mxlinux.org . MXLinux.Org . 13 April 2025 . en-US . 13 April 2025.
  82. Web site: dolphinoracle . Reddit - The heart of the internet . r/MXLinux . reddit.com . 8 August 2025 . 2023.
  83. Web site: aptitude . www.debian.org . Debian . 21 June 2025 . 17 February 2025.
  84. Web site: Sneddon . Joey . Nala is a Neat Alternative to Apt on Ubuntu . OMG! Ubuntu . 21 June 2025 . 6 January 2023.
  85. Web site: Dolphin Oracle . MX-23.1 Raspberry PI OS respin – MX Linux . mxlinux.org . MXLinux . 13 February 2026 . 30 December 2023.
  86. Web site: Jerry Bond . HELP: RPi Tips – MX Linux . mxlinux.org . MXLinux . 29 November 2023.
  87. Web site: Jerry Bond . MX-23 Xfce final released for the Orange Pi 5 . MX Linux Forum . MXLinux . 13 February 2026 . en-US . 22 July 2024.
  88. Web site: MX Respins Forum . 2024-06-02 . forum.mxlinux.org.
  89. Web site: Senpai . Re: Any plans for Mx 25 for the raspberry pi? . MX Linux Forum . MXLinux . 13 February 2026 . en-US . 11 February 2026.
  90. Web site: Senpai . Senpai Respins / Blog: Updating Respin from MX-23.6_rpi to MX-25.1_rpi . Senpai Respins Blog . sourceforge.net . 13 February 2026 . en-US . 12 February 2026.
  91. Web site: MacArthur . Glenn . AV Linux MX Edition . bandshed.net . 17 June 2025 . en-CA . 22 January 2016.
  92. Web site: DistroWatch.com: . 2024-06-02 . distrowatch.com.
  93. Web site: Nakamura . Tsuyoshi 'Freja' . extrox - MX Linux Based Distro . extrox . 21 November 2025 . Japan . en . 18 November 2025.
  94. Web site: Smith . Jesse . DistroWatch.com: extrox . distrowatch.com . 11 January 2026 . Copenhagen, DK . en-US . 2026.
  95. Web site: Smith . Jesse . DistroWatch.com: iDeal OS . distrowatch.com . 17 June 2025 . en-US . 5 May 2025.
  96. Web site: MacArthur . Glenn . Change of Plan: MX Moksha 23.6 Released! . forum.mxlinux.org . 17 June 2025 . en-CA . 16 May 2025.