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Linux kernel

The kernel behind every Linux distribution, Android and most of the world's servers, released about every nine weeks.

  • Active project
  • Latest 7.3.4Nov 2026
  • Latest LTS 6.18 LTS
  • Supported 7 versions
Download Official site 5 Linux kernel guides
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At a glance

Type
Operating system
Developer
Linus Torvalds and the kernel community
First release
17 Sep 1991
Release cadence
New mainline release about every 9–10 weeks; one LTS kernel a year
Type
Monolithic, modular kernel
Written in
C, with Rust support since 6.1
Architectures
x86, ARM, RISC-V, POWER, s390 and many more
Support
Stable kernels until the next release; LTS kernels for 2+ years
License
GPLv2
Website
kernel.org

Newest release

Linux kernel 7.3

Released 18 Oct 2026 · latest update 7.3.4

Recommended for servers

Linux kernel 6.18 LTS

Supported until 31 Dec 2028

Support status

7.3 Supported

No end date announced

6.18 LTS Supported

Until 31 Dec 2028 · in 2 years

6.12 LTS Supported

Until 31 Dec 2028 · in 2 years

6.6 LTS Supported

Until 31 Dec 2027 · in 1 year

6.1 LTS Supported

Until 31 Dec 2027 · in 1 year

5.15 LTS Supported

Until 31 Dec 2026 · in 1 month

5.10 LTS Supported

Until 31 Dec 2026 · in 1 month

7.2 End of life

Ended 1 Nov 2026 · 12 days ago

Release history

VersionReleasedLatestEnd of lifeStatus
7.318 Oct 20267.3.4Not announcedSupported
7.216 Aug 20267.2.151 Nov 2026End of life
7.114 Jun 20267.1.132 Sep 2026End of life
7.012 Apr 20267.0.1427 Jun 2026End of life
6.198 Feb 20266.19.1422 Apr 2026End of life
6.18 LTS30 Nov 20256.18.6331 Dec 2028Supported
6.1728 Sep 20256.17.1318 Dec 2025End of life
6.1627 Jul 20256.16.1212 Oct 2025End of life
6.1525 May 20256.15.1120 Aug 2025End of life
6.1424 Mar 20256.14.1110 Jun 2025End of life
6.1319 Jan 20256.13.1220 Apr 2025End of life
6.12 LTS17 Nov 20246.12.11731 Dec 2028Supported
6.1115 Sep 20246.11.115 Dec 2024End of life
6.1014 Jul 20246.10.1410 Oct 2024End of life
6.912 May 20246.9.1227 Jul 2024End of life
6.810 Mar 20246.8.1230 May 2024End of life
6.77 Jan 20246.7.123 Apr 2024End of life
6.6 LTS30 Oct 20236.6.16231 Dec 2027Supported
6.527 Aug 20236.5.1328 Nov 2023End of life
6.425 Jun 20236.4.1613 Sep 2023End of life
6.323 Apr 20236.3.1311 Jul 2023End of life
6.219 Feb 20236.2.1617 May 2023End of life
6.1 LTS11 Dec 20226.1.19231 Dec 2027Supported
6.02 Oct 20226.0.1912 Jan 2023End of life
5.1931 Jul 20225.19.1724 Oct 2022End of life
5.1822 May 20225.18.1921 Aug 2022End of life
5.1720 Mar 20225.17.1514 Jun 2022End of life
5.169 Jan 20225.16.2013 Apr 2022End of life
5.15 LTS31 Oct 20215.15.22531 Dec 2026Supported
5.1429 Aug 20215.14.2121 Nov 2021End of life
5.1327 Jun 20215.13.1918 Sep 2021End of life
5.1225 Apr 20215.12.1920 Jul 2021End of life
5.1114 Feb 20215.11.2219 May 2021End of life
5.10 LTS13 Dec 20205.10.27431 Dec 2026Supported
5.4 LTS25 Nov 20195.4.3023 Dec 2025End of life
4.19 LTS22 Oct 20184.19.3255 Dec 2024End of life
4.14 LTS12 Nov 20174.14.33610 Jan 2024End of life
4.9 LTS11 Dec 20164.9.3377 Jan 2023End of life

Release data: endoflife.date and vendor announcements, checked 13 Nov 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

Support timeline

The 12 most recent releases, from release day to the end of support.

  • Active support
  • Today
7.3
7.2
7.1
7.0
6.19
6.18 LTS
6.17
6.16
6.15
6.14
6.13
6.12 LTS

History

Linus Torvalds announced his hobby kernel in August 1991 and released it under the GPL the following year. Thousands of developers and companies now contribute to each release, and the kernel runs on everything from phones and routers to supercomputers. A new mainline version arrives roughly every nine to ten weeks. Each is maintained as a stable kernel until the next one, and one kernel a year is picked for long-term support. Major version numbers change when the minor number gets large, not to mark big changes.

Milestones

  1. 1991Linus Torvalds announces a free kernel and releases Linux 0.01
  2. 1994Linux 1.0 is released
  3. 1996Linux 2.0 adds SMP support; Tux becomes the mascot
  4. 2011Linux 3.0 marks 20 years of Linux
  5. 2015Linux 4.0 adds live patching
  6. 2022Linux 6.1 includes initial Rust support
  7. 2024Linux 6.12 merges the PREEMPT_RT real-time patches

Linux kernel guides

Frequently asked questions

What is the latest version of Linux kernel?

The newest Linux kernel release is Linux kernel 7.3, released on 18 Oct 2026. Its latest update is 7.3.4 (10 Nov 2026).

What is the latest LTS version of Linux kernel?

Linux kernel 6.18 LTS is the newest long-term support release (released 30 Nov 2025), supported until 31 Dec 2028.

Which Linux kernel versions are still supported?

As of 13 Nov 2026, 7 versions are supported: Linux kernel 7.3; Linux kernel 6.18 LTS (until 31 Dec 2028); Linux kernel 6.12 LTS (until 31 Dec 2028); Linux kernel 6.6 LTS (until 31 Dec 2027); Linux kernel 6.1 LTS (until 31 Dec 2027); Linux kernel 5.15 LTS (until 31 Dec 2026); Linux kernel 5.10 LTS (until 31 Dec 2026).

Is Linux kernel 7.2 still supported?

No. Linux kernel 7.2 reached end of life on 1 Nov 2026 and no longer gets free security updates. Upgrade to Linux kernel 6.18 LTS.

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