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Linux 7.0 Kernel Confirmed by Linus Torvalds, Expected in Mid-April 2026
So there you have it, the Linux 6.x era has ended with today's Linux 6.19 kernel release, and a new one will begin with Linux 7.0, which is expected in mid-April 2026. The merge window for Linux 7.0 will open tomorrow, February 9th, and the first Release Candidate (RC) milestone is expected on February 22nd, 2026.
Every week, starting February 22nd, there will be a new Linux 7.0 Release Candidate available for public testing until the final release, which could happen either on April 12th or on April 19th, which depends on how many Release Candidate milestones will be published by Linus Torvalds.
Update (by Roy)
In Tom's Hardware:
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Torvalds confirms Linux Kernel 7.0 is almost ready for release, bringing many performance improvements with it — desktop use and gaming may see boost, Ubuntu 26.04 LTS hopes to use as default Kernel
Linux Torvalds confirms that the Linux kernel 7.0 is almost ready with multiple performance improvements. We could see it in April with Ubuntu 26.04 LTS.
Many more:
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Dolphin Publications B V ☛ Linux kernel to move to version 7.0 after release of 6.19
The Linux kernel will soon receive a new major version number. Linus Torvalds has announced that the kernel will continue as Linux 7.0 after version 6.19. The announcement was made via the Linux Kernel Mailing List.
The announcement was shared by The Register. The choice of version 7.0 follows the existing versioning policy, whereby kernel series usually end at subversion 19. Previous series, including 5.x and 6.x, followed the same pattern. According to Torvalds (photo), the transition to a new major number is motivated by clarity in versioning.
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The Register UK ☛ Linus Torvalds keeps his ‘fingers and toes’ rule by decreeing next Linux will be version 7.0
Penguin emperor Linus Torvalds has announced the next version of the Linux kernel will be version 7.0, a matter of some small interest, because it continues his convention of not using version numbers he can’t count on his fingers and toes, and perhaps cements a numbering convention that sees kernel series end with version 19.
Linux kernel version numbering became more predictable with the 3.x series, which saw the release of 19 kernels before ticking over to 4.0.
Torvalds had some fun along the way, dubbing version 3.11 Linux for Workgroups, a reference to the name Microsoft gave Windows 3.11. He later pondered using version 4.0 as a special release dedicated to cleaning up bugs.
He then released 20 versions of the 4.x kernel series, and chat on the Linux kernel mailing list then included mention of version 4.21, before Torvalds decided to rename the next release version 5.0 because “I ran out of fingers and toes to count on." He's also often said that version numbers are essentially meaningless. An x.0 release is no more significant than any other, and usually less important than whichever release kernel maintainers decide will receive long-term support.
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Linus Torvalds Announces Linux Version 7.0, Upholding ‘Fingers and Toes’ Rule
Historically, Linux kernel versioning has taken on a life of its own. The shift from the 3.x series, which culminated in 19 releases, to 4.x and then to 5.0, reflects both a demand for organization and Torvalds’ inclination to inject humor into the proceedings. His declaration that he “ran out of fingers and toes” serves as a light-hearted yet revealing commentary on the ever-growing complexity of the kernel. By naming the next release 7.0, it cements a predictable cycle where kernel series conclude at version 19, effectively creating a framework for the community to discern future updates.
Two more a day later:
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The Verge ☛ Linux 6.19 arrives with a teaser for Linux 7.0
On Sunday, Linux developer Linus Torvalds announced the release of Linux 6.19, which will be the last update in this kernel cycle, as previously reported by Phoronix. It adds support for the modern AMDGPU driver for older AMD GCN 1.0 and 1.1 graphics cards, like Radeon HD 7000 series GPUs, along with Vulkan support through the RADV driver, and improved power management.
Linux 6.19 also includes improved HDR support with the addition of the DRM Color Pipeline, an updated Asus Armoury driver, expanded support for newer Intel Wildcat Lake and Nova Lake chips, PCIe link encryption and device authentication, and more.
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TechRadar ☛ We might finally be getting Linux 7.0 at last
Linus Torvalds has confirmed that the next Linux kernel will be version 7.0 following the release of 6.19, and it hasn't come as a surprise to those who know Torvalds avoids version numbers he can't count on his fingers and toes – a light-hearted internal naming convention that keeps version numbers below x.19.
Versions 3, 5 and 6 all ended with x.19 before getting their upgrades, with version 4 standing out for hitting version x.20.
Version 7.0 is still some way off just yet, but version 6.19 has just landed, and with it a series of improvements.
Linux Magazine:
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The Next Linux Kernel Turns 7.0
Linus Torvalds has announced that after Linux kernel 6.19, we'll finally reach the 7.0 iteration stage.
Gigazine:
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Linus Torvalds rejects Linux 7.0 MMC changes as 'complete garbage'
Linus Torvalds , the creator of Linux and the final coordinator of the Linux kernel, has rejected the MMC changes in Linux 7.0, the next mainline kernel for Linux, calling them 'complete garbage.'
This is maybe slop:
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"Completely garbage!" Linus blasts the Linux MMC code update: It can't even compile, and no testing was done at all.
However, during the development process of the Linux 7.0 kernel, a batch of planned MMC-related code modifications directly hit the nail on the head. Linus successively criticized them as "complete garbage" and "untested junk" and mercilessly rejected them all. As a result, a series of optimizations for the MMC subsystem originally prepared for Linux 7.0 were completely excluded from this version.