Ubuntu 26.04 Beta is now available to download

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS beta ('Resolute Raccoon') is now available for download, one month ahead of the planned stable release on April 23, 2026. Key highlights include Linux kernel 7.0 RC, GNOME 50 with VRR and improved X11 app scaling via Xwayland, new default apps (Resources system monitor, Showtime video player), NVIDIA 590 and Mesa 26.0.2 GPU drivers, OpenJDK 25 as default, AMD ROCm and NVIDIA CUDA packages in official repos, colorful new folder icons, an opaque Ubuntu Dock, and a new boot spinner. Under-the-hood changes include split kernel firmware packages, password feedback in sudo, and expanded apt bash-completion. X11/Xorg desktop sessions are no longer available in the main Ubuntu flavor; users requiring full X11 should consider Lubuntu. Beta builds of flavors like Kubuntu (KDE Plasma 6.6) and Xubuntu (Xfce 4.20.1) are also available.