Chances are Ubuntu boots so fast you rarely get time to stare at the boot screen, but if you’re somehow able to slow time down, there’s a new boot spinner to enjoy in 26.04 LTS.
The new animation you’ll see on the Plymouth boot screen reuses the sunburst-come-tail from the official Resolute Raccoon mascot, albeit without a bemused Raccoon face staring out at you like he climbed in the washing machine and is now stuck on a spin cycle.
Ubuntu’s developers also bumped the frame count used for the boot spinner to 60 slides, which allows for a full sweep of what is quite an intricate animation.
If you’re especially eagle-eyed you’ll have noticed Ubuntu 25.10 also changed the spinner animation on the boot screen. It had been using the Yaru theme’s loading indicator, but this was reworked after complaints that it looked blurry and smeary in motion.
For a look at how the Ubuntu boot spinner has changed from 24.04 through to 26.04, press play on the short clip below:
Ubuntu 26.04 changes the spinner again, choosing a characterful approach that’s thematically in keeping with the release mascot. I find that a nice nod for a long-term support release.
We’re a long way from the days when Ubuntu seemed to ship a new boot experience every six months – some were genuinely great, so if you’re interested in a full nostalgia post/video showing ’em all, let me know!
Smaller, thoughtful tweaks like this do help keep the distro’s personality from getting stale – however briefly we actually glimpse them in practice…