Ubuntu 25.10 ‘Questing Quokka’ daily builds are now available for download, making it easier to help test the next Ubuntu release during its development cycle.
Development began on Ubuntu 25.10 earlier this month, beginning its 6-month march to a final, stable release on 9th October 2025 (owing to the nature of development that release date could change – it’s happened before).
Now that the initial sync, tooling and plumbing is done, the first installable ISO images are available to download.
I’m writing this very early in the 25.10 development cycle so—spoiler—there’s not a lot that’s “new” to see or play with (it’s mainly lower-level package updates so far).
That will change in the coming months as user-facing new features and major foundational changes start trickling in for testing.
What are Ubuntu Daily Builds?
Ubuntu daily builds are pre-release versions of Ubuntu, generated daily. They’re snapshots of development as it unfolds.
Daily builds are intended for developers and testers, not regular users. Having a ‘fresh’ unadulterated install means they can hunt for bugs, spot regressions, adapt their own software to work, and have fun trying the shiny new features.
However, even for developers, Ubuntu daily builds are not supposed to be used as a primary OS due to bugs, alpha/beta-quality software, half-implemented features, and the risks that comes with a constant stream of interlinked software updates (i.e., conflicts or breakage).
Despite those risks, running an Ubuntu daily build is a great way to appreciate first-hand the work that goes into shaping a new release. Install updates as they’re released — effectively treating it like a rolling release distro — and you’ll see it take form.
How to Download Ubuntu 25.10 Daily Builds
You can download Ubuntu 25.10 daily builds from the Ubuntu cdimage server as an ISO for 64-bit Intel/AMD systems or, for those with compatible hardware, the ARM64 ISO. Flash the image to a USB to create bootable media or (less risky) run it in a virtual machine.
Daily builds in the ‘current’ folder have passed a series of automated tests, while those in the ‘pending’ folder have not. Use the images in the current folder where possible, unless the image you need (e.g., it has a specific fix) only available in ‘pending’.
Raspberry Pi users looking to test will want to use the IMG from the ‘daily-preinstalled’ folder on the Ubuntu CD image server — this has not, at the time I write this, been updated with 25.10 builds, so check back in a few weeks.
Testing daily builds isn’t for the feint of heart, but if you try these builds, be sure to report any bugs you find (and any crashes you encounter) since every report helps make the final, stable release better for everyone.