The third monthly snapshot of Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is now available for download, though it remains strictly for use by resolute testers only.
“I’d like to announce the third successful publication of the monthly snapshot – Resolute Snapshot 3 (but also the first of 2026!),” says Canonical’s Utkarsh Gupta in an announcement sent to the ubuntu-devel mailing list.
As the third snapshot (of five planned between now and March 2026, when the Ubuntu 26.04 beta is due for release) it’s the half-way point in the Ubuntu 26.04 ‘Resolute Raccoon’ development cycle, with 3 more months to go.
Don’t rush off to download this snapshot expecting to see lots of visible changes. Resources, Ubuntu’s new choice for default system monitor, is on-disk, as are a couple of GNOME 50 alpha components. But the bulk of changes remain lower-level – for now.
February will bring the fourth and final snapshot. That should offer a more substantial set changes for desktops users since GNOME 50 beta is due at the end of January, and much of what’s coming in that will need to be packaged ahead of feature freeze in the middle of the month.
As a reminder, Canonical publishes monthly Ubuntu snapshots as a way to test and refine a new automated build and testing system it’s working on. Its engineers current frame them as “throwaway artefacts”.
Which means Ubuntu snapshots are not special; they’re alphas or ‘more stable’ or more tested than a standard daily build. They’re just a snapshot of development, once a month, produced in a different way.
All Ubuntu flavours produce snapshots. If you prefer Ubuntu with a Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Ubuntu Cinnamon or other flavour, grab the respective snapshot for those.
Ubuntu 26.04 Snapshot 4 is planned for February 26th.
If you choose to install (rather than use a VM) keep in mind that 26.04 is in development. Continue to install updates between now and April and you will have the final stable release.
The final, stable release of Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is released on Thursday, April 23 2026, with opt-in upgrades from Ubuntu 24.04 LTS enabled from July 2026.