Ubuntu MATE 26.10 Release Notes

Key points

Ubuntu MATE 26.10 "Stonking Stingray" was released on 2026-10-14. It is the project's first release since it skipped Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, and the first from a newly formed team. It is a standard (non-LTS) release with nine months of support, until July 2027.

Versions

• Not every MATE package could be updated to its latest upstream version in time for this release; the packages that ship are described as stable.
• Some upstream bug fixes are included, and the team plans to backport others after release.
• Changes in the underlying Ubuntu base are covered in the Ubuntu 26.10 Release Notes rather than here.
• Images are offered for 64-bit desktop computers only.

Changes affecting scripts and automation

• The initramfs is now built with dracut instead of initramfs-tools. update-initramfs -u still runs, but options you relied on may no longer exist.
• ifupdown has been removed and networking is handled entirely by netplan. The reason given is that ifupdown could not bring up ethernet in the live session because it hard-codes the deprecated dhclient.
• As a consequence, pppoeconf, which depends on ifupdown, is no longer available.
• gdebi was left off the ISO because the current version fails after clicking Install and entering a password; a fix is being tracked (LP 2151797).

Known issues

• The show/hide password icon on the login screen does not work when the password box is clicked (LP 2169382).
• In manual installation, the installer always creates its own EFI partition even if one was made by hand. Workaround: let the installer create the EFI partition and create only the others (/boot, /, /home, etc.) yourself (1572).
• Screen-reader users: on the "Select your timezone" step, Tab keeps looping inside the Timezone box. Pressing Shift+Tab twice reaches the Next button, after which installation proceeds normally. This affects every flavour using the subiquity installer (1571).
• In virtual machines, an "internal error" pop-up may appear, usually pointing to /usr/bin/blueman-applet. Bare-metal machines with Bluetooth are not affected.
• In the live session, redshift may not work because the location service did not start; installed systems, virtual or physical, are not affected.
• The links on the installer's "Join the community" slide are out of date (LP 2170678).

How to upgrade

• Upgrade instructions are in the Discourse topic "Upgrading to Ubuntu MATE 26.10".
• No offline upgrade is available: the machine needs network access to an official mirror or a local mirror.

Summary by DistroNews, based on the original post.