We are excited to announce the release of GhostBSD 26.1-R15.0p2! This release marks a major milestone as GhostBSD moves to FreeBSD 15.0-RELEASE, bringing the latest upstream improvements, including enhanced hardware support, security updates, and kernel advancements. For complete details on FreeBSD 15.0 enhancements, see the FreeBSD 15.0-RELEASE notes.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to AbbasAlameer, BLong-101, Kernel-Error, callmetango, hansw-nlo, lawmanuk, pkgdemon, probonopd, q-pa, tim-pearce, triffid-4, and xcrsz for reporting issues.

Thanks to Kernel-Error, MatthiasLanter, b-aaz, grahamperrin, nevillehay, pkgdemon, probonopd, tmtfx, and xcrsz for your contributions.

We also extend our heartfelt gratitude to all testers, donors, patrons, and sponsors whose continued support keeps GhostBSD alive and growing.

Key Highlights

• GhostBSD is now based on FreeBSD 15.0-RELEASE
• The default shell has been switched to zsh
• XLibre is now the default display server
• Enterprise WPA (802.1X/EAP) and WireGuard support added to NetworkMGR
• Update Station now supports boot environment based major version upgrades
• Software Station benefits from a faster bisect-based package search
• Refreshed visual identity with a new wallpaper, updated icon themes, and new theme variants

Please note that upgrading does not change your current display server. If you are on Xorg, it will remain on Xorg after upgrading.

Bug Fixes

This release addresses numerous reported issues, including UEFI boot problems affecting some users, the desktop not starting in R15 MATE, the missing installer in XFCE, Live ISO not starting X server in VirtualBox EFI mode, and various fixes across xconfig, ghostbsd-build, and ghostbsd-ports.

Complete Changelog

For a detailed view of all changes, issues, and pull requests, see the complete changelog: https://github.com/orgs/ghostbsd/projects/4/views/17?pane=info&statusUpdateId=195119

Known Issues

One known issue when upgrading: the panel may become invisible after the update. This appears to be triggered by Update Station. Logging out and back in should restore it. The full list of known issues is available at: https://github.com/orgs/ghostbsd/projects/4/views/26

Download and Upgrade

All images, checksums, hybrid ISO (DVD, USB), and torrents are available at: https://www.ghostbsd.org/download

Upgrading from 25.02-R14.3p8: The upgrade path to 26.1-R15.0p2 is through Update Station only. If issues arise after upgrading, run sudo pkg upgrade -f to force a clean package state.

Join the discussion on our forums or Telegram user group to share your feedback and experiences with the new release!