On April 23, 2026, the Kylin Team officially released Ubuntu Kylin 26.04, which will be supported for 9 months.

Based on the Linux 7.0 kernel, Ubuntu Kylin 26.04 brings major upgrades to core libraries, subsystems, and essential software, improving overall stability and compatibility. The desktop environment has also been upgraded to UKUI 4.20, delivering a smoother and more reliable user experience!

New Features

1. Kernel 7.0

Ubuntu Kylin 26.04 includes Linux kernel 7.0 with a series of enhancements:

● Rust language support is no longer marked as experimental.

● Improved support for Intel Core Ultra Series 3 (Panther Lake) processors.

● Optimized support for Intel Xe3 integrated graphics and integrated NPU.

● cgroupfs now mounts with nsdelegate, memory_recursiveprot, and memory_hugetlb_accounting enabled.

● Integrated the IgH EtherCAT Master module and Generic driver.

● The real-time Linux kernel is now available in the main archive for all users.

● Kernel Livepatch now supports the ARM64 architecture.

● ZFS has been updated to 2.4.1.

● DOCA-OFED 26.01 kernel modules are available for the Ubuntu generic kernel and selected derivative kernels.

2. systemd 259.5

systemd has been updated to v259.5. Compared with the default 257.9 version in 25.10, the main changes are as follows:

● The systemd service manager has been updated to version 259.5.

● Support for cgroup v1 (legacy and hybrid hierarchies) has been removed.

● Systems using cgroup v1 cannot be directly upgraded to Ubuntu Kylin 26.04.

● Ubuntu Kylin 26.04 container workloads cannot run on hosts booted with cgroup v1.

● Compatibility with traditional System V service scripts has entered the deprecation stage.

● Ubuntu Kylin 26.04 is the last release to retain compatibility with System V service scripts.

3. ToolChain update

● binutils has been updated to 2.46, and glibc to 2.43.

● Python has been updated to 3.14.3.

● LLVM now defaults to version 21.

● Rust now defaults to version 1.93.1.

● Golang has been updated to 1.26.

● OpenJDK now defaults to version 25.

4. UKUI 4.20 desktop environment

Ubuntu Kylin 26.04 continues to optimize the UKUI 4.20 desktop experience, focusing on frequently used scenarios such as the start menu, taskbar, quick settings, and personalization.

● Start menu and taskbar collaboration: the start menu provides search, favorites, and recently used entries. Application list switching is more straightforward, and frequently used apps can be pinned to the taskbar to reduce the number of steps in daily workflows.

● Quick settings panel improvements: quick settings now organize network, Bluetooth, audio, and other common controls in a more centralized way. Frequently used toggles such as dark mode, projection, and flight mode are presented together with brightness and volume sliders for faster access.

● Taskbar configuration: the settings application provides more detailed taskbar controls, including multi-display taskbar behavior, search and multitasking-view icon toggles, unified tray icon configuration, and on-screen virtual keyboard display options.

● Wallpaper settings improvements: wallpaper preview and related settings are displayed on the same screen, making it easier to browse and switch wallpapers. While browsing the wallpaper list, the preview area remains visible so users can compare changes more efficiently.

● Font management: users can add and search fonts more easily, making newly installed fonts easier to find and manage.

Installer

1. Image install

Download the image through the official website, create a bootable disk for installation (recommended).

Image download address : https://www.ubuntukylin.com/downloads/download-en.html

2. Upgrading from previous releases

(1) Upgrade via terminal commands

Open the terminal：

$ sudo apt update

$ sudo apt upgrade

$ sudo do-release-upgrade --allow-third-party -d

(2) Upgrade via software updates

After the release of 26.04, ensure you change your Software Sources to offer updates for any version.

You will then be offered to upgrade when you run Software Updates.

Known issue

● Settings may display dual title bars.

● Gray background remains after hovering over submenu items on the Settings main page.

Support

● Website: http://www.ubuntukylin.com

● Project page: http://www.launchpad.net/ubuntukylin

● Bug tracker: http://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntukylin

● IRC channel: irc.freenode.net #ubuntukylin-devel

● Mailing list: ubuntukylin-devel

● Weibo: http://weibo.com/u/3265288504

● Business Email: contact@ubuntukylin.com

Thanks

Thanks to Andreas Hasenack, Rik Mills, Tomedev, Dan Bungert, utkarsh2102 and others who involving in the work of Ubuntu Kylin, the success of Ubuntu Kylin 26.04 would the result of our joint efforts. If you want to be a contributor of Ubuntu Kylin,see:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuKylin/NewContributorGuide

https://www.ubuntukylin.com/ukylin