Linux Kernel 5.16 was released a few days ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 21.10, and/or Linux Mint 20.x.

Kernel 5.16 comes with many new features. Here are some of them:

• Initial DisplayPort 2.0 Support For AMD Radeon Driver.
• Intel Protected Xe Path for Gen12 graphics.
• Intel AMX support for Sapphire Rapids.
• Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 support.
• Snapdragon 690 and other new Arm hardware support such as Rockchip RK3566 and RK3688.
• Better support for the Sony PlayStation 5 controller.
• Better support for HP Omen laptops.
• Realtek RT89 WiFi driver
• Support for 2021 Apple Magic Keyboard.
• Apple M1 PCIe driver

How to Install Kernel 5.16 in Ubuntu 21.10:

NOTE: The Mainline Kernel PPA provides packages for Ubuntu 21.10. However, it does not include any Ubuntu-provided drivers or patches, which are NOT appropriate for production use.

The .deb packages for amd64, arm64, ppc64el and s390x are available to download at the link below:

For personal computers, select generic for common system, or lowlatency for a low latency system (e.g. for recording audio):

• linux-headers-5.16.0-xxxxxx_all.deb
• linux-headers-5.16.0-xxx-generic(/lowlatency)_xxx_amd64.deb
• linux-modules-5.16.0-xxx-generic(/lowlatency)_xxx_amd64.deb
• linux-image-xxx-5.16.0-xxx-generic(/lowlatency)_xxx_amd64.deb

Keep an eye on the date in package names. 64-bit build has two versions of same package with different package date.

For those familiar with Linux command, open terminal and run commands one by one to download & install the packages:

cd /tmp/

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.16/amd64/linux-headers-5.16.0-051600_5.16.0-051600.202201092355_all.deb

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.16/amd64/linux-headers-5.16.0-051600-generic_5.16.0-051600.202201092355_amd64.deb

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.16/amd64/linux-image-unsigned-5.16.0-051600-generic_5.16.0-051600.202201092355_amd64.deb

wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.16/amd64/linux-modules-5.16.0-051600-generic_5.16.0-051600.202201092355_amd64.deb

sudo dpkg -i *.deb

Once installed, restart your computer and enjoy!

Uninstall Linux Kernel 5.16:

Restart your machine and select boot with the previous kernel in boot menu ‘Grub2 -> Advanced Option for Ubuntu’. Then run command to remove Linux Kernel 5.16:

sudo dpkg --purge linux-image-unsigned-5.16.0-051600-generic

Install Kernel 5.16 for Ubuntu 20.04:

The mainline kernel was build against Ubuntu 21.10, so it won’t install in Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. However, for those insist on installing the new kernel, this project is available along with an Ubuntu PPA. Use it at your own risk!

You may run command in terminal to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:tuxinvader/lts-mainline

Once the Kernel 5.16 package is updated, use command to install it:

sudo apt install linux-generic-5.16

NOTE: Linux Kernel keeps rolling new releases regularly. The PPA package name varies according to the version number. It’s better to check the PPA page before running the apt command.