Raspberry Pi Images | Ubuntu MATE

Is Ubuntu MATE still producing Raspberry Pi images?

Unlikely. The efforts from the Ubuntu MATE project has helped Ubuntu to become a first class release target for the Raspberry Pi. You can download Ubuntu for Raspberry Pi from Canonical for certified reliability and performance, with improved support for newer models.

How can I install the MATE desktop on top of Ubuntu?

Unofficially, the Ubuntu MATE experience can be installed under regular Ubuntu using the terminal:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt install ubuntu-mate-desktop

Then reboot. On the login screen, select “MATE” as the session.

Where can I find older images?

Our older images will continue to be available to download from our archived releases server. In some cases, the base system may still be supported. Check the support status using this command:

ubuntu-security-status

for 20.04 and later. For 18.04 and older, instead use:

ubuntu-support-status

Which image should I use?

There are typically two images:

arm64 (64-bit)

We recommend arm64 for newer Pi models with more then 2 GB of RAM as the hardware will benefit from CPU and memory pressure optimisations. This will be our focus for future development.

armhf (32-bit)

armhf has been the traditional target for Raspbian, and works best on low RAM hardware like the Pi 2 and 3. Choose this one if you need to maximize compatibility with software designed for Raspberry Pi OS.

Can I build my own image?

Yes, check out this repository: https://github.com/wimpysworld/ubuntu-pi-image

Where can I ask for help?

You’re welcome to ask questions over in our Raspberry Pi category on the Ubuntu MATE Community.