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Ubuntu users can now install the latest and greatest Linux 6.4 kernel on their PCs, so here’s our quick and easy-to-follow tutorial on how to install it using the Mainline Kernels Installer tool or via CLI.
Linux kernel 6.4 was released last weekend by Linus Torvalds and it’s already available for installations for Ubuntu systems from Canonical’s official Ubuntu Mainline Kernel Archive for amd64 (x86_64), AArch64 (ARM64), ARMhf, PowerPC 64-bit Little Endian (ppc64el), and IBM System z (s390x) architectures.
Before proceeding with the installation instructions, I have to warn you that these kernels are produced with no warranty by the Ubuntu Kernel Team, who will NOT offer support for these kernels in case you have issues, and they aren’t responsible for any damages they may cause as a result of improper installation or use.
With that in mind, you should install Linux kernel 6.4 ONLY if you need support for specific hardware that’s not correctly supported by the default Ubuntu kernel or previous Linux kernel versions, or if you know what you’re doing and you are capable of fixing your installation in case your system won’t boot.
I’ve only installed and tested Linux kernel 6.4 on Ubuntu 23.04 (Lunar Lobster) because I never recommend upgrading to a mainline kernel on Ubuntu LTS release and the Ubuntu 22.10 (Kinetic Kudu) release is about to reach end of life later this month.
I should also warn you that while this guide uses the official mainline kernel packages created by the Ubuntu Kernel Team, they’re not signed, which means that you’ll have to disable Secure Boot before following this tutorial.
Method 1: Install Linux kernel 6.4 on Ubuntu with Mainline Kernels Installer
This is the easiest way to install the latest mainline Linux kernel on your Ubuntu computer and it’s the recommended method because it will be a lot easier to keep your kernel up-to-date when new updates are available.
This method uses the Mainline Kernels helper tool, which you can install from this PPA (Personal Package Archive) by running the commands below in the Terminal app of your Ubuntu system. 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!
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:cappelikan/ppa
sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade
sudo apt install -y mainlineWhen the Ubuntu Mainline Kernel Installer was installed, you can run it from the applications menu and install Linux kernel 6.4, which will be the first entry on the list once the application refreshes the repositories (see the screenshots below).
When the installation is complete, you’ll be prompted to reboot your computer.
Method 2: Install Linux kernel 6.4 on Ubuntu via CLI
This method is ONLY recommended for experienced users who know what they’re doing and don’t want to use the Mainline Kernels helper utility from the first method.
This method implies that you will have to manually download and install the kernel packages for your specific architecture from the official Ubuntu mainline kernel PPA archive for Linux 6.4 and then manually install them on your system via the command line.
Therefore, once you’ve downloaded the kernel packages in a folder that you’ll create of your choice, you can install all the .deb files from that folder by running the sudo dpkg -i *.deb command in the Terminal app or from a virtual terminal. When the installation is complete, reboot your system.
If experience any issues and you want to go back to Ubuntu’s default kernel or another kernel installed on your system, press the Esc key when your computer boots to view the boot menu, access the “Advanced options” boot entry, and select a different kernel version from the list of available kernels.
Last updated 10 months ago
