The arrival of Ubuntu 26.04 LTS “Resolute Raccoon” This marks a turning point for Canonical's well-known distribution. It's not just another release: it combines profound changes to the core, a revamped desktop environment, and a support plan that can last up to fifteen years, targeting both home users and European businesses that require long-term stability.
This version of extended support It's now the recommended version for new installations, but Canonical is still exercising caution: those seeking maximum stability usually wait for the first major revision (26.04.1) to upgrade from the previous LTS version. Even so, the desktop edition arrives surprisingly mature, with particular attention to security, compatibility with recent hardware, and artificial intelligence workloads.
New support cycles and Canonical goals
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS offers five years of standard support for any user who installs the system, without the need for additional subscriptions, with security updates and maintenance until 2031. From then on, those who need it can extend the useful life with the plans of Ubuntu Professionaldesigned primarily for European companies and public administrations.
With Ubuntu Pro, the distribution can reach up to 15 years of support Combining the LTS cycle with the Expanded Security Maintenance (ESM) phase. This is especially interesting for organizations that deploy servers in data centers, public clouds, or hybrid infrastructures, where changing versions every few years is not always feasible.
Canonical continues to push its strategy of becoming a reference platform For the professional sector: extended support, security patches even for universe packages, and centralized management tools like Landscape facilitate regulatory compliance in the EU and reduce the administrative burden in large machine parks.
At the same time, any individual user of Spain or the rest of Europe You can activate Ubuntu Pro for free with certain limitations on the number of computers, which brings some of these advantages closer to independent developers, small studios and technology SMEs.
Technology base: Linux kernel 7.0, systemd and Mesa up to date
Resolute Raccoon debuts with a very up-to-date technical baseThe heart of the system is the Linux kernel 7.0, accompanied by systemd 259 and the Mesa 26 graphics drivers. This combination strengthens compatibility with modern hardware and improves performance on both desktops and laptops.
Kernel 7.0 provides improvements in memory management, process planning and support for the latest generation processors, including the new Intel Core Ultra 3 Series (Panther Lake) with integrated Intel Xe3 graphics and NPU. Recent laptops are expected to see increased performance and improved battery life, which is relevant for those who work daily with Ubuntu on the go.
In the graphic section, the inclusion of Table 26 And drivers like NVIDIA 595/590.x improve support for current cards, reduce problems with suspend and resume, and take advantage of technologies like variable refresh rate or HDR when the monitor allows it.
The development toolchain also takes a significant leap: Ubuntu 26.04 incorporates GCC 15.2, Python 3.14, LLVM 21, Rust in recent versions, Go, Zig and OpenJDK updated, making the distribution a solid platform for programmers working with modern languages and varied architectures, from x86_64 to ARM and RISC-V.
Wayland as the only session on the main desktop
On the desktop, Ubuntu 26.04 LTS definitely opts for Wayland as the sole window server in the main edition with GNOME 50. The classic session on X11 disappears, although applications that still depend on X can continue to function thanks to XWayland, which is included by default.
Change seeks greater security and better graphics performanceWayland limits the ability of applications to spy on or interfere with other windows, something that was always a historical weakness in X11, and improves the handling of touch gestures, high-resolution screens, and multi-monitor setups.
GNOME 50 also brings improved fractional scaling with finer values (such as 133% or 166%), more polished support for 4K monitors, variable refresh rates (VRR), and smarter cursor handling, which can be drawn at the screen's maximum frequency even if the application is running at lower fps, giving an extra sense of fluidity.
In day-to-day use, the user notices smoother animations, clearer notification management (which are now grouped by application), and a more visually coherent desktop, with contrast and typography adjustments that improve readability.
Anyone needing a traditional X11 session can still turn to official flavors like Xubuntu, Lubuntu or Ubuntu MATE, which maintain that possibility on the same kernel base, but in the main edition the decision has been made: the future lies with Wayland.
Ubuntu Desktop: GNOME 50, revamped Yaru theme, and new apps
Regarding GNOME 50, Canonical continues to apply its own Ubuntu touchThe Yaru theme is updated with new full-color folder icons that inherit the accent tone, a now completely opaque dock to better integrate with the top bar, and minor changes to animations and the boot screen.
Regarding applications, there is one A notable upgrade to the default setThe old System Monitor disappears in favor of ResourcesA modern tool with clear graphics, more hardware information, and a more user-friendly view of processes and services. The classic GNOME terminal gives way to Ptyxis, with a GTK4 interface and GPU-accelerated rendering.
They are also introduced new document and image viewers (like Papers and Loupe in many installations) rewritten in GTK4 and Rust, with improved performance, touch gesture support, and basic annotation and editing tools. The goal is to phase out legacy C components in favor of safer and more maintainable alternatives.
The file manager, Nautilus (Files), receives a genuine shower of improvements: directory loading up to five times faster, much more agile thumbnail generation, search with new filters and calendar, properties in floating windows, sidebar reorganization, and a clear visual indication of which files are cut before moving them.
It's not all new features. Ubuntu 26.04 Remove the "Programs and Updates" tool from the default installationalong with quick access to “Additional Drivers”. The official reason is to avoid configurations that could compromise system stability, although the application remains available in the repositories for anyone who wants to recover it, especially useful if using proprietary drivers on workstations.
Enhanced security from startup: Secure Boot, NX, and TPM encryption
One of the pillars of Resolute Raccoon is the reinforcement of the safety from the moment of startupCanonical has introduced improvements to Secure Boot, cleaned up legacy firmware configurations, and generally enabled protection against code execution in non-executable memory regions (NX), reducing typical attack vectors.
The Ubuntu installer adopts the full disk encryption supported by TPM (TPM-backed FDE) as a production-ready option, leaving its experimental stage behind. This feature relies on TPM 2.0 chips and Secure Boot, and allows the master encryption key to be hardware-bound, while also strengthening recovery key management and user warnings if a firmware update might affect the TPM's state.
For those who prefer something more classic, the system continues to offer encrypted with LUKS and passphraseThis ensures that no one is excluded for not having a compatible TPM or for preferring a simpler security model. In both cases, the idea is to make a lost or stolen laptop much less attractive from a data access perspective.
Furthermore, the OVMF virtual machine firmware has been adapted to secure virtualization technologies such as AMD SEV and Intel TDXThese measures allow workloads to be isolated even if the hypervisor is compromised. This aligns with the growing concern in Europe regarding the use of public clouds and data protection during processing.
In the cryptographic field, Ubuntu 26.04 incorporates improvements in OpenSSH and OpenSSL, with support for algorithms considered more robust for a post-quantum future, something increasingly relevant in regulated sectors such as finance or healthcare.
System tools in Rust and console changes
Another major new feature, less flashy but very important, is the Rewriting basic utilities in Rust. The command traditional south It is now provided by sudo-rs, and many of the classic coreutils (ls, cp, mv, cat, etc.) come in Rust-implemented versions, with the aim of reducing vulnerabilities associated with typical memory failures in C.
In practice, the user continues writing the same commands as alwaysBut underneath, things change. Sudo-rs also introduces a small practical touch: password entry displays asterisks by default, something many users have been requesting for years. For very specific environments where compatibility is critical, traditional versions of these tools remain available in the repositories.
Package management from the terminal is also being modernized. The command apt improves its on-screen output with colors, clearer columns, and lists where potentially dangerous deletions are highlighted in red and placed at the end, so they don't go unnoticed. Orders such as apt why y apt why-not to understand why a package is (or is not) installed, as well as new historical utilities.
In parallel, the role of Software Center (App Center) as a single place to install and manage applications, both in Snap format and in .deb packages. Now, from its management section, it is possible to filter and view the installed traditional software, so the user does not have to constantly jump between different tools.
AI, GPUs and accelerated workloads: CUDA, ROCm and more
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS pays special attention to the artificial intelligence and accelerated computing workloadsThis is a key area for European startups, research centers, and technology companies. For the first time, the distribution natively incorporates NVIDIA CUDA directly in the official repositorieswithout needing to resort to external sources.
This means that preparing an environment for training AI models, performing local inference, or handling complex renderings is much simpler: Simply install the packages from APTwithout the typical battles with dependencies or third-party scripts. The same philosophy applies to the integration of the AMD ROCm platform for recent Radeon and Instinct graphics cards.
In addition, kernel 7.0 includes specific support for the new Intel Xe3 integrated graphics and its neural processing units, which opens the door to leveraging AI capabilities built into modern laptops without the need for a dedicated GPU, something very interesting for developers working on the go.
Canonical has also added support for components such as NVIDIA DOCA-OFED It has also improved the organization of the firmware into 17-18 separate subpackages, depending on the vendor. This way, a minor fix to a specific component no longer requires downloading more than 500 MB of the entire firmware, reducing update times and bandwidth consumption on corporate networks.
All this effort positions Ubuntu 26.04 as a A very attractive option for AI labs in universities, European data centers, or product development teams who want to set up their own machine learning infrastructure without being overly dependent on external services.
Hardware requirements and compatibility with older equipment
One of the points that has generated the most debate is the increase in official minimum requirementsCanonical's documentation now indicates that Ubuntu Desktop 26.04 LTS requires a 2 GHz dual-core processor, at least 6 GB of RAM, and 25 GB of free disk space for a comfortable experience.
In practice, the distribution remains installable with 4 GB of RAMAnd some users have even managed to run it on slightly less powerful machines, but Canonical prefers to make it clear that the lower limit no longer offers a particularly pleasant experience, especially with modern browsers and heavy applications.
On servers, the requirements remain quite reasonable: 1,5 GB of RAM and about 4-5 GB of storage They are sufficient for lightweight setups, so it is still viable to deploy Ubuntu 26.04 on inexpensive VPSs or edge computing equipment where every megabyte counts.
For older hardware or hardware with less memory, Canonical and the community recommend considering light flavors like Xubuntu or LubuntuThese versions share the kernel and much of the package base, but use more modest desktop environments like Xfce or LXQt. In these editions, 2-4 GB of RAM is still acceptable for basic tasks.
In specific devices such as the Raspberry Pi 5A motherboard with at least 4 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage is required, using dedicated images for these motherboards instead of the generic ARM64 ISO. Canonical thus maintains its commitment to this type of hardware as an educational and prototyping platform.
Official flavors: KDE, Xfce, Budgie, Unity and more
As usual, Ubuntu 26.04 LTS comes with a good collection of official flavors For those who prefer other desktop environments. They all share the same 7.0 kernel and technological base, but offer different experiences according to tastes and needs.
Kubuntu 26.04LTS It comes bundled with KDE Plasma 6.6 and the KDE Gear 25.12 application suite, geared towards those who value a highly configurable desktop with deep application integration. It's a popular choice in Europe among developers and power users who prefer the KDE approach.
Version 26.04 LTS It opts for LXQt 2.3, remaining one of the lightest and most suitable variants for computers with little memory or modest processors. Ubuntu Budgie, Ubuntu Cinnamon and Ubuntu Unity They offer their respective interfaces (Budgie 10.10, Cinnamon 6.4 and Unity 7.7), each with its own distinctive style, while Ubuntu 26.04 LTS It is based on Xfce 4.20 and remains a safe bet for those who prioritize stability and sobriety.
On this occasion, it was confirmed absence of Ubuntu MATE As an LTS flavor, at least at launch, it's a detail that many users nostalgic for the classic GNOME desktop have lamented. The closest alternative is Xubuntu, although there are also unofficial solutions using MATE.
Other more specialized flavors, such as Edubuntu, Ubuntu Studio and Ubuntu KylinThey are geared towards specific uses: education, multimedia production, and the Chinese market, respectively. For Spanish or European educational institutions, Edubuntu could be interesting as a foundation for computer labs with a pre-selected catalog of educational software.
All of these flavors benefit from the same security improvements, firmware reorganization, and system tools in Rust, although the visual and desktop updates vary depending on the environment used.
Performance, user experience, and day-to-day changes
Beyond the numbers, Canonical boasts of a faster boot Thanks to adjustments in systemd and the adoption of Dracut to generate the initial boot image (initramfs) on new installations, on many systems this translates to a few seconds less time between turning on the computer and seeing the login screen.
The desktop experience benefits from lower graphics latency, smoother animations and improved window management. GNOME 50, combined with updated drivers, reduces stuttering when moving windows or playing video on high-refresh-rate monitors, and improves smoothness even with several heavy applications open.
Ubuntu 26.04 also incorporates small details designed for everyday use: a "Wellbeing" panel The settings allow you to activate break reminders and screen time limits, more advanced parental control integration, power mode indicators when not in balanced profile, and options to limit charging to 80% on compatible laptops, helping to extend battery life.
As for the included software, the system offers current versions of common applications such as Firefox, LibreOffice or GIMPalong with a Software Center that manages both Snaps and traditional packages. Some integrations, such as direct access to Google Drive from Nautilus, have been removed due to maintenance issues with the underlying libraries, although third-party alternatives still exist.
For updates, Ubuntu introduces a pending updates indicator in the top bar instead of launching pop-up windows that interrupt work. From there you can open the updater, disable the icon, or postpone the installation, something many users will appreciate in office environments.
Use cases in Spain and Europe: desktop, servers and cloud
In the European context, Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is emerging as a a reasonable option for public administrations, companies and universities They seek a free system with long-term support and a good balance between innovation and stability. Ubuntu Pro's support cycle of up to 15 years aligns with the infrastructure renewal cycles of many organizations.
On servers, the new kernel and improvements in networking, virtualization, and security enable handle more simultaneous connections and reduce latency in distributed applications, something key for web services, microservices and data platforms deployed in clouds such as AWS, Azure or European providers.
For development teams and tech startups in Spain, having access to Updated toolchains, official support for CUDA and ROCm And a stable foundation that lasts for years greatly simplifies the design of work environments. There's no need to recreate images every few months, and internal guidelines can rely on a version that doesn't change from one day to the next.
In homes and small offices, Ubuntu 26.04 continues to offer a free alternative to proprietary systemsWith a modern desktop, moderate resource consumption for current hardware, and a wide catalog of software for almost any need, it's worth noting that on very old machines, the new requirements might make one of the lighter versions a serious contender.
For users coming from Windows or macOS, Canonical has simplified the installation process: The desktop image can be downloaded from the official website. and can be easily burned to a USB drive, and the documentation explains the upgrade process from Ubuntu 24.04 more clearly, so that the jump between LTS versions can be made in a matter of minutes if there are no serious incompatibilities.
Overall, Ubuntu 26.04 LTS "Resolute Raccoon" presents itself as a long-term release, with a clear focus on Modern security, performance on recent hardware, and integration with AI workloadsAnd let's not forget the small details that make daily use easier. For those who use Ubuntu at work, the question is no longer so much whether to upgrade, but rather planning when to do it and which edition best suits each computer or server.
