Install an alternative kernel

Linux distributions will provide the kernel updates, usually automatically. These typically aren't the latest version of the kernel. You may want to use a newer kernel to benefit from new features or performance enhancements.

Please note: Using a kernel that hasn't been tested by your Linux distribution may cause issues.

1 Check your current kernel version

To find out what kernel version you are using, open the GNOME Launcher and click on Terminal. Type in the below command:

uname -r

This will output on screen your current running kernel version.

6.5.0-28-generic

2 Download the new kernel

Newer versions of the kernel for Ubuntu, Linux Mint, elementary OS and other derivatives can be downloaded from: http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/

The current latest stable release at the time of writing this is 6.8.7

Please note: Any kernel version that is appended with rc is a release candidate - these are not stable.

Once you click on the kernel version, you will need to download 3 files under the section: Build for amd64 succeeded:

Headers:
https://kernel.ubuntu.com/mainline/v6.2/amd64/linux-headers-6.2.0-060200_6.2.0-060200.202302191831_all.deb

Image:
https://kernel.ubuntu.com/mainline/v6.2/amd64/linux-image-unsigned-6.2.0-060200-generic_6.2.0-060200.202302191831_amd64.deb

Modules:
https://kernel.ubuntu.com/mainline/v6.2/amd64/linux-modules-6.2.0-060200-generic_6.2.0-060200.202302191831_amd64.deb

3 Install the downloaded files

From the terminal, navigate to your downloads folder by typing:

cd Downloads/

And then, use the below command to install all 3 files:

sudo dpkg -i *.deb
sudo update-grub

4 Reboot your laptop

Reboot the machine for the new kernel changes to take effect. You can use the same command to verify the new kernel is being used:

uname -r

5 Removing kernels

If you would like to remove a kernel, you can use the below command replacing the version number with the version number of the kernel you would like to remove:

sudo apt remove linux-6.2.0

After this command completes, reboot to apply the change.

Apr 25, 2024

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