Switcher 2026: Ubuntu 26.04 ⭐️

Now available in stable, Ubuntu 26.04 is a major step forward, with Linux kernel 7, GNOME 50, the latest WINE 11, and other new platform updates. Ubuntu has long been the go-to mainstream Linux distribution, meaning it’s almost boring in some ways. But this release is particularly interesting for Windows switchers, including those who play videogames.

📦 Distribution variants and schedule

Most Linux distributions come in multiple variants, but Ubuntu is somewhat unique in this regard because it offers so many. I’ve typically stuck with stock Ubuntu, in part because I like GNOME, but some of the other choices here include Edubuntu (education), Kubuntu (KDE and Plasma), Lubuntu (LXQt for older PCs), Ubuntu Budgie, Ubuntu Cinnamon, Ubuntu Kylin (for China), Ubuntu MATE, Ubuntu Studio (for creators), Ubuntu Unity, and Xubuntu (Xfce), many of which come with alternative desktop environments. Ubuntu is also available on Raspberry Pi devices and, as you may know, in the Windows Subsystem for Linux for Windows 11.

It’s also worth pointing out that Canonical releases two major versions of Ubuntu each year, a short-term support release each April and October (25.10 being the most recent release) and then a long-term support (LTS) release every other April. Ubuntu 26.04, as its name implies, is an LTS release, so it is supported for individuals for five years, whereas as interim short-term releases are supported for 9 months. Those who need longer support can subscribe to Ubuntu Pro, but that’s outside of my interest area.

✅ Hardware compatibiltiy

It’s likely you saw at least one recent news headline about Ubuntu 26.04 before it was released: This is the release that raises the minimum RAM requirement from 4 GB to 6 GB, triggering stories that Linux “now has higher minimum requirements than Windows 11.” But that is, of course, ludicrous: Windows 11 works best with 16 GB or more of RAM, and I wouldn’t touch a Windows PC with less RAM than that. Plus, there are many variants of Ubuntu, or what it calls flavors, some of which target lower-end and older PCs.

Installing Linux on older PCs is common enough, but I’ve been testing many distributions on the newest hardware I can, including recent generation Intel Core Ultra- and AMD Ryzen-based laptops, and often with some form of dedicated Nvidia laptop GPUs. Those types of PCs are particularly good if gaming is a goal, as it is for me.

For this install, I used a 16-inch laptop with an Intel Core Ultra 7 265H processor, Nvidia RTX 500 graphics, 32 GB of RAM, and a 1 TB SSD. As has been the case with other recent Linux distributions, Ubuntu had no issues with any of the hardware, well, beyond the facial recognition capabilities in the webcam. I was able to configure a fingerprint-based sign-in and used proprietary Nvidia drivers for the best possible graphics performance.

My experience on this PC has been so good that I will install it on a second PC later today.

✅ Software compatibility

Linux has come a long way when it comes to native apps in recent years, and Ubuntu is riding, or maybe leading, that wave. Interestingly, Firefox is the default and only web browser on a clean Ubuntu install–Zorin and some other distributions have moved to Brave–but there’s a case to be made that its loyalty will pay off, given the recent Anthropic/Mozilla security fixes partnership. I’m onboard for that.

Ubuntu calls its app store App Center, which I suppose is on par with Software in Zorin OS. It’s simple and obvious, and it has all the apps I expect to find on Linux these days, including the Typora Markdown editor I love. It supports Snap, Deb, Flatpack, and other app package formats. Ubuntu is one of the smartest choices if you’re concerned about compatibility.

I did, of course, install Steam and a handful of games, like Control and Resident Evil Village.

But I already knew these worked great on this laptop, given my experiences with Fedora, Zorin OS, Zenclora, and other distributions. Plus, Ubuntu gives you the option to install proprietary drivers for Nvidia dedicated graphics, which I did, and it has up-to-date WINE and other compatibility components. So the experience was excellent, as expected.

✅ Services compatibility

Ubuntu, like other Linux versions, offers an Online Services interface in the Settings app by which you can connect to your Microsoft, Google, or other online accounts and then use the underlying email, calendar, contacts, and cloud storage services with whatever apps on the computer. I use this primarily with OneDrive (personal Microsoft account) so that I can access my current work documents, but whatever: It’s not the full sync experience you get with a native Google Drive or OneDrive client, but it’s good enough. It’s just like accessing a network share on the local network.

The problem, of course, is that I’ve had trouble getting this to work lately. Indeed, I had experienced the Online Services issue I wrote about in Switcher 2026: Zorin OS 18.1 ⭐ with a pre-release version of Ubuntu 26.04, too. But when I more recently clean-installed the shipping version, that worked normally again. There are some UI differences–Ubuntu has a single Microsoft 365 entry in Online Accounts instead of separate consumer and business entries, for example–but I was delighted to see it just work the first time and without needing to fumble around with different browsers.

This means I was able to connect my Google and Microsoft consumer accounts and can now access the online storage from both through the Files app, which is terrific. I can also connect easily to my Mexico-based NAS, as it’s on the local network.

✅ User interface

Ubuntu is so popular that one could argue that it is, in fact, Linux, or at least representative of Linux. And I get that. But the stock Ubuntu user interface, with its orange and purple color scheme and panel/dock on the left side of the display is not really to my liking, though I suppose there is a vague NeXTStep-like vibe to it.

Fortunately, you can move that dock to the bottom or some other screen edge, disable panel mode and make it more like macOS, and also auto-hide it. There we go: This is how I configure the Dock on a Mac, and it just feels more familiar and comfortable.

Beyond that weirdness, the GNOME 50-based Ubuntu desktop is clean, modern, and well-designed, and the fit and finish here is embarrassing to Microsoft. Application windows all have the correct three window buttons (minimize, maximize/restore, and close), as God intended. The configured accent color appears correctly throughout, as do your Dark/Light mode settings.

My issues are so minor they’re almost not even worth discussing. For example, the Windows WINKEY + E keyboard shortcut doesn’t work for Files as it does in Zorin OS. Big deal. (WINKEY + D does work, interestingly.)

Conclusions

After extolling the virtues of Zorin OS 18.1, I reinstalled Ubuntu 26.04 from scratch, and now I’m torn. There’s a reason this is the most popular Linux distribution, and there’s something to be said for a platform where everything just works. And while I had been trying to focus on less mainstream Linux distributions to some degree, Ubuntu deserves your attention. Sometimes, boring really is better: After months of actively testing Linux again, I’ve basically found out that some of the most popular and long-lived distributions, like Fedora and Ubuntu, are among the best, too. Shocker, I know. But still a useful exercise.

Pros.

✔️ Excellent fit and finish, with a consistent user interface

✔️ Terrific hardware compatibility

✔️ Solid software and online services experiences

Cons.

❌ None major