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# Ubuntu 26.10 Has Come Out as a Rust-Packed Interim Release
- URL: https://itsfoss.com/news/ubuntu-26-10-release/
- Published: 2026-10-15T14:34:37.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-15T14:34:37.000Z
- Description: It ships with Linux 7.3, GNOME 51, an improved App Center, and many other upgrades.
- Author: Sourav Rudra
- Tags: News, Ubuntu

The title says that because, until now, the core utilities in Ubuntu were not fully Rust. `cp`, `mv`, and⁣ `rm` had stayed on the GNU versions over compatibility issues. They have since moved to the [Rust-based uutils implementation](https://itsfoss.com/news/ubuntu-rustification-coreutils-migration/), taking the distro even further in its oxidation process.

Ubuntu 26.10, codenamed "*Stonking Stingray*", is an interim release, which means it brings newer software than the earlier LTS while only getting nine months of support, ending in July 2027.

Although our features roundup covered [a lot of ground](https://itsfoss.com/news/ubuntu-26-10-features/), there were some changes that it missed. 😅

## ⭐ Ubuntu 26.10: What's New?

Well, we start with the kernel powering this interim release, **Linux 7.3**, which offers support for recent Snapdragon X2 Elite laptops along with several older Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus machines from Lenovo, HP, and Acer.

Gamers will be glad to know that [the first chunk](https://pixelcluster.dev/VRAM-Overcommit/?ref=itsfoss.com) of Valve engineer Natalie Vock’s VRAM overcommit work has also landed in this kernel. Games on graphics cards with too little video memory should run better, as some of the data can now be offloaded to regular system RAM.

You already know that this Linux release is shaping up to be [one of the most performance-focused releases](https://itsfoss.com/news/linux-7-3-preview/) in years.

Ubuntu is also moving to the **NVIDIA 615 driver series**, which replaces 595 and 610 and ships open kernel modules only, supporting Turing and newer GPUs.

The rustification we talked about earlier also extends to OpenPGP, where [Sequoia PGP](https://itsfoss.com/news/ubuntu-sequoia-pgp-inclusion/), a Rust-based implementation built by former GnuPG developers, has landed in the main archive. Its `sq` and `sqv` tools now sit alongside GnuPG's `gpg` and `gpgv`.

![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2026/10/ubuntu-26-10-gnome-51.png)

![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2026/10/ubuntu-26-10-tiling-assistant.png)

**For the desktop environment**, Ubuntu 26.10 has [GNOME 51](https://itsfoss.com/news/gnome-51-features/), with its range of upgrades such as a fingerprint manager in the *Users* panel, DNS search domains in the *Network* settings, and a count badge in *Files* when you drag multiple items.

There's also the [Ubuntu Tiling Assistant](https://github.com/ubuntu/Tiling-Assistant?ref=itsfoss.com) that shows a *Windows-11-like* interface for the built-in snappable window layouts.

If you were hoping for a redesigned installer and first-boot onboarding flow, those are planned to come for the next long-term support release, Ubuntu 28.04 LTS.

### 🛠️ Other Changes & Improvements

These are some of the other notable changes in this release:

- OpenSSL 4 brings Encrypted Client Hello (ECH) and better QUIC support.
- TPM-backed full-disk encryption now works without a hardware root of trust if a PIN or passphrase is set.
- The RISC-V platform gets official RVA23 support for the SpacemiT K3 boards and SiFive's BigSky platform.
- Twelve new wallpapers that were picked across the *Mascot*, *Photography*, and *Digital*/*Abstract* categories.
- The toolchain upgrades consist of GCC 15.2.0, LLVM 22.1.8, Python 3.14.7, Rust 1.97.1, Go 1.27, and OpenJDK 25.0.4.

## 📥 Download Ubuntu 26.10

ISOs for this interim release are available for *AMD64*, *ARM64*, *RISC*\-V, and others from the [official website](https://ubuntu.com/download?ref=itsfoss.com); go for the "*Desktop*" ISOs if you are a regular user. Specific flavors like *Server*, *Netboot*, and *WSL* can be fetched from [the releases portal](https://releases.ubuntu.com/26.10/?ref=itsfoss.com).

[Ubuntu 26.10](https://ubuntu.com/download/desktop?ref=itsfoss.com)