Canonical released Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, called Resolute Raccoon, on 23 April 2026. It is the first LTS in two years, and it changes more underneath than most releases do. Here is what the first look shows, what is genuinely new, and who should care.
A new Ubuntu LTS is a big event because millions of PCs will live on it for years. This time the changes are not just new wallpapers. The old X11 desktop session is gone, core tools have been rewritten in Rust, the kernel jumps to version 7.0, and the recommended RAM has gone up to 6 GB. In the video above you can see the system installed and explored on a real PC — the moment something on screen surprised even the person testing it is worth watching for. This page separates the documented facts from first impressions, so you can decide calmly whether this release is for you.
For decades, Ubuntu's login screen offered a fallback session running on the old X11 display system. In 26.04, the GNOME desktop runs only on Wayland. There is no GNOME-on-X11 option left in the login screen.
Honest context: most normal apps will not notice. Older programs still run through XWayland, a compatibility layer that is kept on purpose. What changes is the foundation, not your daily software. Software that truly depends on a real X11 session — some old remote-desktop and screen tools — is where trouble can appear, and that is exactly what a first look should test.
The release ships Linux kernel 7.0 and GNOME 50. The kernel number sounds dramatic; in practice the jump is partly numbering, but the driver and hardware support it carries is real, especially for newer processors and laptops.
On the desktop you will see a new boot animation, fresher folder icons and stronger contrast. Two default apps changed: Showtime replaces the Totem video player, and a new app called Resources replaces the old System Monitor for watching CPU, memory and GPU use. The old Software and Updates tool is no longer installed by default; Ubuntu Pro and disk encryption settings now live in the Security Center.
Under the surface, Canonical has replaced some of the oldest, most trusted tools with Rust-based versions for memory safety. The sudo command now uses sudo-rs, and parts of the core utilities are Rust rewrites as well.
For a normal user the visible change is tiny — sudo now shows asterisks as you type your password, like many other systems. The real point is security over the next ten years: memory bugs are the classic source of serious exploits, and Rust removes a whole class of them. A first look cannot prove long-term safety; it can only confirm the tools behave normally, which they do.
26.04 pushes TPM-backed full-disk encryption, where the encryption key is guarded by the security chip in your PC instead of only a typed password. It also improves application permission prompting, asking before apps touch sensitive things, in the style phones have used for years.
Canonical also highlights post-quantum cryptography being enabled by default and native availability of NVIDIA CUDA and AMD ROCm toolkits from Ubuntu's own repositories. These are documented announcement facts. How smooth TPM encryption feels on a two-year-old laptop is a first-look question — and one reason to watch the install on real hardware before trusting it on your only PC.
Not every change is welcome. The recommended system requirements rose to a 2 GHz dual-core processor, 6 GB RAM and 25 GB of disk space. A PC with 4 GB of RAM that ran 24.04 happily may feel tight here.
Honest verdict so far: 26.04 is a confident, security-focused LTS with one genuinely bold removal (X11) and higher demands. If your PC is modern and you like staying current, it is a strong release. If your machine is old or runs a business, the smarter move may be to test first and upgrade on schedule, not on excitement. The pages linked from this guide cover the upgrade timing, hardware risks and safe trial methods in detail.
Install, desktop tour and the surprises — see Ubuntu 26.04 running on a real PC, not just in screenshots.
▶️ Watch Full VideoYes. Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, codenamed Resolute Raccoon, was released on 23 April 2026. Ubuntu Desktop and Server get 5 years of maintenance updates, until April 2031. With Ubuntu Pro and Extended Security Maintenance, coverage can stretch to 10 years and beyond.
Not through the normal prompt yet. Canonical offers the automatic upgrade from 24.04 LTS only when the first point release, 26.04.1, arrives — expected around August 2026. Users of 25.10 were offered the upgrade earlier, in May 2026. Fresh installs of 26.04 are available right away.
Most will not. The GNOME-on-X11 login session is removed, but XWayland remains and runs legacy X11 applications inside the Wayland session. Only software that needs a real X11 session itself, such as certain remote-desktop or screen-sharing tools, may misbehave — test your critical apps in a live session first.