COSMIC Desktop Gets Window Shadows and Consistent Corners on Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS

System76 continues to polish its in-house Linux desktop environment, COSMIC, with a new visual update that significantly improves window clarity and UI consistency. The latest changes introduce window shadows and uniform corner sizing across all applications, regardless of the toolkit they use.

The update is already available on Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS and will roll out to users on other Linux distributions as COSMIC becomes more widely adopted. While these tweaks may seem subtle at first glance, they play an important role in usability, focus handling, and overall desktop aesthetics.

Window Shadows Finally Arrive in COSMIC

Until now, COSMIC handled window shadows inconsistently. Only GTK-based applications displayed drop shadows, while native COSMIC apps and Qt applications appeared flat.

This created two noticeable issues:

• Overlapping windows were harder to distinguish
• The focused window didn’t always stand out clearly

Although COSMIC already includes an “active hint” border for focused windows, the lack of shadows made multitasking feel visually rigid.

That’s now fixed.

In a recent update shared by System76 CEO Carl Richell, COSMIC applies window shadows consistently across all major toolkits, including:

• GTK
• Qt
• Native COSMIC (Iced-based) apps

As a result, overlapping windows are easier to read, depth perception improves, and focus tracking feels more natural.

Consistent Window Corner Radius Across All Apps

Alongside shadows, COSMIC now enforces uniform window corner shapes system-wide.

Previously, window corners varied depending on the application toolkit, leading to a slightly mismatched look across the desktop. With the new update, COSMIC ensures that all applications follow the same corner style, regardless of how they’re built.

Users can choose between:

• Square
• Slightly rounded
• Fully rounded

When a style is changed, every window updates its corner radius instantly, keeping visual harmony across the desktop.

This applies equally to:

• GTK applications
• Qt applications
• Native COSMIC apps

Fully Adjustable for Floating and Tiled Windows

COSMIC’s customization doesn’t stop at enabling or disabling these features. Users have granular control over how shadows and corner rounding behave in different layouts.

You can:

• Enable corner rounding for floating windows only
• Apply shadows to tiled windows, floating windows, or both
• Disable shadows entirely if you prefer a flatter look

This level of control reinforces COSMIC’s reputation as one of the most configurable Linux desktops available today.

How to Enable Window Shadows and Corner Controls

If you’re running Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS, or using COSMIC via a PPA on Ubuntu, the update is available right now.

Steps to Access the New Settings

1. Install the latest system updates
2. Open Settings
3. Navigate to Appearance
4. Enter Experimental Settings
5. Open Window Shadow and Corners

From there, you can:

• Toggle window shadows on or off
• Control corner radius behavior
• Apply settings independently to floating and tiled windows

These options complement COSMIC’s already extensive layout, tiling, and appearance customization tools.

More Visual Enhancements Are on the Way

System76 has hinted that this update is just the beginning of a broader visual refinement phase for COSMIC.

In a recent Reddit discussion, developers confirmed that blur effects for windows and panels are currently in active development. These effects aim to add depth and polish without compromising performance or clarity.

While visual effects in Linux are sometimes dismissed as unnecessary “eye candy,” consistent UI cues, subtle animations, and depth indicators play a real role in usability—especially for users transitioning from macOS or Windows.

Conclusion

The addition of window shadows and consistent corner sizing marks an important step forward for the COSMIC Desktop. These changes improve focus handling, visual coherence, and overall usability—without sacrificing performance or configurability.

With COSMIC steadily moving beyond foundational development into refinement and polish, System76 is clearly positioning it as a serious contender among modern desktop environments. As more UI improvements arrive, COSMIC is shaping up to be not just functional, but visually competitive with the best desktops available today.