Tom's Hardware Article
Ubuntu Linux raises minimum system memory requirements by 50% — requirements bumped to 6GB of RAM, previously raised from 1GB to 4GB in 2018
https://www.tomshardware.com/software/operating-systems/ubunto-linux-raises-minimum-system-requirements-to-6gb-of-ram-it-was-previously-raised-from-1gb-to-4gb-in-2018
Some content was translated and edited from Gemini 3 Flash.
According to the release notes for Ubuntu 26.04 LTS scheduled for release this month, Canonical has increased the minimum memory requirements by about 50%.
To run 26.04 LTS, you will need a minimum of 6GB of RAM, along with a processor of at least 2GHz dual-core and 25GB of free disk space.
The last time the minimum RAM requirement was raised was in 2018. At that time, Ubuntu 18.04 LTS required 4GB.
Going back further, Ubuntu 14.04 LTS from 2014 maintained a level of 1GB for four years. Considering these precedents, this RAM requirement adjustment is not considered to be extremely drastic.
Ubuntu-focused media outlet OMG Ubuntu described this RAM requirement adjustment as "an honesty bump" in realistic requirements. In other words, while the operating system kernel itself may not be demanding more system resources, Canonical has recognized that a minimum of 6GB of RAM is necessary to accommodate the latest GNOME desktop, web browsers, and typical multitasking environments.
6GB is not an absolute requirement. You can still install the operating system in environments that do not meet the specifications. However, it is understandable that performance may be degraded on systems with less memory. In fact, OMG Ubuntu tested 26.04 (beta) on a laptop with 2GB of RAM and reported that while it was functional, the speed was slow.
There are alternatives as well. Among Ubuntu distributions, there is Lubuntu, a lightweight option. As of the latest version, 24.04 LTS, it only requires 1GB of RAM, a 1GHz CPU, and just under 10GB of storage space.
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This is the default wallpaper image for Ubuntu 26.04 'Resolute Raccoon'. (Source)
