Ubuntu 26.04 LTS: Upgrade Guide & What's New in Resolute Raccoon

What You Need to Know

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS ("Resolute Raccoon") dropped April 23, 2026. It's the latest long-term support release—15 years of support total (5 years standard, 10 more with Ubuntu Pro). If you're running 24.04 LTS, you'll probably want to upgrade at some point. This guide covers what's changed, why it matters for infrastructure work, and how to do it safely.

Key Changes & Why They Matter

Linux Kernel 7.0

The new kernel brings:

• Intel Core Ultra Series 3 (Panther Lake) support with Xe3 graphics and NPU optimization
• Native IgH EtherCAT support for industrial/robotics systems
• Better ext4 write performance in some cases
• Enhanced power management and AI capabilities
• Livepatch support on ARM64 (kernel patching without reboot)

For infrastructure: If you're running older Intel or AMD hardware, you're fine. If you're planning Panther Lake deployments or ARM64 servers, the native support is solid.

GNOME 50: Wayland-Only Desktop

This is the first Ubuntu LTS to ship Wayland-only by default. No Xorg session. XWayland remains for older apps, but new installs are 100% Wayland.

What changed:

• Smoother visuals, better per-monitor scaling, native gestures
• VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) enabled by default
• Redesigned parental controls
• New session persistence system
• Resources app replaces GNOME System Monitor (cleaner, more modern)
• App Center now handles Debian packages natively
• Showtime replaces Totem as default video player

⚠️ If you're on a headless/server deployment or using X11-dependent tools: Not your problem. Server flavor doesn't ship GNOME. If you do need desktop and rely on specific X11 apps, XWayland will handle most of them, but test first.

Systemd 259.5

Major improvements:

• cgroup v1 support completely removed from systemd
• cgroup v2 with nsdelegate, memory_recursiveprot, memory_hugetlb_accounting by default
• System V service scripts deprecated (compatibility layer still available)
• Better service isolation and resource control

For infrastructure: If you're managing multi-tenant containers or complex resource limits, this is a solid upgrade. If you still have legacy System V scripts, they'll work but generate deprecation warnings.

Core Infrastructure Updates

Updated package versions you probably care about:

New Virtualization Stack (HWE)

A new Hardware Enablement virtualization stack (qemu-hwe, libvirt-hwe, seabios-hwe, edk2-hwe) receives updates twice yearly alongside kernel releases. Swap between standard and HWE versions with ubuntu_virt_helper.

For infrastructure: If you're running Proxmox or KVM heavily, this is useful for staying current without waiting for next LTS. Worth evaluating if you manage nested virtualization or cutting-edge QEMU features.

Security Improvements

• TPM-based full-disk encryption without boot password (keys stored in TPM)
• TPM key recovery for encrypted drives
• Dynamic snap permissions via AppArmor (granular resource access)
• New telemetry panel in Privacy & Security (opt-in, shows what's phoning home)
• sudo-rs by default (Rust implementation, password feedback with asterisks—disable with Defaults !pwfeedback in sudoers)
• Cargo-auditable support for Rust packages (dependency metadata in binaries for vuln tracking)
• GPU hardware video encoding (VA-API) enabled by default for AMD/Intel GPUs

Hardware & Special Features

• Confidential computing: Full support for AMD SEV-SNP and Intel TDX memory encryption (host and guest)
• RISC-V RVA23 full support: Including vector and hypervisor extensions
• IBM Z z14 (LinuxONE II) and earlier: No longer supported
• Cloud identity support: New authd package for Microsoft Entra ID and Google Cloud Identity integration
• NFS blkmapd removed: If you're using NFS block mapping, migrate to newer tools
• External media mount change: Now /run/media instead of /media

Flavor Updates

Most official flavors ship updates:

• Kubuntu: KDE Plasma 6.6, Wayland-default
• Xubuntu: Xfce 4.20 (indicator plugin removed)
• Lubuntu: LXQt 2.3
• Ubuntu Studio: Fully rewritten sound configurator, supports FFADO (FireWire), new creative apps
• Ubuntu MATE: No LTS status for 26.04 (project lead departed)
• Edubuntu: Completely rewritten installer with GTK4/Qt6 backends, Cockpit web interface

Should You Upgrade? A Practical Take

Upgrade now if:

• You're on 25.10 (interim release) and want LTS stability
• You need Linux 7.0 features (Panther Lake, ARM64 Livepatch, RISC-V RVA23)
• You want Wayland-only and GNOME 50
• You're comfortable troubleshooting edge cases on day-one

Wait until 26.04.1 (expected July) if:

• You're on 24.04 LTS and stability is your priority
• You can't afford testing time
• You're managing production infrastructure

⚠️ Don't expect urgent security patches in the first month. LTS point releases smooth out bugs.

System requirements changed:

• Desktop: Minimum 6 GB RAM (up from 4 GB in 24.04)
• Server: 1.5 GB RAM minimum
• ISO size: ~6 GB for desktop AMD64, ~4 GB for ARM

How to Upgrade from Ubuntu 24.04 LTS to 26.04 LTS

Step 1: Backup Your System

Non-negotiable. Either use a snapshot tool or tar your critical directories:

sudo tar czf /backup-24.04.tar.gz \
     --exclude=/backup-24.04.tar.gz \
     --exclude=/dev \
     --exclude=/run \
     --exclude=/mnt \
     --exclude=/proc \
     --exclude=/sys \
     --exclude=/tmp \
     --exclude=/media \
     --exclude=/lost+found \
     /

Move the backup off-system (different drive, remote server, or cloud). Don't leave it on the same disk.

Step 2: Fully Update Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
sudo snap refresh
sudo apt autoremove --purge
sudo reboot

Verify all updates are applied:

apt list --upgradable

Should return empty.

Step 3: Set LTS Upgrade Path

Check the current setting:

grep "^Prompt=" /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades

If it's not Prompt=lts, fix it:

sudo sed -i 's/Prompt=.*/Prompt=lts/' /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades

This ensures you skip interim releases and follow the LTS-to-LTS path.

Step 4: Start the Upgrade

sudo do-release-upgrade

If Ubuntu doesn't offer 26.04 yet (common before point releases), use:

sudo do-release-upgrade -d

The tool will:

1. Check system compatibility
2. Switch software sources to 26.04 repositories
3. Show a summary of packages to install/upgrade/remove
4. Confirm you want to proceed (hit y)

During the upgrade, you may be prompted to:

• Enable automatic service restart: Say yes. Saves time and reduces manual prompts.
• Locally modified config files: Keep installed version unless you know otherwise.
• Remove obsolete packages: Say y. Cleans up old cruft from 24.04.

⚠️ The upgrade takes 30–60 minutes depending on hardware and connection speed. Plan accordingly.

Step 5: Reboot and Post-Upgrade Cleanup

When prompted, reboot:

sudo reboot

After login to your new 26.04 LTS system, refresh once more:

sudo snap refresh
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt autoremove --purge

Verify everything is clean:

apt list --upgradable

Should be empty.

Post-Upgrade Checklist

1. Test your main applications: Browser, IDE, containerized services, whatever you rely on daily
2. Check external repos: If you added PPAs or custom repos, verify they have 26.04 packages
3. Verify drivers: Especially GPU and network drivers
4. Container images: If running Docker/Podman, test critical images on the new OS
5. Cron jobs and systemd services: Run a dry-run of automation to catch config issues early
6. Filesystem mounts: If you rely on NFS or unusual mounts, verify they still work
7. VPN/network: Test your VPN or networking setup if you use one

Common Issues & Gotchas

Issue: do-release-upgrade doesn't offer 26.04

• Fix: Use sudo do-release-upgrade -d to grab the development release early. Or wait for 26.04.1 (July) for stable release.

Issue: X11 app doesn't work under Wayland

• Fix: XWayland should handle it. If not, switch to the app's Wayland-compatible version or report upstream.

Issue: After upgrade, external media not mounting to /media

• Fix: Check /run/media instead. Update mount points in scripts/configs.

Issue: Old NFS block mapping (blkmapd) no longer available

• Fix: Migrate to NFS v4+ if you need block-device semantics. For v3, use standard mounts.

Issue: containerd 2.2.1 compatibility with older Kubernetes

• Fix: Test in staging. containerd 2.x is mostly backward-compatible but read the release notes.

Who Should Wait for 26.04.1

• Production infrastructure managing thousands of containers
• Mission-critical services with zero-downtime requirements
• Older hardware (8+ year old laptops/servers)—26.04 resource requirements are higher
• Complex custom configs that need thorough testing before rolling out

26.04.1 (expected July) will have a month of bug fixes and backported security patches.

Support Timeline

• Ubuntu 26.04 LTS: Supported until April 2031 (5 years)
• With Ubuntu Pro: Supported until April 2036 (15 years total)

This is a long-term investment. Stability and testing upfront matter.

References

• Official Ubuntu 26.04 LTS release: https://ubuntu.com/download/desktop
• Ubuntu Server 26.04 ISOs: https://ubuntu.com/download/server
• Official flavors: https://ubuntu.com/desktop/flavours
• systemd 259.5 release notes
• Linux kernel 7.0 documentation
• Canonical LTS support timeline
• Ubuntu Pro pricing and features