Ubuntu 26.04 'Resolute Raccoon' First Development Snapshot is Here

Canonical has officially kicked off the Ubuntu 26.04 LTS development cycle, codenamed ‘Resolute Raccoon,’ with the release of its first monthly snapshot. This milestone is not a stable alpha or beta release, but rather a “throwaway artifact” intended for engineers and seasoned testers to check the state of the build system and initial package migrations.

The Ubuntu 26.04 release, scheduled for April 23, 2026, is a crucial Long-Term Support version, offering five years of standard support (until 2031) and further coverage via Expanded Security Maintenance (ESM). For Linux enthusiasts and system administrators, this initial snapshot provides the very first glimpse of what will become Canonical’s flagship operating system for years to come.

The New Approach: Monthly Snapshots

The introduction of monthly snapshots, a practice refined during the Ubuntu 25.10 cycle, represents a fundamental shift in how Canonical manages its development infrastructure.

These regular, automated ISO images allow developers to test and fine-tune their new automated build pipeline in real-time. Crucially, this ensures the core installation process is stable, reliable, and functional much earlier in the cycle. This proactive testing approach helps catch integration issues long before the final Beta milestone.

Snapshots are published for all major Ubuntu flavors, meaning you can also find early images for Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Lubuntu, Ubuntu MATE, and others.

What to Expect from Ubuntu 26.04 LTS

While Snapshot 1 itself is currently running older components, the final Resolute Raccoon release promises several high-impact changes for the modern Linux desktop. This LTS is shaping up to be a defining release for performance and modernity.

Here are the most significant planned updates for the final April 2026 release:

• GNOME 50 Integration: The desktop environment is expected to ship with the latest major version, GNOME 50, bringing significant updates to the shell, core apps, and the overall user experience.
• Wayland on NVIDIA Stability: Canonical is committed to improving Wayland support, particularly for users with NVIDIA graphics cards. Developers are continuing to integrate performance and stability patches to make the Wayland session the default and most reliable choice.
• Application Replacements: We anticipate seeing new, modern applications replace older defaults. Notably, the operating system is set to ship a new System Monitor and a replacement for the long-standing Totem video player.
• Package Optimization (amd64v3): Ubuntu 26.04 will standardize the rollout of x86-64-v3 (amd64v3) variants for packages. This optimization ensures that users on modern Intel/AMD CPUs get better performance by utilizing newer instruction sets like AVX-512, which are absent in the baseline amd64 architecture.
• Security Center Enhancements: The updated Security Center will gain new features, including the ability to re-encrypt a disk and better manage Ubuntu Pro subscription features directly from the desktop.

Current Status: Snapshot 1 Details

It is important to remember that Snapshot 1 is an extremely early look. It is not yet feature-complete and contains components that will certainly be upgraded before the final stable release.

As of this initial release, the snapshot typically includes:

1. Desktop Environment: Still running on GNOME 49 components.
2. Kernel Version: Currently utilizing an older kernel, likely around Linux Kernel 6.17.
3. Core Features: Many of the planned features, such as GNOME 50 and the new core applications, are still undergoing development and have not been merged into the main development branch yet.

If you choose to test this release, you should only do so on non-essential hardware or inside a virtual machine. This is purely for identifying build and foundational package bugs, not for daily work.

How to Get Started (For Experienced Testers Only)

If you are an experienced Ubuntu developer or tester and want to contribute by filing bug reports, you can download the ISO images directly from the Ubuntu releases server.

Warning: Do not use this development snapshot on production machines.

For Existing Ubuntu 25.10 Users:

You can upgrade an existing Ubuntu 25.10 installation to the new 26.04 Development branch by following these steps in the terminal. This is often the fastest way to track development changes.

1. Ensure All Current Updates Are Installed:

   sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

2. Initiate the Development Release Upgrade:

   do-release-upgrade -d

This release marks the exciting beginning of the 26.04 cycle. By focusing on stability improvements, modern hardware optimizations like amd64v3, and a fully realized Wayland experience, Resolute Raccoon is set to be one of the most powerful and significant LTS releases in recent memory.