MX Linux 25.1 Features Dual Init System ISO

Jan 26, 2026

The latest release of MX Linux caters to lovers of two different init systems and even offers instructions on how to transition.

Are you a fan of systemd or do you prefer SysVinit? Either way, you'll be glad to know that the latest release of MX Linux caters to both.

With the unleashing of MX Linux 25.1, you'll find both systemd and SysVinit on the same ISO. This choice was made to reduce the number of builds the developers had to do, while also catering to both camps. The caveat to this is that if you installed MX Linux from the 25.0 ISO, you'll have to stick with the init system you chose, unless you're willing to work through the process the developers have outlined for transitioning to the dual init system.

Related to the dual init system ISO, there are some user-oriented changes. The tendency for MX-23 to break polkit/dbus on either logging in or out does not appear to happen with this version. Systemd will continue to get updates via Debian (and not MX Linux). Finally, since snapshots currently do not have dual init menus, snapshot users will get the installed system's default init as the live default.

Although you won't find a ton of new features in MX Linux 25.1, the dual init system is a pretty big deal. Prior to this release, MX Linux offered separate ISOs for each system, so this is a big step forward to simplify things for both developers and users.

You can read the full announcement online, as well as download the ISO.
 
 

 
 
 

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