--- title: LightDM returns from the dark with first release in 4 years description: LightDM, the display manager originally built by Canonical for Ubuntu, has released version 1.33.0, its first update in four years. The release adds Qt6... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/lightdm-returns-from-the-dark-with-first-release-in-4-years-jbqbume1x twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: LightDM returns from the dark with first release in 4 years | daily.dev og:description: LightDM, the display manager originally built by Canonical for Ubuntu, has released version 1.33.0, its first update in four years. The release adds Qt6... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/lightdm-returns-from-the-dark-with-first-release-in-4-years-jbqbume1x og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/JbQBuME1X.png og:image:alt: LightDM returns from the dark with first release in 4 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 returns from the dark with first release in 4 years **[omg\! ubuntu\!](https://daily.dev/sources/omgub)** · 2 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary LightDM, the display manager originally built by Canonical for Ubuntu, has released version 1.33.0, its first update in four years. The release adds Qt6 support while retaining Qt5 compatibility, clears a backlog of fixes, and introduces no breaking changes. It also marks a change in stewardship: the project is now community-maintained by Joshua Peisach and Neal Gompa after Canonical's original maintainer Robert Ancell handed it over, following concerns raised by Fedora's Neal Gompa about its stalled development. Contributors no longer need to sign Canonical's Contributor License Agreement, though the repo stays under the Ubuntu GitHub organization. LightDM remains widely used by Linux Mint, various Ubuntu flavors, and several Fedora spins despite Ubuntu itself switching back to GDM/GNOME Shell in 2017. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What changed in LightDM version 1.33.0? LightDM 1.33.0 is a catch-up release adding Qt6 support while keeping Qt5 compatibility intact, and clearing a backlog of fixes accumulated since the previous release in 2022. The release notes state there are no breaking changes. This is the first LightDM release in four years and the first under new maintainers. _daily.dev helps developers track catch-up releases like this so upgrades never come as a surprise._ ### Who maintains LightDM now that Canonical stepped back? LightDM is now community-maintained by Joshua Peisach and Neal Gompa, following a handover blessed by original maintainer Robert Ancell. Contributors no longer need to sign Canonical's Contributor License Agreement, though the repository remains under the Ubuntu GitHub organization. The change followed questions Fedora's Neal Gompa raised about the project's stalled development, since most review activity had stopped by 2024. _following maintainer transitions like LightDM's on daily.dev keeps distro packagers ahead of governance shifts._ ### Is LightDM still used by any Linux distributions after Ubuntu dropped it? Yes, LightDM remains widely used despite Ubuntu switching back to GDM and GNOME Shell in 2017. Linux Mint adopted it in 2017 with its slick-greeter login screen, various Ubuntu flavours still rely on it, and several Fedora spins use it to power their login screens. _daily.dev keeps developers current on which display managers distros actually rely on._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [The Awesome New Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is Here](https://daily.dev/posts/the-awesome-new-ubuntu-26-04-lts-is-here-nemsmrbax) · It's Foss · 126 upvotes · 14 comments - [Ubuntu 26.10 Beta released with Linux 7.3 & GNOME 51](https://daily.dev/posts/ubuntu-26-10-beta-released-with-linux-7-3-gnome-51-gbkif7spr) · omg\! ubuntu\! · 5 upvotes · 0 comments - [Ubuntu Touch 24.04-1.3 Improves Handling Of Desktop Apps, Other Fixes](https://daily.dev/posts/ubuntu-touch-24-04-1-3-improves-handling-of-desktop-apps-other-fixes-crnk9rqlx) · Phoronix · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#linux](https://daily.dev/tags/linux), [#ubuntu](https://daily.dev/tags/ubuntu), [#qt](https://daily.dev/tags/qt) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/lightdm-returns-from-the-dark-with-first-release-in-4-years-jbqbume1x) ```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 returns from the dark with first release in 4 years","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/lightdm-returns-from-the-dark-with-first-release-in-4-years-jbqbume1x","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/lightdm-returns-from-the-dark-with-first-release-in-4-years-jbqbume1x"},"datePublished":"2026-08-12T17:34:13.851Z","dateModified":"2026-08-14T05:04:09.057Z","description":"LightDM, the display manager originally built by Canonical for Ubuntu, has released version 1.33.0, its first update in four years. 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