Ubuntu 25.10 End-of-Life — July 9, 2026 & What To Do Next
What Is Ubuntu 25.10 (Questing Quokka)?
Ubuntu 25.10, codenamed Questing Quokka, was released on October 9, 2025. Like all non-LTS Ubuntu releases, it carries a 9-month support window — which closes on July 9, 2026.
Non-LTS releases are feature previews intended for users who want the latest packages and are willing to upgrade frequently. They ship newer kernels, updated toolchains, and current desktop environments — but they are not designed for long-running production systems. If you deployed 25.10 expecting multi-year stability, this EOL date requires immediate action.
Ubuntu 25.10 EOL — Key Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Ubuntu 25.10 released | October 9, 2025 |
| Ubuntu 25.10 end of life | July 9, 2026 |
| Days remaining (as of June 17, 2026) | 22 days |
| Recommended upgrade target | Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (Resolute Raccoon) |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS standard EOL | April 30, 2031 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS with Ubuntu Pro | April 2036 (10 years) |
What Happens After July 9, 2026?
When Ubuntu 25.10 reaches end of life, Canonical stops maintaining it across every dimension:
- No more security patches. CVEs disclosed after July 9 will never be patched on 25.10. The vulnerability list grows indefinitely with no remediation path.
- No more bug fixes. The system remains frozen at its last patch state.
- Third-party repositories drop support. Firefox, Google Chrome, Wine, LibreOffice PPA, Kubuntu PPAs, and most major third-party repositories will stop publishing packages for 25.10.
- Package installation can break. As the Ubuntu archive evolves for newer releases, 25.10 systems can hit dependency conflicts that prevent installing or upgrading software.
This is not a theoretical risk. Every day past EOL increases the number of unpatched, publicly documented vulnerabilities on the system. Exploit code for known CVEs routinely appears on GitHub within days of disclosure — and EOL systems receive no response.
Upgrade to Ubuntu 26.04 LTS
The supported upgrade target from Ubuntu 25.10 is Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (Resolute Raccoon), released April 23, 2026. Canonical has officially opened the upgrade path.
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS provides:
- 5 years of standard security support — until April 2031
- 10 years of coverage with a free Ubuntu Pro account (up to 5 machines)
- A stable long-term platform — no forced upgrade for years
How to Upgrade
Check your current version first:
lsb_release -aUpdate all packages, then run the release upgrade:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo do-release-upgradeOn servers where the upgrade tool doesn't yet offer 26.04, add the -d flag:
sudo do-release-upgrade -ddo-release-upgrade. This step is skipped more often than it should be — especially under time pressure.
For desktop users, Ubuntu will display a graphical upgrade prompt. Accept all prompts and allow the process to complete — typically 20–60 minutes depending on connection speed and installed packages.
Who Is Most Affected?
Ubuntu 25.10 is a non-LTS release, so the affected population is smaller than a typical LTS EOL event. The groups most likely running it:
- Developers who installed 25.10 for newer packages — Python 3.13, GCC 15, newer kernel features
- Home lab and self-hosted servers upgraded to 25.10 manually or automatically
- CI/CD pipelines using Ubuntu 25.10 as a base runner image
- Docker images built on
ubuntu:25.10— these continue to exist after EOL but receive no security updates
If you run automated workflows pulling ubuntu:25.10, update your Dockerfiles and pipeline configs to ubuntu:26.04 before July 9.
Ubuntu Release Lifecycle Reference
| Version | Codename | Type | EOL Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 22.04 | Jammy Jellyfish | LTS | April 1, 2027 | Active |
| Ubuntu 24.04 | Noble Numbat | LTS | May 31, 2029 | Active |
| Ubuntu 25.04 | Plucky Puffin | non-LTS | January 17, 2026 | EOL |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | Questing Quokka | non-LTS | July 9, 2026 | 22 days remaining |
| Ubuntu 26.04 | Resolute Raccoon | LTS | April 30, 2031 | Active — upgrade target |
See the full Ubuntu EOL timeline for every version back to 4.10.
Frequently Asked Questions
When exactly does Ubuntu 25.10 reach end of life?
July 9, 2026. After that date, Canonical will no longer issue security updates, bug fixes, or package updates for Ubuntu 25.10.
Can I stay on Ubuntu 25.10 after the EOL date?
Technically yes — the system will continue to run. But you will receive no security patches. Every CVE disclosed after July 9 is a permanent, unpatched vulnerability on your system. This is a material security risk for any internet-facing system.
Is there extended support (Ubuntu Pro / ESM) for Ubuntu 25.10?
No. Ubuntu Pro and Extended Security Maintenance (ESM) are only available for LTS releases. Ubuntu 25.10 is a non-LTS release and receives no extended support through any channel. Upgrading to Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is the only path.
What if I can't upgrade immediately?
Apply compensating controls: restrict network access, tighten firewall rules, and monitor for CVEs affecting your installed packages. These are mitigations, not solutions. Set a hard deadline — do not let it slip past July 9.
Will do-release-upgrade work reliably from 25.10 to 26.04?
Yes. Canonical officially supports this upgrade path. Most upgrades complete without issues. Third-party PPAs outside the main archive are the most common friction point — you may need to disable and re-add them after the upgrade.
Does this affect Ubuntu Server as well as Desktop?
Yes — the EOL date applies to both Ubuntu Server 25.10 and Ubuntu Desktop 25.10. Server upgrades run via CLI (do-release-upgrade); Desktop users see a graphical prompt. Both are fully supported paths to 26.04.
What about Docker images using ubuntu:25.10?
Docker images built on ubuntu:25.10 will continue to exist after the EOL date but will receive no security updates. Update your Dockerfiles to FROM ubuntu:26.04 and rebuild before July 9.
Check Your Full Stack
Ubuntu 25.10 EOL is one exposure. Your Python runtime, Node.js, PHP, MariaDB, and application dependencies each have their own end-of-life dates — and most vulnerability scanners don't flag EOL software as a risk class.