Ubuntu 26.04 Noble Numbat: What's New and Improvements

Ubuntu 26.04 Noble Numbat

Canonical has released the new version of the Ubuntu distribution, codenamed Noble Numbat, which is a Long Term Support (LTS) release featuring GNOME 50 and significant performance and cloud integration improvements.

Key Highlights

Desktop Environment

• GNOME 50 with noticeable performance improvements and faster UI acceleration
• Smarter notification panel with messaging integration
• Enhanced HiDPI support and fully default Wayland
• Improved remote session and multi-touch support

Kernel and Hardware

• Linux Kernel 6.20 with broad support for modern devices
• Enhanced support for AMD RDNA 5 and next-gen Intel graphics
• Better Snapdragon and full ARM64 support
• Improved power management on modern laptops

Developers

• Python 3.15 by default
• GCC 14.3 and updated Rust
• Comprehensive toolchain updates with better container support

Support Cycle

Ubuntu 26.04 is an LTS release with 5 years of support until April 2031, with optional commercial extension to 10 years via Ubuntu Pro.

Links

• Official Download: https://ubuntu.com/download
• Release Announcement: https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/ubuntu-26-04-release-notes

Upgrade

sudo do-release-upgrade

Note: Upgrade is available directly from Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and 25.10.