You Can Now Install Linux Kernel 6.3 on Ubuntu, Here’s How

A step-by-step and easy to follow tutorial for all Ubuntu and Linux beginners.
Linux 6.3 Ubuntu

Good news! Ubuntu users can now install the just-released Linux 6.3 kernel on their computers, so here’s a quick and easy-to-follow tutorial on how to install Linux kernel 6.3 on your Ubuntu PC.

Released over the weekend by Linus Torvalds, Linux kernel 6.3 has already landed in Ubuntu’s official Mainline Kernel Archive and it’s available for all Ubuntu users and supported on amd64 (x86_64), AArch64 (ARM64), ARMhf, PowerPC 64-bit Little Endian (ppc64el), and IBM System z (s390x) architectures.

I’ve only tested Linux kernel 6.3 on a fresh Ubuntu 23.04 (Lunar Lobster) installation and everything went smoothly. Of course, you can install it on any supported Ubuntu release, such as Ubuntu 22.10 (Kinetic Kudu) or Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish), but I don’t recommend installing a mainline kernel on an Ubuntu LTS release.

Editor’s note: This guide uses the OFFICIAL mainline kernel packages created by the Ubuntu Kernel Team. These kernel packages are safe to install and they’ve been tested on the latest Ubuntu releases for inclusion in future versions or to rebase Ubuntu’s OEM kernels.

However, please keep in mind that they aren’t signed like the normal kernels from the Ubuntu repositories, which means that you won’t be able to install them on UEFI/Secure Boot systems if Secure Boot is enabled. So disable Secure Boot before following this guide.

Also, please note that these kernels are produced with no warranty and the Ubuntu Kernel Team won’t offer support for these kernels, and they aren’t responsible for any damages they may cause as a result of improper installation or use.

This guide offers you two methods of installing the latest Linux kernel on your Ubuntu computer, a graphical one and a command-line one (for experienced users). The first method is to use the Ubuntu Mainline Kernel Installer application, which automates the entire process and also notifies you to install new kernel updates.

How to install Linux kernel 6.3 on Ubuntu with the Ubuntu Mainline Kernel Installer

This is the easiest way to install Linux kernel 6.3 on your Ubuntu computer as all you have to do is to add the Ubuntu Mainline Kernel Installer helper tool to your system and then install the new kernel with a single click.

However, before doing that ensure that your system is up to date and that you have a recent backup of your most important and precious files!

Run the commands below in the Terminal app to install Ubuntu Mainline Kernel Installer:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:cappelikan/ppa
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y mainline

Once Ubuntu Mainline Kernel Installer was installed, run it from the applications menu and install Linux kernel 6.3, which is the first entry on the list of supported kernels (see the screenshots below). When the installation is complete, you’ll be prompted to reboot your computer.

The great thing about this method is that you’ll receive newer versions of Linux kernel 6.3 as soon as they are made available in Ubuntu’s mainline kernel archive (e.g. Linux kernel 6.3.1, Linux kernel 6.3.2, etc.).

The Ubuntu Mainline Kernel Installer app won’t alter a single GRUB or bootloader file itself. All it does is download the kernel packages from the Ubuntu mainline kernel archive and run the dpkg command to install them the same way you would do it manually as explained below.

How to install Linux kernel 6.3 on Ubuntu via CLI

As mentioned before, this method is recommended for experienced users who know what they’re doing and don’t want to use the Ubuntu Mainline Kernel Installer helper utility. This method implies that you manually download and install the kernel packages for your architecture from the official mainline Ubuntu kernel PPA archive.

After you’ve downloaded the kernel packages for your architecture, you can install them from the folder where you’ve downloaded them, all at once, by running the sudo dpkg -i *.deb command in the Terminal app or a virtual terminal.

Wait until the installation process finishes and then reboot your computer. That’s it, you’re now running the latest and greatest Linux kernel on your Ubuntu computer, so enjoy its new features and improvements.

If you want to go back to Ubuntu’s default kernel, simply press the Esc key when your computer boots then access the Advanced options and select a different kernel version.

Last updated 11 months ago

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com