Since Windows 10 officially ended its life cycle in October this year, some PCs cannot be upgraded to Windows 11 due to lack of hardware support (such as TPM 2.0). Many users have chosen to turn to Ubuntu, one of the most popular Linux distributions in the world. Now, Ubuntu 26.04 LTS "Resolute Raccoon" has been confirmed to have a final release date of April 23, 2026.

For users currently using Ubuntu 24.04 LTS or Ubuntu 25.10, the upgrade arrangements are slightly different: 25.10 users can upgrade directly on the day of official release, but 24.04 LTS users must wait until 26.04.1 LTS is launched in the summer of 2026 before they can upgrade. The purpose is to fix more vulnerabilities during this period and ensure system stability.

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS will receive official update support for 5 years until 2031. At that time, users can obtain an additional 5 years of Extended Security Maintenance (ESM) through the "Ubuntu Pro" professional service, extending the support period to 2036.

The most important development nodes of this new version also include: the release of the Beta version on March 26, 2026. This version is less than a month away from its official release. By then, the system functions and interface will have been roughly finalized. The next month of testing will be used to ensure the stability of the official version.

The specific development and release schedule is as follows:

  • February 19, 2026: Function freeze

  • March 12, 2026: User interface frozen

  • March 19, 2026: Kernel feature freeze

  • March 23, 2026: Beta version frozen

  • March 26, 2026: Ubuntu 26.04 Beta released

  • April 9, 2026: Kernel Freeze

  • April 16, 2026: Final Freeze, Release Candidate

  • April 23, 2026: Ubuntu 26.04 LTS official version released

  • August 6, 2026: Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS released (24.04 LTS users can upgrade here)

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS will have many new features built-in, including the new GNOME 50 desktop environment, updated Linux kernel and graphics driver, more core components written in Rust language, expanded TPM encryption support, new desktop wallpapers, etc.