Ghostty 1.2, released on September 15, 2025, introduces significant updates that enhance its functionality across multiple platforms, including Linux, Windows, and macOS, with new support for FreeBSD as well. This version showcases over six months of development, marked by more than 2,600 commits.
This article focuses on the improvements made for Linux users, especially since Ghostty serves as an appealing alternative to the default terminal in Ubuntu 25.10. Designed for heavy terminal users, Ghostty provides a seamless cross-platform experience that is highly beneficial for those who frequently switch between operating systems.
Key Features in Ghostty 1.2
A noteworthy aspect of the Ghostty terminal is its recent GTK rewrite, which has notably improved its integration and performance on Linux. With enhancements designed to rectify memory leaks, the terminal is more efficient and responsive than before.
Some significant new features for Linux users include:
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Integrated Tabs: Users can now merge tabs directly into the window title bar for a more streamlined interface by using the
gtk-titlebar-style=tabsconfiguration option. -
Progress and Notification Enhancements: Support for GUI progress bars, audio and visual bells, and emojis in tab titles are all included to enhance user feedback.
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Startup Efficiency: DBus and Systemd activation services have been added, bolstering startup speeds.
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Improved Interface for Multi-Tasking: A new tab button offers a dropdown for quick creation of splits within existing tabs. Additionally, on-screen keyboard support improves usability on tablets and touch-enabled devices.
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Background Image Support: Users can now set background images in the terminal, with options to adjust opacity and fitting.
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Quick Terminal on Wayland: The quick terminal feature, which allows for a dropdown terminal action when a key is pressed, now works with Wayland, expanding its utility on various desktop environments.
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Command Palette: A newly designed command palette can be triggered with
ctrl + shift + p, enabling quicker access to terminal actions without dedicated shortcuts.
Additional Enhancements
Ghostty 1.2 also brings several other improvements:
- Configurable quick terminal size.
- Shell integration features for better SSH compatibility.
- Reworked renderer backends.
- Support for FreeBSD.
- A new app icon that aligns more closely with the GNOME visual style.
Users interested in exploring Ghostty can download the software from its official website. For Ubuntu users, the community-packaged DEB installers are available for all supported releases. Note that these standalone DEBs do not auto-update, requiring users to download and reinstall new versions manually.
Download: Ghostty Ubuntu DEB packages on GitHub