Last checked and updated on April 15, 2026What Is New in Ubuntu 23.10
Ubuntu 23.10 (Mantic Minotaur) delivers a host of updates across the desktop, toolchain, and infrastructure. Here's a quick summary of the key changes.
| Category | Key Updates |
|---|---|
| Desktop & UI | GNOME 45, new App Center, experimental Wayland for NVIDIA |
| Toolchain & Development | GCC 13.2, GLIBC 2.38, LLVM 17, Go 1.21, Rust 1.71 |
| Cloud & Containers | New Azure, Google Cloud images; containerd as default CRI, MicroCeph |
| Security | PCI-DSS 4.0 compliance, AppArmor 4.0, SELinux optional install |
| Infrastructure | Netplan 1.0, new installer for Ubuntu Server, Subiquity |
| Deprecated & Removed | 32-bit PowerPC support removed, Python 2 packages removed |
What's new with the Ubuntu Desktop?
The desktop experience gets a significant refresh with GNOME 45. The new Activities Indicator replaces the Activities button, consolidating workspace and application management into a single element. This streamlines the workflow by making it clearer what's running and where.
You'll find the new App Center, a Flutter-based software store that replaces Ubuntu Software. It's faster and offers both Snap and deb packages. For NVIDIA users, there's now an experimental session running on Wayland, which is a big step towards a more modern graphics stack.
Which development tools received updates?
The entire toolchain has been bumped to recent stable releases. This includes GCC 13.2, GLIBC 2.38, LLVM 17, Rust 1.71, and Go 1.21. These updates bring the latest language features, performance improvements, and security enhancements to developers building on Ubuntu.
For Python developers, Python 3.11 is the default. The removal of legacy Python 2 packages cleans up the repository and pushes everyone towards supported versions. In practice, this means your CI/CD pipelines and development environments are built on a modern, well-supported foundation.
How does 23.10 improve cloud and container workflows?
Cloud image support has been expanded with new official images for Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform. Under the hood, containerd is now the default Container Runtime Interface (CRI) instead of Docker, aligning with Kubernetes standards.
For local development and testing, MicroCeph and MicroOVN make it easier to deploy Ceph storage and OVN networking in constrained environments. This is great for developers who need to mimic production cluster setups on a single machine or a small lab.
What are the key security enhancements?
This release includes the necessary components for PCI-DSS 4.0 compliance, which matters for any deployment handling payment data. AppArmor has been upgraded to version 4.0, providing more robust application confinement policies.
Notably, SELinux is now available as an optional install for those with specific policy requirements. This gives teams more flexibility in meeting their security mandates without having to maintain a completely different distro.
What has been deprecated or removed?
Support for the 32-bit PowerPC (powerpc) architecture has been completely removed. If you're maintaining legacy hardware on that arch, you'll need to stay on an older LTS release.
Furthermore, all remaining Python 2 packages have been purged from the archives. This finally closes the book on Python 2, so ensure all your tooling and scripts have been ported to Python 3.
FAQ
Is the NVIDIA Wayland session ready for daily use?
It's marked as experimental. For most users, the default X11 session remains the safe choice. Enable the Wayland session from the login screen if you want to test it and report bugs.
I use Docker for development, what does the containerd change mean for me?
This change primarily affects Kubernetes clusters. If you're using Docker Engine directly on Ubuntu for local development, you won't be impacted. The docker.io package is still available to install.
Where did the Ubuntu Software application go?
It has been replaced by the new App Center. The new store is built with Flutter and should feel snappier. It also combines both Snap and traditional deb packages in a single view.
My script still uses Python 2, what should I do?
You need to port it to Python 3. The Python 2 interpreter and all its libraries have been removed from the Ubuntu 23.10 repositories. Your only option is to stay on an older release or containerize the old environment.
What's the simplest way to try MicroCeph?
After installing the microceph snap, you can initialize a test cluster with just a few commands. It's designed for simplicity and is perfect for developers who need a lightweight Ceph deployment.
sudo snap install microceph
sudo microceph cluster init
sudo microceph disk add /dev/sdb