It’s time to get testing — or do I mean questing? — as the beta release of Ubuntu 25.10 (Questing Quokka) is available to download.
The Ubuntu 25.10 Beta brings a number of user-facing changes to the desktop, the majority of which come via the GNOME 49 release.
There’s an accessibility menu on the login screen, media controls on the lock screen, and a Yaru theme update with new icons and smoother spinner animation on the boot screen.
Canonical’s engineers have also plumbed in lower-level enhancements, designed to improve the distribution’s security, reliability and compatibility ahead of next year’s important Ubuntu 26.04 LTS.
Dracut has replaced initramfs-tools for new installs and Chrony is used for spoof-proof network time. New Rust-based sudo and coreutils packages are also included for improved security.
I cover the best new features in Ubuntu 25.10 in a separate article (check that for more detail) but here’s a top level overview of the key changes:
- Linux kernel 6.17 – Next major kernel release
- New GPU drivers – NVIDIA 580, Mesa 25.2.2
- New default apps – Loupe image viewer & Ptyxis terminal
- GNOME 49 – New animations, improved HDR, sandboxed image loading
- Nautilus – ‘Open in terminal’ shortcut, redesigned search UI, faster trashing
- Security Center – TPM-backed Full Disk Encryption recovery key management
- Yaru theme update – New icons, new spinner, rounder UI elements
- Ubuntu Dock – Consistent radii in non-panel mode; localisation fix
- Desktop icons – Extension adds new keyboard shortcuts
Under-the-hood changes:
- System installer – Improved TPM-backed disk encryption
- Rust-based
sudo– Same command but better security - Rust-based Coreutils – Replaces GNU Coreutils
- Boot init – Dracut replaces initramfs-tools on new installs
- Network time – Distro now uses Chrony and NTS
- Ubuntu Insights – CLI tool used for Ubuntu Pro
Also, Raspberry Pi sees changes to the way Ubuntu 25.10 boots, and tech tinkerers with RISC-V hardware will need the absolute latest hardware to boot this releases as Ubuntu 25.10 raised its RISC-V profile requirements.
Perhaps the biggest and most important change of all:
- New wallpaper – It’s—shock!—purple and has a quokka on it
—what; that’s only the biggest and most important change in MY world? Pssh…
Shout out to my X
Ubuntu 25.10 is the first version of Ubuntu to not include an Xorg/X11 session by default (as the GNOME 49 desktop has disabled the ability to run on anything other than Wayland.
Anyone looking to test Ubuntu 25.10 should be aware of this so that they don’t report it as a bug — it’s very much by design!
While this change has generated a lot of ‘drama’ in the community, not to mention confusion (some put out as fuel for outrage industrial complex known as YouTube), most users will not be impacted: Ubuntu made Wayland session the default back in 2021.
Also, Xwayland is included, meaning the majority of apps, games and software that rely on X11 will continue to work on Ubuntu 25.0 with Wayland.
There will be edge cases (hardware or older software that only works in a proper Xorg session) but as Xorg is still available in the repos (so adding PPAs for Xorg forks isn’t necessary) and users can install it alongside an X11-based desktop like Cinnamon or Xfce.
Should I try the Ubuntu 25.10 Beta?
If you’re thinking about installing the Ubuntu 25.10 beta, be aware that it’s still, well, a beta.
Dealing with potentially buggy and broken software isn’t ideal, so if you rely on their computer to get things done, avoid installing this beta build. Try it out in a virtual machine or boot it on real hardware as a live session to sample the changes instead.
Otherwise, sit back and leet others take the risk instead, so that your experience once the final version is released next month is better.
Download Ubuntu 25.10 Beta
You can download Ubuntu 25.10 from the Ubuntu release server for Intel/AMD 64-bit PCs. There’s also a generic ARM image (may not work on all devices), and a preinstalled image for Raspberry Pi.
Upgrading from Ubuntu 25.10 beta to the stable release is easy: install software updates as they come. By 9 October 2025, beta builds will have the exact same packages, fixes, and patches as anyone performing a fresh install.
Prefer Ubuntu with a different flavour?
Beta builds of Ubuntu flavours are available for testing too. That includes Lubuntu with LXQt 2.2.0, Xubuntu 25.10 with Xfce 4.20.1, and Ubuntu Studio 25.10 with KDE Plasma 6.4.
Share your thoughts on this beta and its features down in the comments.