How to Install Nvidia Drivers on Ubuntu 26.04

Installing the right NVIDIA drivers on your Ubuntu 26.04 system is crucial for optimizing your graphics card’s performance. Whether you are gaming, designing, or running graphic-intensive applications, the proper driver can make a significant difference. This guide covers the recommended methods to install NVIDIA drivers Ubuntu 26.04 users can rely on, starting with the simplest and most reliable approach.

Software Requirements

Method 1: Install NVIDIA Drivers on Ubuntu 26.04 via Command Line (Recommended)

This is the recommended method for Ubuntu 26.04. The ubuntu-drivers tool reads your hardware, identifies the correct driver, and installs it from Ubuntu’s official restricted repository. Consequently, the driver integrates with the system update mechanism and survives kernel upgrades without manual intervention.

1. Identify Your Graphics Card: Begin by determining your NVIDIA graphics card model and the available drivers:

   $ ubuntu-drivers devices
   == /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:10.0 ==
   modalias : pci:v000010DEd00002206sv00001458sd0000403Fbc03sc00i00
   vendor   : NVIDIA Corporation
   model    : GA102 [GeForce RTX 3080]
   driver   : nvidia-driver-580 - distro non-free
   driver   : nvidia-driver-595 - distro non-free
   driver   : nvidia-driver-580-open - distro non-free
   driver   : nvidia-driver-595-open - distro non-free recommended
   driver   : nvidia-driver-580-server - distro non-free
   driver   : nvidia-driver-595-server - distro non-free
   driver   : nvidia-driver-595-server-open - distro non-free
   driver   : nvidia-driver-580-server-open - distro non-free
   driver   : xserver-xorg-video-nouveau - distro free builtin
   

   The recommended tag marks the version Ubuntu suggests for your specific card. On Ubuntu 26.04, the recommended driver for modern GPUs is the open-kernel variant, in this case nvidia-driver-595-open.

2. Install the Recommended Driver: Let ubuntu-drivers select and install the recommended driver automatically:

   $ sudo ubuntu-drivers install

   Alternatively, to install a specific version, use apt directly. For example, to install the non-free 595 build:

   $ sudo apt install nvidia-driver-595

   Or to explicitly install the open-kernel variant:

   $ sudo apt install nvidia-driver-595-open

3. Reboot Your System: Finalize the installation by rebooting:

   $ sudo reboot

   This ensures the NVIDIA kernel module is loaded and the Nouveau driver is replaced.

4. Verify the Driver: After the reboot, confirm the driver is active:

   $ nvidia-smi

   The output lists your GPU model, driver version, and any processes currently using the GPU.

   

Method 2: Install NVIDIA Drivers on Ubuntu 26.04 Using the Graphics-Drivers PPA

1. Add the PPA Repository: Add the graphics-drivers PPA and update the package lists:

   $ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa
   $ sudo apt update

   When the PPA is added, Ubuntu prints the currently available driver branches. Compare those versions against what ubuntu-drivers devices already shows to determine whether the PPA offers anything newer.

   

2. Check Available Drivers: Run ubuntu-drivers devices to see whether any drivers are now tagged third-party non-free from the PPA:

   $ ubuntu-drivers devices

   If the highest-versioned driver is still tagged distro non-free, it is coming from Ubuntu’s restricted repository rather than the PPA, and Method 1 produces exactly the same result.

3. Install the NVIDIA Driver: Install the recommended driver or specify a version:

   $ sudo ubuntu-drivers install

   Or to install a specific version directly:

   $ sudo apt install nvidia-driver-595

4. Reboot Your Computer:

   $ sudo reboot

Method 3: Install NVIDIA Drivers on Ubuntu 26.04 Using the GNOME GUI

The steps below describe how this method is intended to work and may function correctly once the underlying issue is resolved.
The steps below describe how this method is intended to work and may function correctly once the underlying issue is resolved.

1. Launch Software & Updates Application: Open the Software & Updates application from the Activities menu. This is the graphical tool for managing software sources and drivers on Ubuntu 26.04.
2. Navigate to Additional Drivers Tab: In the Software & Updates window, click on the Additional Drivers tab. Under normal circumstances, this tab displays a list of proprietary NVIDIA drivers available for your hardware.
3. Select the NVIDIA Driver: From the list of available drivers, select the NVIDIA driver of your choice. The recommended driver will typically be highlighted or marked as such.
4. Apply Changes: Click the Apply Changes button to begin the installation. The system will download and install the selected NVIDIA driver.
5. Reboot Your System: After the installation completes, reboot your system to activate the new driver:

   $ sudo reboot

   This ensures the NVIDIA kernel module is loaded and active on your next login.

Conclusion

Installing NVIDIA drivers on Ubuntu 26.04 Resolute Raccoon significantly enhances your system’s graphics performance for gaming, professional design, or general use. On Ubuntu 26.04, the clear recommendation is the command line method: sudo ubuntu-drivers install installs the correct driver directly from Ubuntu’s official repository, integrates with system updates, and works reliably out of the box. The PPA method is available but currently offers no advantage, as Ubuntu 26.04 already ships a recent driver in its restricted repository. The GUI method is documented here for completeness, but at the time of writing it does not function correctly on Ubuntu 26.04.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I check which NVIDIA driver is currently installed on Ubuntu 26.04? Run nvidia-smi in a terminal to see the active driver version and GPU details. Alternatively, use apt list --installed | grep nvidia-driver to list installed driver packages.
2. What is the difference between the open and non-free NVIDIA drivers on Ubuntu 26.04? The -open variants use NVIDIA’s open-source kernel modules, which are recommended for Turing-generation GPUs (RTX 20-series) and newer. The regular non-free drivers use the traditional proprietary kernel modules and are still required for older GPU generations. Both variants provide the same user-space components and equivalent performance on supported hardware.
3. Why does the Additional Drivers tab show no NVIDIA drivers in Ubuntu 26.04? This is a known issue affecting Ubuntu 26.04 at the time of writing. The Software & Updates GUI fails to display available NVIDIA drivers in the Additional Drivers tab. As a workaround, use the command line method instead: run ubuntu-drivers devices to list available drivers and sudo ubuntu-drivers install to install the recommended one.
4. How do I completely remove NVIDIA drivers from Ubuntu 26.04? Run sudo apt purge 'nvidia-*' 'libnvidia-*' followed by sudo apt autoremove. Reboot afterward so the Nouveau driver is loaded again.
5. Do I need to reinstall the NVIDIA driver after a kernel update? No. The DKMS system rebuilds the kernel module automatically on every kernel update, so no manual action is required.