Lubuntu is the official Ubuntu flavor dedicated to the LXQt desktop, continuing a lineage that began with LXDE and migrated when that project's Qt-based successor matured. Its reason for being is efficiency: LXQt is a modular environment that uses noticeably less memory than mainstream desktops while still providing a complete, conventional experience with a panel, menu, and system tray. Lubuntu pairs that with sensible lightweight application choices and, unusually among Ubuntu flavors, the Calamares installer rather than Ubuntu's own. The base remains standard Ubuntu, with APT, deb packages, the shared archive, and the April and October release rhythm including long-term-support versions. The modern project describes itself as a functional distribution for a wide range of hardware rather than strictly a system for old computers, though aging machines remain a sweet spot. An OpenFactory browser VM demonstrates just how little LXQt asks of a system.
Select a version of Lubuntu to try online:
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Need Lubuntu for more than a quick browser preview?
The buttons above launch an ephemeral browser VM, perfect for kicking the tires. Paid plans unlock the things you'd actually use it for:
- ✓Persistent VMs you can SSH into and customize
- ✓Snapshots, your own packages, a downloadable ISO
- ✓Fleet deployment to your own machines (on-prem or cloud)