Ubuntu Linux now requires 6 GB of RAM – that's 50% more than Windows 11

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (Resolute Raccoon) – new minimum requirements

In the official release notes for Ubuntu 26.04 LTS Canonical announced an increase in the minimum RAM requirement by 50%. The system now requires:

These figures follow a trend in Ubuntu’s history:

- 2014 – Ubuntu 14.04 LTS required a minimum of 1 GB RAM;
- 2018 – with the release of Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Bionic Beaver) the requirement rose to 4 GB.

Thus, the new 6 GB requirement is not an unexpected step.

> Note: The system will still install on a computer with less memory, but the “updated desktop and modern applications” will run comfortably only if at least 6 GB of RAM are available.

Comparison with other OSes: Windows 11 lists a minimum of 4 GB RAM, making Ubuntu 26.04 more demanding.

What’s new in the package
* GNOME has been updated from version 49 to 50.
* Fresh versions of popular applications come pre‑installed: Firefox, LibreOffice, Thunderbird, and GIMP.

When installing on a less powerful machine (e.g., a laptop with 2 GB RAM), users can expect low performance – this was indeed observed in the beta version of the system.

Alternatives for weak machines
If your PC has 4 GB of RAM or less, consider lighter options:

This version is designed for older devices and consumes significantly fewer resources than the standard Ubuntu 26.04 LTS.