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Kitty 0.50.0 was released on Nov. 3, 2026, with docked windows, options for restoring terminal state after logout or restart, and features that make tabs work more like named workspaces. The release also updates Wayland touch and decoration support, shaders, graphics protocol features and window management; the supplied changelog does not list every change in full.
The kitty terminal emulator released version 0.50.0 on Nov. 3, 2026, adding dockable windows, options to restore terminal state after logging out or restarting, and tools for organizing tabs as named workspaces. The update matters to users who keep persistent terminal environments or arrange terminals alongside other application windows, and also includes changes to Wayland, touchscreens, shaders and graphics support.
One of the release’s main additions is support for docking kitty windows at the edges of other windows or a tab. The changelog says users can create these through launch --type=window-dock or launch --type=tab-dock, with use cases including status bars and file trees. The release also adds launch --focus-existing to focus an existing window or tab instead of opening another, and a by-title launch location for keeping tabs in alphabetical order. New detach-window options can move windows to a named tab, creating that tab if needed.
A new restore_session_after_logout option saves the state of kitty instances, including scrollback, when users log out, restart or shut down, and restores it the next time kitty starts. The project’s changelog specifies that macOS encrypts the saved state using a key in the Keychain. On Linux, the feature requires the Inhibit desktop portal. The release also expands session files with settings for operating-system window position and geometry.
For Wayland users, client-side window decorations on compositors such as GNOME now follow native title-bar settings, including font, text scaling, button layout and click actions. Kitty 0.50 adds touchscreen support: taps act as clicks, finger movement scrolls with momentum, and holding a finger still before moving selects text. Other listed changes include indexed-color image formats and feature queries for kitty’s graphics protocol, plus support for OSC 7501, a protocol that lets programs report whether they are working, finished, failed or waiting for user input.
Persistent Terminals and Flexible Layouts
The additions address two practical needs for people who use terminals as ongoing workspaces: keeping useful state across a system session and fitting terminal windows into a larger desktop layout. Session restoration can preserve scrollback and instance state after a logout or restart, while docked windows provide a way to keep supporting panels beside a main terminal. The changelog names status bars and file trees as examples, but does not claim that the features are limited to those uses.
The named-tab options also make it possible to reuse and organize existing terminal work rather than always creating another tab or window. For users on supported Wayland desktops, native-looking decorations and touch gestures extend the update beyond command-line workflows. These changes are available alongside the release’s broader work on window sizing, layout, color themes and graphics; the changelog describes features, not measured adoption or performance results.
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A Broad Terminal Emulator Release
Kitty describes itself as a fast, cross-platform, GPU-based terminal. Version 0.50.0 is presented in the project changelog as a detailed release, with entries spanning window management, sessions, input, graphics, color handling and interface behavior. The changelog links several items to project issue numbers, including the session restoration, named-tab and Wayland work.
Beyond the headline additions, the release introduces three cursor-trail shaders and controls for shader animation, including key-triggered events, fading, reversing and looping. It adjusts window borders and gaps, adds a setting to collapse neighboring window margins, and offers a new edge strategy for resizing dividers in the Splits layout. Other refinements cover mouse-wheel mappings, hyperlink hover behavior, quick-access terminals, command-palette aliases and MIME type detection on Linux and BSD.
For automatic color themes, the changelog says colors set by programs, the SSH kitten and certain launch options are retained when the system changes between light and dark modes. It also lists fixes to shader animation and pipeline behavior. These details show that 0.50 is a broad feature and maintenance release, rather than an update focused on a single component.
“Allow docking kitty windows to the edges of other windows or of the tab, for status bars, file trees, etc.”
— Kitty project changelog
Platform Requirements and Release Scope
The changelog sets out features and platform requirements but does not provide adoption figures, independent testing results or details about how reliably session restoration works across different system configurations. It specifies the Inhibit desktop portal requirement on Linux and Keychain-backed encryption on macOS, but the supplied material does not explain support on other platforms or offer troubleshooting guidance.
The source material ends partway through an additional changelog entry, so it may not represent the complete list of 0.50.0 changes. It also does not say whether any features are experimental, whether users need to take special steps beyond the project’s update instructions, or what follow-up fixes are planned.
Check the Full Changelog Before Updating
Users can follow kitty’s published update instructions to install version 0.50.0 and consult the full 0.50.0 changelog for details beyond the supplied excerpt. Linux users interested in session restoration should check that their desktop environment provides the required Inhibit portal; macOS users should note the release’s Keychain encryption behavior.
The project changelog does not announce a subsequent release date or a scheduled follow-up. Further information about fixes, compatibility and any later changes will depend on updates from the kitty project.
Key Questions
When was kitty 0.50.0 released?
The kitty changelog lists version 0.50.0 as released Nov. 3, 2026.
What are the main new features in kitty 0.50?
The main additions include docked windows, session restoration after logout or restart, and options to focus existing windows or organize tabs as named workspaces. The update also adds Wayland touchscreen support and other graphics and window-management changes.
How does kitty session restoration work?
The new restore_session_after_logout option saves the state of kitty instances, including scrollback, when logging out, restarting or shutting down, then restores it the next time kitty starts. The changelog says macOS uses a key in the Keychain to encrypt the state; Linux requires the Inhibit desktop portal.
What does docked-window support do?
It lets users dock kitty windows at the edge of another window or a tab. The project cites status bars and file trees as examples and documents the window-dock and tab-dock launch types.
Does the available changelog list every change?
Not in the material provided here: the excerpt ends partway through an entry. The full project changelog is the place to check for the complete list and any additional release details.
Source: sw.kovidgoyal.net
