Categories: IT Knowledge, IT Support, Linux, Operating Systems
Author: Dusan Rasic
How to Make Linux Mint Faster: 15 Optimizations That Actually Work
If your Linux Mint system has started feeling slower over time — longer boot sequences, laggy Cinnamon animations, delayed app launches, or higher-than-normal CPU usage — you're not alone. As Mint becomes your daily driver, snapshots, logs, Flatpak leftovers, heavy app autostarts, and visual effects can quietly affect performance.
The good news? Linux Mint is extremely tunable. With the right adjustments, you can make Mint feel faster than a fresh install — even on older hardware.
In this guide, we’ll walk through 15 practical optimizations that actually work. No placebo tweaks, no risky system hacks. Everything listed here is safe, reversible, and tested on Linux Mint 21 and 22 (Cinnamon).
1. Update Mint — Performance Fixes Are Often Built In
Before doing anything else:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
Mint updates often include:
- new Cinnamon performance patches
- better video drivers
- kernel improvements
- fixes for stutter or frame drops
Many users notice instant responsiveness after a full update.
2. Reduce Cinnamon Effects for a More Responsive Desktop
Cinnamon looks great, but animations and special effects use CPU and GPU power, especially on integrated graphics.
Go to:
System Settings → Effects
Turn off or reduce:
- Window animations
- Menu fade-in
- Tooltips animation
- Workspace transitions
You’ll get a noticeably snappier desktop with minimal visual sacrifice.
3. Enable “Allow Cinnamon to Scale UI” for Better Performance
If you use a high-DPI screen, Cinnamon's fractional scaling can be demanding. Under:
System Settings → Display → Layout
Switch from Fractional Scaling (e.g., 125%) to a clean scaling factor like 100% or 200% when possible.
Clean scaling uses much less GPU power and reduces stuttering.
4. Clean Up Old Kernels
Mint keeps multiple old kernels, and they add up fast. Remove old ones safely with:
Update Manager → View → Linux Kernels
Remove all kernels except:
- Your current kernel
- One previous kernel as backup
This can save gigabytes and speed up GRUB + boot time.
5. Reduce Startup Applications
Every unnecessary background service increases boot time and RAM usage. Check your autostart apps:
System Settings → Startup Applications
Disable things like:
- Warpinator (unless you actively use it)
- Thunderbird auto-start
- Redshift alternatives (if you already use Night Light)
- Services installed by Flatpaks
Removing 3–5 apps from startup can speed up login dramatically.
6. Use Lighter Alternatives for Heavy Applications
Some apps are known RAM and CPU hogs. You can keep functionality but lighten the system by switching to more efficient tools:
- Gedit → Xed
- LibreOffice Writer → OnlyOffice Desktop Editors (better performance on many systems)
- VS Code → VSCodium
- Firefox → Firefox ESR or Brave
This isn’t required — but can make a big difference on mid-range laptops.
7. Clear Apt Cache and Unused Dependencies
Over time, apt cache grows quite large. Clean it with:
sudo apt autoremove
sudo apt clean
sudo apt autoclean
This often frees several hundred megabytes and keeps your system tidy.
8. Clean Up Flatpak Leftovers
Flatpaks can double their storage usage because they store old runtime versions. Clean them with:
flatpak uninstall --unused
flatpak repair
Tip: If Disk Usage Analyzer shows huge Flatpak folders, this is usually the fix.
9. Enable Window Tiling & Disable Unused Applets
Cinnamon applets and desklets constantly run in the background. Disable the ones you don't need:
System Settings → Applets
And enable efficient window management via:
System Settings → Windows → Tiling
It speeds up workflows and reduces window animation load.
10. Reduce Swappiness for Better Responsiveness
Linux decides when to offload RAM to disk using “swappiness.”
Default Mint swappiness is often 60 — too high for SSD users.
Check your swappiness:
cat /proc/sys/vm/swappiness
Set it to a more responsive value (10–20):
sudo sysctl vm.swappiness=10
Make it permanent:
echo "vm.swappiness=10" | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf
This helps prevent freezing when heavy apps are opened.
11. Check for Heavy Systemd Services
Analyze boot time:
systemd-analyze blame
If you see:
- NetworkManager-wait-online.service
- snapd (if installed from Ubuntu repos)
- cups
You can safely disable unwanted services. Example:
sudo systemctl disable cups
(Only if you never print, of course.)
12. Clean Thumbnail Cache
Nemo generates thumbnails and stores them — sometimes tens of thousands. Clean them with:
rm -rf ~/.cache/thumbnails/*
This helps if you browse folders with tons of images.
13. Disable Tracking Protection in Firefox (Optional)
Firefox’s Enhanced Tracking Protection can slow page loads on weaker CPUs. You can try switching to “Standard”.
Firefox → Settings → Privacy & Security → Standard
This change alone can make Firefox feel 20–30% faster.
14. Install Preload to Boost App Startup Time
Preload monitors frequently used apps and preloads them into memory.
sudo apt install preload
Great for users who constantly reopen the same set of tools.
15. Reboot After Heavy Cleaning
After removing kernels, Flatpak leftovers, and caches, a reboot often reduces background memory pressure and resets desktop latency.
Final Thoughts
Linux Mint can run extremely fast — often faster than Windows on the same hardware — once you tune it to your usage pattern. These 15 optimizations are safe, beginner-friendly, and proven to improve overall responsiveness, boot time, and desktop fluidity.