Canonical raises Ubuntu 26.04 LTS Desktop minimum RAM requirement from 4 GB to 6 GB

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, code-named “Resolute Raccoon,” introduces a higher baseline for system memory: Canonical now lists 6 GB of RAM as the minimum requirement for its flagship Linux distribution. This represents the first major shift to the RAM baseline in years, with earlier versions such as Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and 25.10 requiring only 4 GB. Alongside this change, the official hardware specifications now call for a 2 GHz dual-core processor and 25 GB of free disk space to install Ubuntu Desktop 26.04 LTS.

Despite this increase, installation is still possible on PCs with less than 6 GB of RAM. However, users should expect reduced responsiveness and a less optimized experience if their hardware falls short of these recommendations. While desktop requirements are more demanding, Ubuntu Server remains more flexible; its documentation retains a minimum of 1.5 GB for ISO installations and suggests 3 GB for practical workloads.

For users concerned about hardware compatibility or running older PCs, several lightweight Linux distributions, such as Lubuntu, Xubuntu, Ubuntu Mate, Linux Mint, Linux Lite, Bodhi Linux, and Puppy Linux, continue to offer lower system requirements than the main Ubuntu edition.