Six months after the 24.04.4 LTS release, the Ubuntu team announced the general availability of Ubuntu 24.04.5 LTS. This is the fifth maintenance update in the Noble Numbat series, launched in April 2024.
As expected from a point release, there are no major new user-facing features. Instead, Ubuntu 24.04.5 combines security updates, bug fixes, and other important corrections released since the previous installation media.
The biggest change for desktop users is the refreshed Hardware Enablement stack, which now uses Linux kernel 7.0, replacing the Linux 6.17 HWE kernel used by Ubuntu 24.04.4.
As usual, Ubuntu Desktop installations track the HWE stack by default, while Ubuntu Server continues to use the original GA kernel by default, with HWE available as an option.
On the graphics side, the release also comes with the Mesa 26.2 graphics stack, bringing newer open-source graphics drivers and improved hardware support, particularly for AMD and Intel GPUs.
Existing Ubuntu 24.04 LTS users do not need to reinstall the operating system. Keeping the system updated through the regular update mechanism is enough to receive the latest packages and HWE updates.
Alongside Ubuntu itself, Kubuntu 24.04.5 LTS, Ubuntu Budgie 24.04.5 LTS, Ubuntu MATE 24.04.5 LTS, Lubuntu 24.04.5 LTS, Ubuntu Kylin 24.04.5 LTS, Ubuntu Studio 24.04.5 LTS, Xubuntu 24.04.5 LTS, Edubuntu 24.04.5 LTS, Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04.5 LTS, and Ubuntu Unity 24.04.5 LTS are also now available.
Ubuntu Desktop, Server, Cloud, and Core receive five years of standard maintenance from the original Ubuntu 24.04 LTS release. The remaining official flavors are supported for three years, with additional security coverage available through Expanded Security Maintenance.
