--- title: LightDM is back with its first release in four years description: LightDM, the display manager originally built by Canonical for Ubuntu, has shipped version 1.33.0, its first release in four years. The update adds Qt6 support... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/lightdm-is-back-with-its-first-release-in-four-years-dfyanvclx twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: LightDM is back with its first release in four years | daily.dev og:description: LightDM, the display manager originally built by Canonical for Ubuntu, has shipped version 1.33.0, its first release in four years. The update adds Qt6 support... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/lightdm-is-back-with-its-first-release-in-four-years-dfyanvclx og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/DFYanvCLx.png og:image:alt: LightDM is back with its first release in four years og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # LightDM is back with its first release in four years **[Collections](https://daily.dev/sources/collections)** · 2 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary LightDM, the display manager originally built by Canonical for Ubuntu, has shipped version 1.33.0, its first release in four years. The update adds Qt6 support while keeping Qt5 compatibility, plus a backlog of bug fixes and code optimizations, with no breaking changes. Canonical's original maintainer Robert Ancell has handed the project to community maintainers Joshua Peisach and Neal Gompa, and contributors no longer need to sign Canonical's CLA, though the repo stays under the Ubuntu GitHub organization. Even though Ubuntu itself dropped LightDM in 2017 for GDM and GNOME Shell, distros like Linux Mint, several Ubuntu flavors, and some Fedora spins still depend on it, making the revived maintenance a meaningful fix for a piece of widely-used but previously unmaintained infrastructure. ## Content LightDM just shipped version 1.33.0, its first release since 1.32.0 back in July 2022. For a project that looked pretty much abandoned, that's a four-year gap worth noting. The backstory here is more interesting than the changelog. LightDM was originally built by Canonical for Ubuntu, but Ubuntu itself dropped it for GDM/GNOME Shell back in 2017. Development basically stalled after that, even though the display manager kept running under the hood for a lot of other distros. Fedora's Neal Gompa raised concerns about the stalled state of things, and that pushed original maintainer Robert Ancell to hand the project off. It's now community-maintained by Joshua Peisach and Neal Gompa, with the repo moved to a new home. Interestingly, it still technically lives under the Ubuntu GitHub organization, but Canonical is no longer calling the shots. Contributors also no longer need to sign Canonical's Contributor License Agreement, which was likely one of the friction points slowing things down. As for what's actually in 1.33.0: - Qt6 support for the client library, while keeping Qt5 compatibility intact - A cleared-out backlog of fixes and pull requests that had been sitting untouched - Fixes for VNC handling, PAM log spam, and assorted multiseat/FreeBSD bugs - No breaking changes, no dependency shifts So this is less a flashy new feature release and more a project finally exhaling after years of being held together by nothing. The new maintainers are actively looking for contributors, and they've asked for two specific things: skip the AI-generated pull requests, and file bug reports that are actually reproducible. Fair asks, honestly, given they're digging out from under a backlog. What's notable is just how much still depends on this thing. LightDM is the default or an available option on Linux Mint, several Ubuntu flavors, and various Fedora spins. Ubuntu may have moved on, but a good chunk of the ecosystem never did. Good to see it's got a pulse again. ## Questions this post answers ### What changed in LightDM version 1.33.0? LightDM 1.33.0 adds Qt6 support for the client library while keeping Qt5 compatibility, clears a large backlog of fixes and pull requests, and fixes bugs related to VNC handling, PAM log spam, and multiseat/FreeBSD issues. There are no breaking changes and no dependency shifts. It is the first release since version 1.32.0 in July 2022. _Distro maintainers tracking display manager updates can follow LightDM's status on daily.dev._ ### Who maintains LightDM now that Canonical has stepped back? LightDM is now community-maintained by Joshua Peisach and Neal Gompa after original maintainer Robert Ancell handed off the project. The repository still technically sits under the Ubuntu GitHub organization, but Canonical no longer directs development, and contributors no longer need to sign Canonical's Contributor License Agreement. _daily.dev helps developers keep tabs on maintainer changes across open source projects they rely on._ ### Why did Ubuntu stop using LightDM as its default display manager? Ubuntu dropped LightDM in 2017 in favor of GDM paired with GNOME Shell, after which LightDM's original development largely stalled even though many other distributions continued relying on it. Fedora contributor Neal Gompa later raised concerns about the project's stalled state, prompting a maintainer handoff. _Anyone choosing a display manager for a Linux distro can track ecosystem shifts like this via daily.dev._ --- Tags: [#linux](https://daily.dev/tags/linux), [#ubuntu](https://daily.dev/tags/ubuntu) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/lightdm-is-back-with-its-first-release-in-four-years-dfyanvclx) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"LightDM is back with its first release in four years","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/lightdm-is-back-with-its-first-release-in-four-years-dfyanvclx","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/lightdm-is-back-with-its-first-release-in-four-years-dfyanvclx"},"datePublished":"2026-08-12T17:34:52.093Z","dateModified":"2026-08-14T05:04:24.083Z","description":"LightDM, the display manager originally built by Canonical for Ubuntu, has shipped version 1.33.0, its first release in four years. 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The release also clears a backlog of bug fixes that had accumulated over four years and includes code optimizations, with no breaking changes introduced. It's the first LightDM release in four years, following a long period where the project appeared largely abandoned. Track display manager updates like this on daily.dev before rolling changes into your distro build."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Who maintains LightDM now that Canonical stepped back?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Community maintainers Joshua Peisach and Neal Gompa now steer LightDM after Canonical's original maintainer, Robert Ancell, handed the project over. Gompa, a Fedora contributor, had reportedly raised concerns about the project's stalled development before becoming one of its new maintainers. Contributors no longer need to sign Canonical's Contributor License Agreement, though the repository remains under the Ubuntu GitHub organization. Follow maintainership shifts like this on daily.dev to know who's actually steering the infrastructure you depend on."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Why does LightDM still matter if Ubuntu stopped using it?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Ubuntu switched away from LightDM to GDM and GNOME Shell back in 2017, but several other distros never left. Linux Mint still uses LightDM as its default display manager, multiple Ubuntu flavors depend on it, and some Fedora spins run it too. That left a real userbase relying on software that had gone unmaintained for years, a situation that risks quietly becoming a security problem. Keep tabs on unmaintained-but-widely-used infrastructure like this via daily.dev before it becomes your problem."}}]} ```