We’re pleased to announce the release of Qubes OS 4.0.4! This is the fourth stable release of Qubes 4.0. It includes many updates over the initial 4.0 release, including:

• All 4.0 dom0 updates to date
• Fedora 32 TemplateVM
• Debian 10 TemplateVM
• Whonix 15 Gateway and Workstation TemplateVMs
• Linux kernel 5.4 by default

Qubes 4.0.4 is available on the downloads page.

What is a patch release?

A patch release does not designate a separate, new major or minor release of Qubes OS. Rather, it designates its respective major or minor release (in this case, 4.0) inclusive of all updates up to a certain point. Installing Qubes 4.0 and fully updating it results in the same system as installing Qubes 4.0.4.

What should I do?

If you installed Qubes 4.0, 4.0.1, 4.0.2, or 4.0.3 and have fully updated, then your system is already equivalent to a Qubes 4.0.4 installation. No further action is required.

Regardless of your current OS, if you wish to install (or reinstall) Qubes 4.0 for any reason, then the 4.0.4 ISO makes this more convenient and secure, since it bundles all Qubes 4.0 updates to date. Please see the installation guide for detailed instructions.

Thank you to all the release candidate users for testing this release and reporting issues!