The Ubuntu Studio team is pleased to announce Ubuntu Studio 26.04 LTS, code-named “Resolute Raccoon.” This marks Ubuntu Studio’s 38th release.
This Long-Term Support (LTS) release is supported for 3 years, through April 2029.
An Ubuntu Studio LTS arrives once every two years. This is more than a routine update: it is a long-horizon milestone for creators, educators, studios, and production systems that prioritize dependability.
This release reflects months of development, packaging, design, testing, and community feedback, all focused on making Ubuntu Studio production-ready from first boot.
Whether you record music, edit video, design graphics, or publish layouts, the goal is simple: stay out of your way and let your creativity lead. That shows up in practical improvements across this release, from desktop layout choice and modernized setup tools to updated defaults and day-to-day polish.
For full technical details, known issues, and upgrade instructions, please see the Ubuntu Studio 26.04 LTS Release Notes.
You can download Ubuntu Studio 26.04 LTS from the download page.
Why This LTS Is Special
- You can trace a clear through-line across recent LTS cycles: 20.04 LTS was the last Xfce-based LTS and set up the desktop transition, 22.04 LTS stabilized the Plasma era, and 24.04 LTS introduced the new Subiquity/Flutter installer generation and PipeWire 1.0 maturity.
- Ubuntu Studio 26.04 LTS builds on that foundation with practical workflow improvements instead of a single marquee feature: three selectable desktop layouts, fully rewritten Installer and Audio Configuration tools (Python with GTK4 and Qt6 frontends), and broader translation coverage.
- It also brings forward ideas that were future-looking in earlier cycles, especially minimal-install flexibility and easier post-install workflow selection, while adding production-focused updates like FFADO support, easier PipeWire tuning, and new default additions such as Loopino and Plasma PipeWire Settings.
- As with prior Ubuntu Studio LTS releases, this cycle carries a three-year support window, through April 2029.
Major Highlights
Three desktop layouts, one familiar home
This release includes three selectable desktop layouts:
- The classic Ubuntu Studio top-panel layout
- A macOS-like layout with global menu and dock
- A Windows-like bottom-panel layout
Creators coming from different platforms get a familiar starting point and a faster path to feeling at home.
The default layout for new installs was selected by community vote. For background on the design direction, see Coming to 26.04 LTS: Three Layouts.
Installer and configuration tools modernized
Ubuntu Studio Installer and Ubuntu Studio Audio Configuration were completely rewritten, with modern interfaces and desktop-aware behavior.
This is more than a visual refresh. Both tools were rebuilt from the ground up in Python with dual GTK4 and Qt6 frontends, and automatically select the interface that best matches your desktop environment.
Internationalization also took a major leap forward: both tools now include translations across 21 languages, helping more creators configure their systems comfortably in their preferred language.
Audio production gets more powerful
Ubuntu Studio Audio Configuration now includes built-in support for FFADO FireWire devices and simpler PipeWire tuning through menus instead of manual entry.
For musicians and engineers using professional FireWire interfaces, FFADO support improves compatibility with legacy-but-still-essential studio hardware without extra manual setup.
PipeWire sample-rate and buffer controls are now easier to access and adjust quickly, making low-latency tuning far more approachable for both new and experienced users.
Better defaults for creators
VLC is now the default media player, offering broad format compatibility and a familiar, dependable playback experience for day-to-day media review.
vmpk now replaces jack-keyboard, giving MIDI-focused users a more modern and flexible virtual keyboard workflow.
More quality-of-life improvements across the release
Beyond the headline features, this release includes several practical improvements that make daily use smoother:
- Live sessions now inhibit lock screen/screensaver to prevent interruptions during testing or demos
- SDDM and splash visuals were refined for a cleaner login and boot experience
- Desktop menus include translation coverage improvements
- Theme metadata updates improve Plasma 6 compatibility and consistency
- Key workflow tools were substantially updated, including QPrompt, RaySession, and Patchance
New in 26.04 LTS
Three selectable desktop layouts with community-voted default
Rewritten Installer and Audio Configuration tools with expanded language support.
Improved audio workflow controls, including FFADO support and easier PipeWire tuning
New packages:
Loopino — A lightweight creative audio sampler with drag-and-drop sample loading, on-the-fly recording, a full ADSR envelope, filters, and effects. Available as a standalone application, CLAP plugin, and VST2 plugin, making it a flexible addition to any audio production workflow.
DistroAV — Formerly known as obs-ndi, DistroAV brings NDI (Network Audio/Video) support to OBS Studio, enabling high-quality, low-latency multi-track audio and video streaming over a local network. A natural fit for live streaming and networked A/V production setups. Not installed by default; install it by running
sudo apt install distroavin a terminal.snd-hdspe — An updated ALSA kernel driver for RME HDSPe PCIe sound cards (MADI, AES, RayDAT, AIO, and AIO Pro). This maintained fork of the original driver brings compatibility with newer kernels and expands hardware control through standard ALSA interfaces, giving professional RME users a reliable path forward. Not installed by default; if you have supported RME hardware, install it by running
sudo apt install snd-hdspein a terminal.Plasma PipeWire Settings — A KDE Plasma 6 panel widget for adjusting PipeWire quantum and sample rate on the fly, without touching configuration files. It is included by default and shown in the system tray by default, pairing with Ubuntu Studio Audio Configuration so the most common adjustments are always within reach.
Plasma Window Title Applet — A Plasma 6 panel applet that displays the active window title. Used in the macOS-like desktop layout to complete the global-menu experience.
Notable package changes:
Skanpage replaces Skanlite for scanning, offering multi-page document scanning and straightforward saving to common formats.
rubberband-lv2 replaces rubberband-ladspa, providing high-quality time-stretching and pitch-shifting as an LV2 plugin aligned with the broader move away from LADSPA.
Minimal installation workflow with modular post-install creative tool selection
Quality-of-life polish across live session behavior, translations, and desktop consistency
Minimal Install: Your Studio, Your Way
One topic we often see in community discussions is package “bloat”: some users want everything preinstalled, while others prefer to start lean and add tools only as needed.
Both approaches are fully supported.
If you want a lightweight starting point, choose the minimal install option during installation. This option has been available since 24.10. You will get the Ubuntu Studio desktop experience, theming, and core configuration, then add only the workflows you want using Ubuntu Studio Installer (audio, video, graphics, photography, and publishing).
If you want a complete creative workstation out of the box, the full install remains available.
You can also start from any official Ubuntu flavor and add Ubuntu Studio workflows without reinstalling.
Special Notes
The Ubuntu Studio 26.04 LTS disk image (ISO) exceeds 4 GB and cannot be reliably written to some file systems such as FAT32, and may not be readable when burned to a standard DVD.
We recommend using a compatible file system for downloads and creating a bootable USB stick.
Minimum installation media requirements:
- Dual-Layer DVD or 8 GB USB drive
Release images are available here.
Featured Creative Apps
Ubuntu Studio 26.04 LTS ships with a strong cross-discipline toolkit for creators working in audio, video, graphics, and publishing.
Highlights include:
- Blender 5.0.1
- Kdenlive 25.12.3
- Krita 6.0.1
- GIMP 3.2.2
- Ardour 9.0.0
- OBS Studio 32.1.0
For the complete software version list and source package references, see the release notes.
Whether your work is audio engineering, filmmaking, digital painting, motion graphics, podcasting, or publishing, the full Ubuntu Studio stack is ready to support it.
Upgrade Notes
Upgrades from Ubuntu Studio 25.10 are expected to be enabled shortly after release. Upgrades from Ubuntu Studio 24.04 LTS are expected to be enabled with the release of 26.04.1 LTS in August 2026.
Detailed upgrade instructions are available in the release notes.
Known Issues
Ubuntu Studio shares KDE Plasma and core Ubuntu components with other Ubuntu flavors. Some known issues overlap with Kubuntu and Ubuntu:
Additionally, on first login for a newly created user, a reboot prompt for applying audio-production group configuration is expected behavior (tracked at Launchpad bug #2063899).
Thank You
Ubuntu Studio is built by a volunteer community of developers, testers, artists, translators, documenters, and users. Thank you to everyone who tested pre-releases, reported bugs, submitted improvements, and helped shape this LTS.
In Memory of Steve Langasek
We want to give special recognition to Steve Langasek, who passed away in January 2025.
Known to many as vorlon, Steve’s impact on Ubuntu, Debian, Ubuntu Studio, and the wider Linux community is difficult to overstate. His work, guidance, and support helped countless contributors and projects over many years.
In Ubuntu community tributes, he has been remembered as “a great mind, mentor and conscience.” If you have not read it yet, Remembering and thanking Steve Langasek is a powerful reflection on his legacy.
For this cycle in particular, Steve was responsible for the codename “Resolute Raccoon,” as noted during the community codename activity at Guess the release 26.04 – R. We are honored to carry that name in this release and dedicate this moment of thanks to his memory.
Contributors
Special thanks this cycle go to many familiar contributors from prior releases, including:
- Eylul Dogruel: artwork and visual design
- Ross Gammon: upstream Debian development and testing
- Sebastien Ramacher: upstream Debian development
- Dennis Braun: upstream Debian development
- Rik Mills: Plasma and Kubuntu collaboration
- Scarlett Moore: Plasma and Kubuntu collaboration
- Aaron Rainbolt: Plasma and Kubuntu collaboration
- Michael Mikowski: Plasma and Kubuntu collaboration
- Len Ovens: testing and workflow insight, support and help
- Mauro Gaspari: tutorials, promotion, and documentation
- Utkarsh Gupta: Ubuntu Release Team support and collaboration
- Florent “Skia” Jacquet: Ubuntu Release Team support and collaboration
- Michael Hudson-Doyle: Ubuntu Release Team support and collaboration
- Erich Eickmeyer: project leadership, packaging, and direction
And to everyone in the Ubuntu Studio community: thank you for your trust, your feedback, your patience, and your passion.
Support Ubuntu Studio
Ubuntu Studio is built by volunteers, but volunteer work still comes with real costs.
As outlined in Ubuntu Studio Needs Donations, the project is now covering additional monthly expenses due to a web hosting provider change. This release cycle also included a large amount of development work, including fixing long-standing bugs and rewriting both Ubuntu Studio Installer and Ubuntu Studio Audio Configuration from the ground up.
If Ubuntu Studio helps your creative work, your teaching, your studio, or your community, please consider supporting the project financially. Donations help keep the infrastructure running and make it easier to keep improving the tools, packaging, and user experience that go into each release.
You can support Ubuntu Studio here:
https://ubuntustudio.org/contribute/
Get Involved
Ubuntu Studio is a community project driven by volunteers. If you would like to contribute your time through packaging, documentation, testing, user support, or promotion, we would love your help:
