How to Get and Install Lubuntu, and Which Devices Are Supported

Updated

Download Lubuntu from the official site at lubuntu.me, then write the ISO to a USB drive and boot from it. The current release listed on the site is Lubuntu 26.04.1, built on an Ubuntu Linux base with the LXQt desktop. Lubuntu publishes separate ISO images for standard PCs, laptops, Raspberry Pi, and other architectures, so the right file depends on your machine — and the project's QA team tests each release across those architectures.

Step 1: Download the right ISO

Go to lubuntu.me and get the ISO for your hardware. The site states that Lubuntu is offered in many ISOs for several computers, including standard PC, laptops, and Raspberry Pi.

  • Standard PC or laptop (typical Intel/AMD 64-bit): use the standard desktop ISO.
  • Raspberry Pi: use the Raspberry Pi image rather than the standard desktop ISO.
  • Other architectures: check the download options, since the QA team verifies releases on every architecture the project ships.

The site does not list a price for the download, so treat cost as unstated rather than assuming anything either way.

Step 2: Write the ISO to bootable media

You need a USB flash drive (or an SD card for a Raspberry Pi) and a tool that can write a raw disk image.

  1. Insert the USB drive. Expected result: your system detects it as removable storage.
  2. Open an image-writing tool (for example, a USB writer utility on your current OS).
  3. Select the downloaded Lubuntu ISO as the source and the USB drive as the target.
  4. Start the write and wait for it to finish. Expected result: the drive now contains a bootable Lubuntu installer.

Common snag: writing the ISO as a normal file copy instead of a disk image. The drive will look like it holds one file and will not boot. Use a tool that writes the image sector-by-sector.

Step 3: Boot and install

  1. Restart the machine and enter the boot menu (usually a function key during startup).
  2. Select the USB drive or SD card as the boot device. Expected result: the Lubuntu live environment starts.
  3. Follow the installer. The site notes the installer itself is part of the Qt-based ecosystem, so the install experience matches the desktop.
  4. Choose whether to erase the disk or install alongside an existing system, then complete the prompts.

Common snag on older PCs: if the machine does not see the USB drive, check whether it needs legacy BIOS boot instead of UEFI, or vice versa. Lubuntu is explicitly aimed at reviving older and more limited hardware, so this is a frequent step for exactly that use case.

What you get after install

Lubuntu ships the essential apps and services for daily use: office applications, a PDF reader, an image editor, and music and video players. Everything the site lists works out of the box.

If you need more, the Discover Software Center is where you download additional apps. The site describes these as free. For exotic file formats that need proprietary codecs, the site points to the ubuntu-restricted-extras package:

sudo apt install ubuntu-restricted-extras

Expected result: playback support for additional media formats. After that, search the Software Center for the specific file format or application you need.

Which devices are supported

Device type Supported? Notes from the site
Standard PC Yes Standard desktop ISO
Laptop Yes Standard desktop ISO
Raspberry Pi Yes Dedicated image
Older / low-spec hardware Yes Positioned to "revive that old PC"
High-performance machines Yes Site states it works from maximum-performance machines down to limited hardware

The site also states Lubuntu is compatible with the majority of existing file formats — images, songs, films, spreadsheets, text documents, internet radio stations — and that files can be shared with other computers and operating systems.

Desktop and base, in one line

Lubuntu uses the LXQt desktop and is built on an Ubuntu Linux base, which is where the thousands of available free apps come from. The current desktop combines the Arc theme with Papirus icons, symbolic icons and glyphs, compositing effects, and Qt-based rendering from the installer through to the smallest components.

Quick checklist before you start

  • Confirm your architecture and pick the matching ISO (standard PC vs. Raspberry Pi vs. other).
  • Have a USB drive or SD card you can erase.
  • Use an image writer, not a file copy.
  • Know your boot-menu key and whether the machine uses UEFI or legacy BIOS.
  • Decide whether to wipe the disk or dual-boot before you reach that installer screen.

If the goal is to give an old PC a second life, the standard desktop ISO plus a USB write is the whole path. If the goal is a Raspberry Pi, start by selecting the Pi image instead.