Complete guide to upgrading to Ubuntu 26.04 LTS

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Upgrading to Ubuntu 26.04 LTS has become one of the most important decisions for anyone who uses Canonical's distro daily, whether on their personal PC, a dual-boot laptop, or production servers. This isn't just another version: this LTS edition marks a turning point in the Ubuntu ecosystem, with new technologies, a decisive shift towards Wayland, enhanced security, and support that can last up to 15 years.

What is Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and how long does its support last?

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, codenamed “Resolute Raccoon” , is Canonical's new Long Term Support (LTS) release. It maintains the LTS philosophy: stability, security, and a consistent environment for years, leaving more aggressive experimentation for intermediate releases.

Canonical offers five years of standard support for this edition (security and maintenance updates until April 2031), and, thanks to the Ubuntu Pro program , an additional five years of patches for extended universe packages and repositories. Furthermore, with the "Legacy" add-on for enterprise environments, support can be extended to a total of 15 years , making it a very solid foundation for critical infrastructure.

As usual, direct upgrades from Ubuntu 24.04 LTS will not be officially enabled in the update manager until the arrival of Ubuntu 26.04.1 , scheduled for August 2026. Until then, anyone wanting to upgrade will have to force the process with special parameters, assuming a higher risk of errors.

The development cycle has followed the classic pattern: several test snapshots, feature freeze, public beta, and stable release in April. Although the version numbers (e.g., kernel 7.0) may seem like a drastic leap, they actually reflect more of a numbering decision than a complete break with the previous architecture.

Main technical features of Ubuntu 26.04 LTS

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS has accumulated two years of work since 24.04, so it comes loaded with changes at all layers: kernel, desktop, security, software management, encryption and support for modern hardware.

First, the system debuts Linux kernel 7.0 , replacing the 6.8 of the previous LTS. While the number is impressive, the reality is that Torvalds has continued his practice of "resetting" the higher number when the lower one approaches 20, just as happened with the transitions from 2.6 to 3.0, 3.x to 4.0, and 5.x to 6.0. Even so, kernel 7.0 brings some very significant improvements.

Among the kernel changes, the most notable are support for newer generations of CPUs such as Intel Nova Lake and AMD Zen 6, initial support for modern ARM platforms like Qualcomm Snapdragon X2, and substantial improvements to file systems such as EXT4, exFAT, and F2FS . All of this translates into better compatibility with current hardware and greater storage stability.

One technical point to note is the new time-slot extension mechanism in the scheduler . This allows certain applications (for example, games or real-time audio software) to request a short CPU extension from the kernel when they are in the middle of a critical operation, minimizing stutters and interruptions. On servers, the impact is small, but on desktops, it provides a noticeable improvement in the perceived smoothness.

Alongside this, Ubuntu 26.04 LTS strengthens graphics support with an updated stack: Mesa 26, better integration with games thanks to NTSYNC (which boosts the performance of Windows titles run through Wine or Proton) and finer coordination with Wayland for HDR, VRR and fractional scaling.

GNOME 50, Wayland mandatory, and desktop changes

The most noticeable change for desktop users is the arrival of GNOME 50 as the default environment and, above all, the elimination of the GNOME session on top of X11. Starting with Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, if you use the main Ubuntu edition, your graphical session will be exclusively Wayland , with XWayland acting as a compatibility layer for older applications that still depend on X11.

This move marks the end of nearly four decades of X11's history as the dominant windowing system in Linux. Wayland offers a more modern architecture with fewer legacy layers, improved security (preventing one app from easily "spying" on another's content), and lower latency. In practice, this translates to better visual stability, support for high-refresh-rate monitors, and improved multi-display management.

If your workflow still relies heavily on X11 (for example, capture tools, streaming, or applications that don't run smoothly on Wayland), you have several options: stick with Ubuntu 24.04 LTS for a while, use flavors like Kubuntu, Xubuntu, or MATE that still offer X11 sessions, or manually install additional X11 components if you're up for a bit of a struggle.

GNOME 50 also adds the ability to save and restore your session : upon restarting, the system attempts to reopen windows and apps where they were, which is very convenient for those who work with many applications simultaneously. Nautilus (the file manager) has been aggressively optimized: opening folders is several times faster and generating thumbnails is noticeably faster.

Visually, there are also changes: a revamped Yaru theme , new folder icons, more polished GNOME Shell animations, a refreshed wallpaper, and a login screen with higher contrast. Furthermore, you can now control media playback from the lock screen, which is handy if you often listen to music while you work.

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS also updates several default applications. These include Papers (a PDF viewer and annotator rebuilt in GTK4 and partially in Rust), Loupe (a new image viewer also in Rust), Resources (a more visual and modern system monitor), Ptyxis (a terminal with GPU acceleration), Showtime as the video player in the extended installation, Security Center for unifying security and encryption settings, and Sysprof for performance analysis.

Rust at the heart of the system: sudo-rs and uutils

One of the most talked-about moves in this LTS is that Ubuntu 26.04 replaces the classic sudo (written in C) with sudo-rs , a Rust reimplementation, and adopts uutils as a replacement for many coreutils basic tools (ls, cp, mv, cat, etc.), also written in Rust.

The underlying reason is memory security . Historical vulnerabilities such as the infamous CVE-2021-3156 (a buffer overflow in sudo that allowed privilege escalation for almost a decade undetected) rely precisely on typical C errors. Rust, by design, avoids these types of flaws at compile time, which greatly reduces the attack surface in such sensitive components.

For the average user, the transition will be almost invisible: the commands will continue to function the same , with the same expected syntax and behavior. Internally, however, it's a significant shift: Ubuntu becomes one of the first major distributions to treat memory safety as a basic requirement for core utilities.

It's worth noting that if any rare incompatibility issues arise, classic versions of GNU coreutils remain in the repositories and can be installed if needed for very specific environments. Even so, uutils already passes around 80-90% of compatibility tests with GNU coreutils, so in most situations you won't notice any difference.

Beyond sudo and coreutils, other critical system utilities are also being gradually rewritten in Rust, with the aim of eliminating entire families of hard-to-detect bugs. Canonical is clearly committed to this approach to solidify Ubuntu as a secure, long-term platform.

Enhanced security: TPM encryption and post-quantum cryptography

In the area of ​​security, Ubuntu 26.04 LTS takes several important steps that affect both home users and those who deploy corporate servers or laptops.

On the one hand, full disk encryption with TPM 2.0 support is no longer an experimental option but a fully supported feature ready for production use. The installer leverages the computer's TPM to link encryption keys to the hardware and the secure boot state, so that if someone removes the disk and tries to mount it on another system, decryption will fail.

From the new Security Center you can manage aspects such as adding or removing an unlock PIN, reviewing warnings about kernel module compatibility and, in some cases, even re-encrypting the disk without reinstalling the entire system, which is very convenient so you don't have to start from scratch when security policies are changed.

The other major pillar is the default adoption of post-quantum cryptography in key components. OpenSSH now uses a hybrid scheme like mlkem768x25519-sha256 , combining classical algorithms with mechanisms resistant to quantum attacks, and OpenSSL applies similar schemes (X25519+ML-KEM) for TLS connections. The idea is to prepare for the scenario in which sufficiently powerful quantum computers can break current algorithms.

In addition, permission notifications have been enabled for Snap applications , so that when an app installed from the Snap Store attempts to access the camera, microphone, or sensitive parts of the file system, the user receives a notification and can accept or deny the request. On the kernel side, support has been added for technologies such as Intel TDX , which facilitate hardware-isolated virtual machines for sensitive cloud environments.

Changes in software management and the partial farewell to “Programs and updates”

Another sensitive issue with Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is the reorganization of software management . One of Canonical's decisions has been to remove the "Programs & Updates" graphical tool from the basic set of apps in new installations.

This doesn't mean it's disappearing entirely: the utility remains in the repositories and can be installed with apt if needed. However, it's no longer considered an "essential" component for the average user. Canonical is thus trying to simplify and consolidate functions that were previously spread across several loosely connected tools.

The idea is that software repository management will now be integrated into the App Center/Snap Store , while the selection of proprietary drivers (especially NVIDIA) will be managed through the Software Update tool . The Ubuntu Pro subscription process will also be moved to the new Security Center.

The problem, and many veteran users are quite critical of this, is that the software management experience in Ubuntu has been inconsistent for years . The App Center/Snap Store hasn't always been known for its performance or reliability, and the fact that it relies on two update methods (depending on whether they come from deb repositories or snaps) continues to cause confusion.

On the plus side, this LTS takes a step in the right direction: the App Center can now manage deb packages in addition to snaps, show which apps are installed, and, in some cases, allow traditional package updates from the graphical interface. Update notifications have also been refined, with a dedicated icon in the panel to alert you to pending patches.

In any case, if you miss the classic management of repositories and PPAs, or the traditional way of selecting drivers, you can still use "Programs and Updates" to install them manually. And, of course, the terminal method with apt isn't going away, thankfully.

Snap, PipeWire in Snap and the impact on the desktop user

Canonical continues to aggressively promote its Snap package ecosystem . In Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, one of the most notable steps is that PipeWire , the modern audio and video component that replaces PulseAudio in many environments, will be supplied as a Snap package.

This has a practical consequence: if you decide to completely remove snapd from your system, you could lose audio functionality. In practice, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS was the last LTS release that allowed you to "unplug" from the Snap ecosystem without losing important core features.

Canonical's motivation is clear: to unify application management and have everything go through the App Center, regardless of whether a program is distributed as a .deb or a Snap. But for a segment of the community, which has been wary for years of loading times, disk usage, and certain sandboxing issues with Snaps, this move could be the final straw that makes them consider other flavors or even other distributions.

In the server environment, Snaps have a much smaller impact , as most key services are still packaged as traditional .deb packages. For desktop, however, it's important to consider whether you're comfortable with this approach or if you prefer alternatives like Kubuntu or Xubuntu, where Snaps have less impact on the daily experience.

Native ROCm and CUDA: Ubuntu 26.04 as a base for AI and GPU computing

If you work with machine learning, data science, or GPU-accelerated computing , Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is particularly interesting. Canonical has officially incorporated both AMD ROCm and NVIDIA CUDA into the distribution's repositories.

Until now, installing ROCm used to be a minor nightmare: AMD external repositories, signing keys, manual dependencies… With this LTS, a simple command like sudo apt install rocm To have the stack installed, maintained, and updated via apt, Canonical has even formed a specific team to maintain these packages with support for up to 15 years in LTS environments.

The situation is similar with CUDA: its inclusion in the official Ubuntu catalog was announced in 2025 , greatly simplifying the process for those deploying training clusters, compute nodes, or AI workstations. Combined with support for architectures like the NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72 , Ubuntu 26.04 positions itself as one of the most user-friendly platforms for artificial intelligence infrastructures.

On the home desktop, this also translates into improvements when playing games or using applications that take advantage of the GPU, since the integration of drivers and libraries is cleaner and updates arrive in a more organized way.

Hardware requirements and actual performance

One of the controversies surrounding Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is the increase in recommended RAM . Canonical has gone from suggesting 4 GB in previous LTS releases to now recommending 6 GB of memory to enjoy the full experience with the GNOME desktop and modern applications.

The official requirements are around a 2 GHz dual-core CPU, 6 GB of RAM, and 25 GB of disk space for the desktop edition. For the server version, the minimums are much more modest: around 1,5 GB of RAM and 5 GB of disk space for a basic system without a graphical environment. If you want to compare these values ​​with more comprehensive recommendations, consult the Ubuntu specifications and features.

It's important to understand that this change doesn't mean Ubuntu 26.04 suddenly "gobs up" significantly more resources than its predecessor. Canonical is simply adjusting the recommended resources to reflect our actual usage patterns: browsers with multiple tabs, demanding desktops, multitasking with several resource-intensive apps, and so on. With 4 GB, you can install and use the system, but performance will suffer, and the swap space is likely to be filled to capacity.

If your computer has 4 GB or less of RAM , the sensible suggestion is to look at lighter distributions like Lubuntu or Xubuntu, which work much better with modest hardware. In any case, it has been shown that it is possible to install Ubuntu 26.04 on computers with 4 GB (or even slightly less), but it's worth knowing that you'll be pushing the limits.

In intensive practical tests (a couple of days as the main system), Ubuntu 26.04 LTS feels more agile than 24.04 in a multitude of daily tasks: opening windows, switching between desktops, managing several open applications… GNOME 50 seems to have better fine-tuned resource usage, although RAM consumption is a tad higher, something to be expected due to the new features.

In terms of compatibility, the overall experience is positive: browsers, office suites, development tools, and multimedia apps work without any issues. Where problems might arise is with tools that still rely on X11 (such as some OBS-type capture/streaming utilities with certain NVIDIA graphics cards), which sometimes don't perform perfectly under Wayland. These aren't catastrophic issues, but it's worth keeping in mind if your work depends on that software.

How to upgrade from Ubuntu 24.04 LTS to 26.04 LTS step by step

If you're coming from Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and considering upgrading, the wisest course of action is to wait for Canonical to release the official LTS→LTS update after 26.04.1 . However, it's possible to force the upgrade earlier at your own risk. In any case, there are a few steps you should definitely follow.

The first thing to do, before touching anything, is to make a full backup of your important data (and, if possible, a system or partition image). If something goes wrong, you'll want to be able to revert to a previous state without any problems. From there, ideally you should ensure your current installation is completely up to date.

Open a terminal and run:

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade -y

That will fully update Ubuntu 24.04 LTS . Afterwards, make sure you have the necessary component installed for version updates:

sudo apt install update-manager-core

Once ready, under normal conditions (when Canonical enables the official path from 24.04 to 26.04 after 26.04.1) simply launch:

sudo do-release-upgrade

If you decide to update before version 26.04.1 is released , you will have to force it using developer mode:

sudo do-release-upgrade -d

The wizard will download the necessary packages, notify you of changes, any obsolete packages, PPAs that will be deactivated, and, at some points, ask you what to do with certain configuration files. The process can take between 30 and 45 minutes (or longer if your connection is slow), and when finished, it will ask you to restart your system.

After the restart, you can check your version with:

lsb_release -a

If everything went well, you'll see that the system is now reporting Ubuntu 26.04 LTS . In the event of rare errors during the upgrade (such as interrupted installations, incorrect responses to certain dialogs, or power outages), the consequences can range from minor graphical glitches to a system that won't boot properly, so a backup beforehand isn't optional; it's practically mandatory.

Real-world upgrade experiences and typical problems

Some users who have tried force the update to newer versions ahead of time (for example, using sudo do-release-upgrade -d or by answering critical questions incorrectly during the process) have encountered some rather unpleasant situations.

There are cases of installations where, after an error in the middle of the process (for example, answering "N" when a change in a key file should have been accepted ), the desktop starts to behave erratically, the session is cut off, or the system ends up showing error screens such as "Oh no, something went wrong" when trying to log in to GNOME.

In extreme situations, some users have had to delete the Ubuntu partition from Windows and completely reinstall from scratch (for example, reverting to 22.04 LTS from a USB drive, then upgrading to 24.04 LTS and repeating the process more carefully). These are extreme scenarios, but they illustrate why Canonical prefers to delay the official 24.04 to 26.04 upgrade path until 26.04.1: they need time to iron out the initial bugs.

If, after attempting to update, you don't see any changes but apt doesn't report any errors (everything comes back "clean," except for some packages in the gradual rollout phase), it's possible that the update hasn't been enabled for your system yet or that the path is blocked for stability reasons. In these cases, repeatedly using the same commands usually won't fix anything: it's best to read the official documentation, review the logs in /var/log/dist-upgrade , and consider whether it's worth waiting.

When the system truly crashes and doesn't even reach the desktop, in many cases the quickest and least painful option is a recovery from a live USB to retrieve data, followed by a clean installation. Hence the emphasis on creating backups before switching from one LTS version to another, especially if you have many customizations, PPAs, or non-standard drivers.

Should I upgrade to Ubuntu 26.04 LTS now or wait?

The big question for almost everyone is: is it worth upgrading to Ubuntu 26.04 LTS right now? The answer depends a lot on your needs and current situation.

If you're a desktop user with modern hardware , don't rely on X11 for anything critical, and are drawn to the improvements of Wayland, GNOME 50, better game support, and new apps, then upgrading makes a lot of sense, especially if you're coming from 24.04 LTS or even an earlier version. However, it's wisest to wait for Ubuntu 26.04.1 , which fixes the major bugs from its initial release.

If you're completely new to Linux and just installed Ubuntu 24.04 LTS a few days ago, there's no rush. It's best to focus on learning the basics, configuring your environment, and familiarizing yourself with the terminal, partitions, and backups before committing to a major upgrade. For a beginner, it's much healthier to stick with a working version for a while and then upgrade to a new LTS when the ecosystem is more mature.

For production servers , the classic recommendation remains the same: there's no need to run the new LTS. Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is supported until 2029, and migration to 26.04 should be planned carefully: test in staging environments , validate compatibility (especially if you use software that interacts with the kernel, special drivers, containers, etc.), and only then schedule the migration. Many administrators choose to start using the new LTS in new projects, leaving the existing infrastructure on the previous LTS until everything is validated.

If you use GNOME with X11 for work-related reasons (for example, certain capture software, graphics tools that don't work well with Wayland, or very specific streaming workflows), it's worth considering staying with 24.04, switching to an X11 flavor, or even exploring other distributions if your use case is particularly critical.

In short, Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is poised to become one of the most significant releases in the Ubuntu ecosystem in years: it consolidates Wayland, integrates Rust into the core utilities, paves the way for the post-quantum era, strengthens encryption with TPM, and makes the distro a particularly attractive platform for AI and GPU computing. Taking some time to decide when and how to upgrade is the best way to take full advantage of all this without turning your machine into an accidental testing ground.