I'm here with some good news for the Ubuntu community! The official wallpaper and the charming mascot for Ubuntu 25.10 "Questing Quokka" have just been revealed!
In addition to the official wallpaper and mascot, a collection of backgrounds created and voted upon by the Ubuntu Community through their traditional Wallpaper Competition are also released. These offer users more choice and variety for their desktop environment.
The wallpapers and mascot for Ubuntu 25.10 serve several purposes, primarily to visually represent and embody the spirit of the new Ubuntu release.
Ubuntu 25.10 "Questing Quokka" Mascot
As you may already know, the code name for Ubuntu 25.10 is "Questing Quokka".
For those wondering, the quokka is a tiny, smiling animal from a beautiful island off the west coast of Australia called Rottnest Island. These little marsupials are famous for their constant grins and have become quite a hit on social media.
For Ubuntu, the quokka isn't just cute; it represents a wonderful idea. Building open-source software is a never-ending journey, a true adventure.
The quokka reminds us that enjoying this "quest" is just as important as reaching the destination. It's all about the fun of creating and exploring together!
Here's the Ubuntu 25.10 Questing Quokka official Mascot:
Ubuntu 25.10 "Questing Quokka" Official Wallpaper
Here's the official default wallpaper for Ubuntu 25.10 Questing Quokka.
This wallpaper is the primary background image that you will see by default on your Ubuntu 25.10 desktop after installation.
Ubuntu 25.10 Questing Quokka Wallpaper Dark Version:
Ubuntu 25.10 Questing Quokka Wallpaper Light Version:
Ubuntu team also has created four alternate versions. it is available in full color, full dark, full dimmed and light versions.
Full Color:
Full Dark:
Full Dimmed:
Full Light:
The amazing person behind the official Ubuntu 25.10 Questing Quokka wallpaper is Marcus Haslam. He wanted to create a design that showed curiosity, exploration, and a quiet confidence.
Here’s how he did it:
- The quokka's shape blends right into a background of contour lines.
- A winding path guides your eye, hinting at future adventures.
- The overall design shows navigation, adaptability, and the quiet thrill of discovering new things.
- A strong circle grounds the whole picture, and the quokka's forward pose really shows purpose and energy.
You can download the official Questing Quokka wallpapers in many different colours, shapes, and sizes to try them out yourself!
Winners of the Ubuntu Questing Quokka Wallpaper Competition
Just like with previous releases, Ubuntu also includes a fantastic collection of backgrounds created and voted on by the community. This traditional Ubuntu 25.10 Wallpaper Competition brings out so much talent from artists and photographers.
The winners of the Questing Quokka wallpaper competition are given below:
- Mascot Category: "Lonely Quokka!" and "Quokka Everywhere!" by @meetdilip.
- Photography Category: "Flash and Thunder" by @schabing and "The Web" by @nkhdiscovery.
- Digital / Abstract Category: "Ubuntu with Frutiger Metro" by @cnusr25 and "Schattenzug" by @orbitelambda.
It’s a pleasure to see so much creativity from the Ubuntu community!
What Else is Coming in Ubuntu 25.10 "Questing Quokka"?
Beyond the cheerful quokka and stunning wallpapers, Ubuntu 25.10 is bringing a lot of exciting improvements and changes. Here are some of the highlights I’m looking forward to:
1. Enhanced Security with TPM-backed Full Disk Encryption (FDE)
One of the notable features for this release is TPM-backed Full Disk Encryption (FDE). This feature is getting very close to completion.
It uses a special security chip (TPM) found in most modern computers to keep your entire hard drive encrypted and super safe.
Ubuntu 25.10 will make it easier to manage recovery keys and even offers an optional passphrase for an extra layer of protection.
There is also good news for gamers and professionals. The Ubuntu devs are also working on support for proprietary drivers like Nvidia with this encryption. It's considered "experimental" for now, so they're encouraging everyone to test it out.
2. Wayland is the New Default for GNOME
Ubuntu 25.10 is making a big move by removing the old Xorg-based Ubuntu session for GNOME. This means your main Ubuntu session will run on Wayland exclusively.
This change brings many benefits, like better security, smoother graphics, and improved support for touchscreens.
Don't worry, your older X11 applications will still work thanks to XWayland, and you can still use other desktop environments that rely on Xorg.
3. Boosting Security with Sudo-rs
Ubuntu 25.10 is adopting sudo-rs as the default sudo command. This new version is written in Rust, a programming language known for its strong memory safety features.
This makes it much harder for certain types of software mistakes to be exploited, leading to a more secure system overall.
For most of us, we won't even notice a change in how we use sudo! This is part of a larger plan to gradually use more Rust-based tools in Ubuntu for better safety.
4. Latest Linux Kernel 6.17
The release will target the Linux kernel 6.17, bringing the newest features and hardware support.
They've also simplified things by shipping all kernel modules through the linux-modules package, doing away with the separate linux-modules-extra.
5. Desktop Experience Upgrades
Expect to see GNOME 49 with a refreshed look and updated features. They're also adding two new default apps: Loupe, a modern image viewer, and Ptyxis, a new terminal emulator.
Gamers will love the work being done to finalise Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support. There are also ongoing efforts to improve accessibility and update desktop documentation.
6. Ubuntu Server Enhancements
chrony is becoming the new default time-daemon, replacing systemd-timesyncd, and it comes with Network Time Security (NTS) servers by default for better time synchronization.
Also, some less-used tools like screen and wget are being removed from the default server installation to streamline it, but they're still available if you need them.
7. Raspberry Pi Improvements
For Raspberry Pi users, there’s a new boot partition layout designed to make booting more reliable. Also, the desktop images for Raspberry Pi will now be based on a "desktop-minimal" setup, meaning they'll come with fewer pre-installed applications to save space.
Download Ubuntu 25.10 Questing Quokka Snapshots
If you're keen to try it, you can download the images for Ubuntu 25.10 "Questing Quokka" from the Ubuntu CD image server.
Specifically, the "Questing Snapshot 3" has been released and is available for download. You can find these images at the following link:
You can also find snapshots for official flavours like Lubuntu and Ubuntu Budgie from similar paths:
- https://cdimage.ubuntu.com/lubuntu/releases/25.10/
- https://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-budgie/releases/25.10/
Please note that these snapshot images are not production-ready. They should be viewed as "throwaway artifacts" for testing purposes at this stage of development.
Ubuntu 25.10 Will be Released on 9 October 2025
The final stable release of Ubuntu 25.10 "Questing Quokka" is planned for Thursday, 9 October 2025.
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