Manjaro 26.1 stable update ships Linux 7.1 and Plasma 6.7 as final release

Manjaro’s rolling-release model means the 26.1 “Bian-May” release is delivered as a standard stable update rather than a separate ISO. This avoids reinstallation but forces all users on the Stable branch to adopt the new package set immediately. The update replaces Linux 7.0, which has reached end-of-life, with 7.1, alongside Plasma 6.7 and over 1,000 other package updates. Users cannot opt out of these changes without leaving the Stable branch.

The kernel and driver changes introduce hard compatibility breaks. Linux 7.1 is now the recommended kernel, but users with older NVIDIA GPUs must switch to the legacy 580xx driver series, as the 590 series no longer supports Pascal or older hardware. This affects GeForce GTX 10-series cards and earlier. The update also moves to Python 3.14, requiring AUR packages that link against libpython3.13.so to be rebuilt. Failure to do so will leave these packages broken.

While the update resolves recent amdgpu regressions, it does not guarantee stability for all hardware. Users testing Linux 7.2-rc7 are on their own, as it is not part of the Stable branch. The lack of a formal release announcement or final ISO images suggests the update is still being validated, but the package set is already live. This creates a mismatch between the rolling-release state and traditional release expectations, where final ISOs typically follow a formal announcement.