Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, codenamed Resolute Raccoon, lands on April 23, 2026. This is a long-term support release with five years of free security updates through April 2031, extendable to ten years with Ubuntu Pro. For anyone running 24.04 LTS, this is the first upgrade path to a new LTS, and the jump is significant: kernel 7.0, GNOME 50, Wayland-only desktop, a Rust-based sudo, and a server stack that includes PostgreSQL 18, Docker 29, and PHP 8.5.
This article covers every major change in Ubuntu 26.04, from desktop and kernel through server components and development toolchains. If you are planning an upgrade from Ubuntu 24.04 or evaluating 26.04 for new deployments, this is the full picture.
Current as of April 2026. Based on the official Ubuntu 26.04 LTS release notes and beta testing. Package versions verified against the official release notes and LTS user summary.
Release Details and Support Timeline
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Release name | Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (Resolute Raccoon) |
| Release date | April 23, 2026 |
| Kernel | Linux 7.0 |
| Desktop | GNOME 50 (Wayland only) |
| Display server | Wayland (X11 session removed from GDM) |
| Graphics | Mesa 26.0 |
| Init system | systemd 259 |
| Standard support | 5 years (until April 2031) |
| Extended support (Ubuntu Pro) | 10 years (until April 2036) |
| Previous LTS | Ubuntu 24.04 (Noble Numbat) |
System Requirements
The desktop RAM requirement has increased from 4 GB in 24.04 to 6 GB in 26.04. This caught some attention since Windows 11 only requires 4 GB minimum. The increase reflects the heavier GNOME 50 desktop and the Wayland compositor’s memory footprint.
| Component | Desktop | Server |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | 2 GHz dual-core (64-bit) | Scales with workload |
| RAM | 6 GB minimum | 1.5 GB minimum |
| Disk space | 25 GB | 4 GB minimum |
| Installation media | USB drive or DVD | USB, DVD, or network boot |
Desktop: GNOME 50 and Wayland-Only
The desktop jump from GNOME 46 (in 24.04) to GNOME 50 brings four release cycles of improvements in one upgrade. The most consequential change: the GNOME session now runs exclusively on Wayland. X11 is no longer available as a session option in GDM. XWayland remains installed for backward compatibility with X.org applications, so most legacy apps still work, but the X11 login session itself is gone.
Other desktop environments (KDE, Xfce, MATE, i3) in Ubuntu flavors continue supporting X.org sessions.
New Default Applications
Several core GNOME apps have been replaced with modern GTK4 alternatives:
- Terminal – Ptyxis replaces GNOME Terminal. Built with GTK4, it supports pinned tabs, container integration, and profiles per project directory
- Document viewer – Papers replaces Evince. Partially written in Rust, using GTK4
- Image viewer – Loupe replaces Eye of GNOME. Fully Rust-based with the Glycin image library
- Video player – Showtime replaces Totem with a minimalist libadwaita design
- System monitor – Resources (a GNOME Circle app) replaces the older System Monitor
The standalone Software & Updates application has been removed. Its functionality is now split between the App Center (for package management) and the new Security Center (for repository settings and Ubuntu Pro features).
Visual Refresh
Folder icons have been redesigned with shorter, squatter shapes and rounder edges. Accent colors now apply to the entire folder rather than a subtle tint. The Calculator and LibreOffice icons have been updated to match the Yaru design language.
Key Desktop Improvements
- Fractional scaling – Moved from experimental to stable, with optimizations to minimize blur
- Variable refresh rate – Now a stable feature for supported monitors
- Auto-start applications – Configurable directly in GNOME Settings
- Sysprof – Installed by default for system performance analysis
- JPEG XL support – Native support without additional packages
- Hardware-accelerated video – VA-API encoding and decoding available when third-party drivers are enabled
- GTK 4 SVG rendering – Native SVG support without the Librsvg dependency
Bundled Application Versions
| Application | 24.04 LTS | 26.04 LTS |
|---|---|---|
| Firefox | 124 | 149/150 |
| LibreOffice | 24.2 | 25.8 |
| Thunderbird | 115 | 128 (Supernova) |
| GIMP | 2.10 | 3.0 |
GIMP 3.0 is a major upgrade. It brings non-destructive editing, GTK3 interface, and improved color management. This is the first major GIMP release in years, and shipping it in an LTS is notable.
ARM64 Desktop
Ubuntu 26.04 provides an official ARM64 desktop ISO for the first time. It supports virtual machines, ACPI/EFI platforms, and Qualcomm Snapdragon devices. This opens Ubuntu Desktop to ARM-based laptops and tablets running UEFI firmware.
Gaming
The NTSYNC driver is now included in the kernel, which improves Windows game performance through Wine and Proton. Combined with Mesa 26.0’s Vulkan 1.4 support and improved ray tracing on AMD’s RADV driver, Linux gaming on Ubuntu 26.04 is a real option for Steam and Proton users.
Kernel 7.0
The kernel jump from 6.8 (in 24.04) to 7.0 is substantial. This is not just a version number bump. Linux 7.0 brings hardware enablement for Intel Nova Lake and AMD Zen 6 processors, a new extensible scheduling framework, and crash dumps enabled by default.
Key Kernel Features
- sched_ext – A new scheduling system that allows implementing kernel scheduler policies as eBPF programs. Developers can now write, test, and hot-swap scheduling policies in user space without recompiling the kernel. This is a fundamental shift in how Linux scheduling can be customized
- Intel Nova Lake and Diamond Rapids – LPSS driver, sound, and integrated display support for upcoming Intel chips
- AMD Zen 6 – Performance events, metrics, and address translation support
- Crash dumps – Enabled by default, which simplifies post-mortem debugging on both servers and desktops
- Intel TSX auto mode – Improved performance tuning on newer Intel CPUs
- DSA 3.0 accelerators – Offloads data movement tasks to dedicated silicon on newer Xeon chips
- File system improvements – EXT4, F2FS, and exFAT optimizations for large data transfers
- linux-lowlatency retired – The separate low-latency kernel is gone. Use
linux-genericwith thelowlatency-kernelpackage instead for low-latency tuning
Core System Changes
Several foundational components have been replaced or significantly changed. These affect both desktop and server deployments, so read this section carefully if you are planning an upgrade.
sudo-rs: Memory-Safe sudo by Default
The traditional C-based sudo has been replaced with sudo-rs, a Rust rewrite that provides memory safety guarantees. For most use cases, it is a drop-in replacement that reads the same /etc/sudoers and /etc/sudoers.d/ files.
Visible differences you will notice:
- Password feedback is enabled by default (asterisks appear when typing your password)
- The prompt format changed to
[sudo: authenticate] Password: - The original sudo is still available as
sudo.wsif you need it - The plugin system is not supported in sudo-rs, so complex setups should be tested before upgrading
- The
sudo-ldappackage has been removed. Use PAM-based LDAP authentication instead
Rust-Based Core Utilities
The rust-coreutils package now provides several OS utilities, with notable performance improvements (particularly for base64). GNU coreutils remain available for compatibility.
systemd 259
The systemd update to version 259 brings two breaking changes worth flagging:
- cgroup v1 removed – If your system or containers rely on cgroup v1, the upgrade will be blocked. Containers that depend on cgroup v1 are unsupported. Migrate to cgroup v2 before upgrading
- /tmp is now tmpfs by default – The
/tmpdirectory is mounted as tmpfs (RAM-backed). This improves performance for temporary files but means/tmpcontents are lost on reboot and are limited by available RAM. If your workloads write large files to/tmp, adjust accordingly - System V scripts deprecated – Ubuntu 26.04 is the last release that supports System V init script compatibility. Convert any remaining SysV scripts to systemd units before the next release
Dracut Replaces initramfs-tools
The initial ramdisk generator has changed from initramfs-tools to Dracut. Dracut uses systemd in the initrd and supports features like Bluetooth and NVMe over Fabrics (NVMe-oF). The original initramfs-tools is still available and the implementation is switchable if needed.
APT 3.1
The package manager has a new dependency solver (with automatic fallback to the classic solver), uses OpenSSL instead of GnuTLS for a smaller footprint, and adds an automatic pager for commands like apt show and apt list. The deprecated apt-key command has been removed entirely. Use direct gpgv for repository key management.
Removable Media Mount Point Change
USB drives and other removable media now mount at /run/media instead of /media. Scripts or configurations that reference /media for mounted devices need to be updated.
Security Enhancements
TPM-Backed Full Disk Encryption
The desktop installer now supports TPM-backed full disk encryption. This uses the system’s TPM 2.0 chip to seal the encryption key, so the disk automatically unlocks on boot without a passphrase (while remaining encrypted at rest). Passphrase management, recovery key regeneration, and integration with firmware updates are all supported. The firmware updater (fwupd) prompts for recovery key backup before applying firmware updates that could affect the TPM state.
Snap Permissions Prompting
The new Security Center enables permissions prompting for snap applications. When a snap tries to access a resource it does not have permission for (camera, microphone, file system), the user gets a consent prompt. This brings snap security closer to the mobile app permission model.
AppArmor Sandboxing Profiles
New sandboxing profiles have been added for multiple applications as part of system hardening. AppArmor continues to be Ubuntu’s mandatory access control framework.
Server Stack Updates
The server component updates in this release are substantial. Several packages have breaking configuration changes that require attention before upgrading production systems.
Databases
| Database | 24.04 LTS | 26.04 LTS | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| PostgreSQL | 16 | 18 | No longer available on i386 |
| MariaDB | 10.11 | 11.8.6 | Full main repository support |
| MySQL | 8.0 | 8.4.8 (LTS) | Matching shell version |
| Valkey | N/A | 9.0.3 | Redis-compatible, new in 26.04 |
| DocumentDB | N/A | 0.108-0 | MongoDB-compatible, new in 26.04 |
Valkey and DocumentDB are new additions. Valkey (the community fork of Redis after the license change) ships at version 9.0.3 with atomic slot migrations and hash field expiration. DocumentDB provides MongoDB API compatibility without a MongoDB license.
Web and Mail Servers
- Apache 2.4.65 – TLS 1.0 and 1.1 are disabled by default, complying with RFC 8996. If you have legacy clients that require TLS 1.0/1.1, this will break them
- Nginx 1.28.2 – Bug fix release
- Postfix 3.10.6 – No longer installed in a chroot by default, and only limited chroot support is available going forward. Review your Postfix configurations if you relied on the chroot
- Dovecot 2.4.2 – Version 2.4 introduced breaking changes to the configuration format. Administrators upgrading from 2.3 must follow the official migration documentation. This is not a drop-in upgrade
OpenSSH Changes
OpenSSH sees several security-focused changes:
- DSA signature algorithm support removed entirely
- DSA host keys no longer generated on new installs
- New
mlkem768x25519-sha256hybrid post-quantum key exchange algorithm available PerSourcePenaltiesoption for authentication rate limiting- GSSAPI split into separate packages:
openssh-client-gssapiandopenssh-server-gssapi - No longer reads
~/.pam_environmenton login
The post-quantum key exchange is worth noting. As quantum computing advances, this algorithm protects SSH connections against future quantum attacks by combining a traditional key exchange with a post-quantum one.
Containers and Virtualization
| Component | 24.04 LTS | 26.04 LTS | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Docker | 24 | 29 | containerd image store default for fresh installs, experimental nftables |
| containerd | 1.7 | 2.2.1 | Breaking changes from 1.x |
| runc | 1.1 | 1.4.0 | Updated pids.limit per OCI spec |
| libvirt | 10.0 | 12.0.0 | NVMe, virtio-scsi, multi-GPU NUMA affinity |
| QEMU | 8.2 | 10.2.1 | New Windows 11 machine types, ARM features |
The containerd 2.x upgrade is a breaking change from 1.x. If you have custom container tooling that interacts directly with the containerd API, test it before upgrading. Docker 29 also switches to the containerd image store by default on fresh installations, which changes how images are stored and managed.
Samba 4.23
SMB3 Unix Extensions are enabled by default, and NetBIOS is disabled by default. The samba-vfs-modules package contents have been merged into the main samba package. Ceph and GlusterFS modules are now in separate packages (samba-vfs-ceph, samba-vfs-glusterfs).
If you run Samba as an Active Directory Domain Controller, install the samba-ad-dc package before upgrading to ensure AD functionality is preserved.
SSSD 2.12
SSSD now runs under the sssd user instead of root. This is a security improvement, but it means you need to verify that the sssd user has access to any secrets, keytabs, or integrations your configuration depends on. The implicit files provider has also been removed.
PHP 8.5
PHP 8.5.2 ships with the URI Extension, Pipe Operator, #[\NoDiscard] attribute, and new array helper functions (array_first(), array_last()). Note that using array/callable as class aliases in class_alias() is deprecated.
Other Server Components
- Squid 7.2 – New TLS key logging, DOH query support, and cache peer TLS client certificate switching. Several directives removed including
ftp_epsvandclient_persistent_connections - HAProxy 3.2 – Performance improvements and better QUIC protocol support
- Chrony 4.8 – Improved handling of unreachable time sources
- OpenLDAP 2.6.10 – AppArmor enforce mode by default, pbkdf2 iteration support
- Kerberos – Now observes
/etc/krb5.conf.d/directory by default for modular configuration
Development Toolchain
The toolchain upgrades are aggressive this cycle. Every major language runtime gets a significant version bump.
| Tool | 24.04 LTS | 26.04 LTS |
|---|---|---|
| GCC | 14 | 15.2 |
| Python | 3.12 | 3.13.9 (3.14 available) |
| LLVM | 18 | 21 |
| Rust | 1.75 | 1.88 |
| Go | 1.22 | 1.25 |
| OpenJDK | 21 | 25 |
| .NET | 8 | 10 |
| Zig | N/A | 0.14.1 (new) |
Zig is now available in the Ubuntu repositories for the first time. OpenJDK 25 is TCK certified on AMD64, ARM64, S390X, and PPC64EL. The .NET 10 runtime has expanded to IBM Power platforms. GraalVM snaps are available for JDK 21, 24, and 25.
x86-64-v3 Package Variants
Ubuntu 26.04 provides amd64v3 (x86-64-v3) variants for all packages. These are compiled with optimizations for newer CPUs (AVX2, BMI2, FMA, and others), which can deliver measurable performance gains for compute-heavy workloads. If your hardware supports x86-64-v3 (most CPUs from 2013 onwards, Haswell and later), you can opt into these optimized packages.
Cloud and Enterprise
OpenStack 2026.1 (Gazpacho)
The bundled OpenStack release includes progress on the Eventlet migration, parallel live migrations, IOThread default for improved VM I/O, UEFI firmware delegation, OVN BGP support, Redfish Virtual Media boot, Manila QoS policies, and a rewritten Horizon Key Pairs page.
Cloud Authentication (authd)
The authd service gains a new Google provider alongside the existing EntraID (Azure AD) provider. Device registration with EntraID, the authctl command-line tool, and improved UID/GID handling make cloud-based authentication more practical for enterprise deployments.
AMD ROCm
AMD ROCm packages are now available directly from the Ubuntu repositories. Installing the AI/ML GPU stack is as simple as sudo apt install rocm. No more third-party repositories for AMD GPU compute workloads.
Hardware Support
- NVIDIA – Dynamic Boost enabled by default, suspend/resume support enabled for Wayland. Known issue: some Wayland corruption on resume still exists
- Intel – Full support for Core Ultra Xe2 integrated graphics, Arc B580/B570 discrete GPUs, improved ray tracing via Embree, full AVC/JPEG/HEVC/AV1 hardware encoding
- ARM64 – Generic ARM64 ISO with broader UEFI platform compatibility
- RISC-V – Now requires RVA23S64 ISA profile (RVA20 no longer supported)
- IBM Z (s390x) – Minimum raised to z15 architectural level. z14 (LinuxONE II) and older are no longer supported
- Raspberry Pi – Smaller desktop images (777 MB reduction), A/B boot layout for reliability, swap file creation via cloud-init. Several applications removed from the Pi image to save space
Ubuntu Flavor LTS Status
Not all flavors are getting LTS status this cycle. Ubuntu MATE and Ubuntu Unity have dropped LTS for 26.04 due to contributor shortages. The following flavors maintain LTS support:
- Kubuntu
- Xubuntu
- Lubuntu
- Ubuntu Budgie
- Ubuntu Cinnamon
- Ubuntu Studio
- Edubuntu
- Ubuntu Kylin
Known Issues
As of the beta release, these known issues have been documented:
- The desktop installer is not localized during the live session
- Screen reader support is incomplete in the installer
- OEM installations are not supported
- GTK 4 rendering issues in VirtualBox and VMware with 3D acceleration enabled
- TPM-backed FDE is incompatible with Absolute security software
- NVIDIA suspend/resume corruption on Wayland (some hardware)
- RabbitMQ requires manual upgrade steps
Breaking Changes Summary
If you are upgrading from 24.04 LTS, these are the changes most likely to break existing configurations:
| Change | Impact | Action Required |
|---|---|---|
| cgroup v1 removed | Containers relying on v1 will not start | Migrate to cgroup v2 before upgrading |
| Wayland-only GNOME | X11 GNOME session unavailable | Test X.org apps under XWayland |
| Dovecot 2.4 | Config format changed | Follow Dovecot 2.3 to 2.4 migration guide |
| Postfix no-chroot | Chroot no longer default | Review Postfix config, update chroot assumptions |
| SSSD runs as user sssd | File permission issues possible | Verify sssd user access to keytabs and secrets |
| sudo-rs default | Plugin system unsupported | Test complex sudoers configs, check LDAP auth |
| containerd 2.x | API breaking changes from 1.x | Test custom container tooling |
| APT: apt-key removed | Legacy key management broken | Migrate to gpgv-based key management |
| Removable media at /run/media | Scripts referencing /media break | Update paths in scripts and configs |
| Apache TLS 1.0/1.1 disabled | Legacy clients cannot connect | Re-enable manually if legacy support required |
| System V scripts deprecated | Last release with SysV support | Convert to systemd units |
| Samba: samba-ad-dc | AD DC functionality may be lost | Install samba-ad-dc before upgrading |
Upgrading from Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
Direct upgrades from 24.04 LTS to 26.04 LTS are supported. When upgrading, you will receive all changes from the interim releases (24.10, 25.04, 25.10) plus the 26.04 changes in a single operation.
Before upgrading a production system:
- Back up everything. Test the upgrade on a staging system first
- Review the breaking changes table above
- Ensure you are running cgroup v2 (
mount | grep cgroupshould showcgroup2) - If running Samba AD DC, install
samba-ad-dcbefore upgrading - If running Dovecot, prepare for the 2.3 to 2.4 configuration migration
- Convert any System V init scripts to systemd units
- Test custom sudo configurations with sudo-rs
- Run
sudo do-release-upgradewhen the upgrade is available
Ubuntu typically enables the upgrade path from the previous LTS a few weeks after the new release, once initial bugs are resolved.
24.04 vs 26.04 LTS: Version Comparison
| Component | 24.04 LTS (Noble) | 26.04 LTS (Resolute) |
|---|---|---|
| Kernel | 6.8 | 7.0 |
| GNOME | 46 | 50 |
| Mesa | 24.0 | 26.0 |
| systemd | 255 | 259 |
| Python | 3.12 | 3.13 |
| GCC | 14 | 15.2 |
| Rust | 1.75 | 1.88 |
| Go | 1.22 | 1.25 |
| OpenJDK | 21 | 25 |
| PostgreSQL | 16 | 18 |
| PHP | 8.3 | 8.5 |
| Docker | 24 | 29 |
| Desktop RAM minimum | 4 GB | 6 GB |
| Display server | Wayland (X11 available) | Wayland only |
| sudo | sudo (C) | sudo-rs (Rust) |
| Init ramdisk | initramfs-tools | Dracut |
FAQ
When is Ubuntu 26.04 released?
April 23, 2026. The beta was released on March 26, 2026. The release candidate is scheduled for April 16, 2026.
How long is Ubuntu 26.04 supported?
Five years of standard support (until April 2031). With Ubuntu Pro (free for personal use on up to five machines), Extended Security Maintenance extends coverage to ten years, through April 2036.
Can I upgrade directly from 24.04 to 26.04?
Yes. Direct LTS-to-LTS upgrades are supported using sudo do-release-upgrade. The upgrade path typically becomes available a few weeks after release day. You will receive all changes from the 24.10, 25.04, and 25.10 interim releases as part of the upgrade.
Can I still use X11 on Ubuntu 26.04?
The GNOME desktop session is Wayland-only. X11 as a login session option is no longer available in GDM. XWayland is installed for backward compatibility, so most X.org applications still work under Wayland. If you need a full X11 session, use Xubuntu (Xfce) or another flavor that still supports X.org.
Why does Ubuntu 26.04 require more RAM than Windows 11?
The desktop minimum has increased from 4 GB to 6 GB, while Windows 11’s minimum is 4 GB. The increase reflects GNOME 50’s Wayland compositor, heavier default applications (LibreOffice 25.8, Firefox, GNOME apps), and the snap runtime overhead. Lighter Ubuntu flavors like Lubuntu and Xubuntu still run well on 4 GB.
