With the release of Linux kernel 6.19 earlier today, Linus Torvalds confirmed that the next major kernel series will have a version number bump as Linux 7.0 rather than Linux 6.20.

So there you have it, the Linux 6.x era has ended with today’s Linux 6.19 kernel release, and a new one will begin with Linux 7.0, which is expected in mid-April 2026. The merge window for Linux 7.0 will open tomorrow, February 9th, and the first Release Candidate (RC) milestone is expected on February 22nd, 2026.

“And as people have mostly figured out, I’m getting to the point where I’m being confused by large numbers (almost running out of fingers and toes again), so the next kernel is going to be called 7.0,” said Linus Torvalds in a mailing list announcement.