Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, codenamed Resolute Raccoon, was released on April 23, 2026, and will receive security updates and critical bug fixes for five years, until April 2031. Here are the key highlights:
Linux Kernel 7.0
- Ships with Linux kernel 7.0, bringing better hardware support — especially for newer Intel Core Ultra Series 3 (Panther Lake) processors with improved Xe3 graphics and NPU performance.
GNOME 50 & Wayland-Only Desktop
- First Ubuntu LTS to ship Wayland-only — no more Xorg desktop session, though XWayland remains for legacy apps.
- Delivers smoother visuals, better per-monitor scaling, native gestures, and no screen tearing.
- GNOME Shell global search can now find Snap apps and launch web searches directly from the overview.
Rust-Based Core Utilities
- Includes Rust-based utilities for enhanced memory safety.
sudo-rsis now the default sudo provider, replacing the original sudo.
APT 3.2 with Rollback Support
- Every package install, upgrade, and removal is now logged with full transaction history.
apt history-undoreverses a specific operation;apt history-rollbackrestores your system to a prior state.- Two new commands —
apt whyandapt why-not— trace the dependency chain behind any package.
TPM-Backed Full Disk Encryption
- TPM-backed full disk encryption is now available out of the box.
- LUKS passphrase encryption remains available for systems without a compatible TPM chip.
AI & GPU: CUDA and ROCm in Official Repos
- First Ubuntu release to natively distribute NVIDIA CUDA as part of its official software repositories.
- AMD ROCm is now available from Ubuntu’s official repos — installation is as simple as
sudo apt install rocm.
New Default Apps & Visual Refresh
- GNOME Terminal replaced by Ptyxis — a GTK4, GPU-accelerated terminal with tabs, custom themes, and configurable shortcuts.
- New default system monitor: Resources.
- Folder icons overhauled — your accent color now applies to the entire folder, not just a subtle tint.
Developer Toolchain
- Rust 1.93.1 is the default Rust toolchain.
- LLVM 21 is the default LLVM toolchain.
- OpenJDK 25 is the default Java package.