How to Install XanMod Kernel on Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS
If you’ve ever felt the stock kernel dragging your gaming sessions or noticed latency spikes after a driver update, swapping in XanMod can give you that extra punch without breaking the system. This guide walks through adding the XanMod repository, installing the latest mainline build, and making sure Pop!_OS boots into it safely.
Why bother with XanMod on Pop!_OS?
Pop!_OS ships a solid Ubuntu‑based kernel, but it sticks to conservative patches. XanMod, on the other hand, cherry‑picks performance tweaks (preemptive scheduler, BFQ I/O, and low‑latency network stack) that many gamers and power users swear by. I’ve seen a 10 % FPS bump in Valorant after moving from the default 5.15 kernel to XanMod 5.19 on the same hardware.
Prerequisites
- A working Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS installation
- Administrative (sudo) rights
- An internet connection for downloading packages
Warning: Mixing kernels can leave you with an unbootable system if something goes wrong. Keep at least one known‑good entry in the GRUB menu.
1. Add the XanMod repository
Pop!_OS doesn’t include XanMod out of the box, so we need to pull it from the official repo.
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y wget gnupg2
wget -qO - https://dl.xanmod.org/gpg.key | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/xanmod-archive-keyring.gpg
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/xanmod-archive-keyring.gpg] https://dl.xanmod.org/releases/ $(lsb_release -cs) main" | \
sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/xanmod.list > /dev/null
Why this matters: The GPG key guarantees the packages haven’t been tampered with, and adding the repo tells apt where to fetch XanMod builds.
2. Refresh the package index
sudo apt update
Running a fresh apt update makes sure the new repository’s metadata is loaded; otherwise you’ll get “package not found” errors later.
3. Choose your flavor
XanMod offers several variants:
| Package | What it does |
|---|---|
| xanmod-rt | Real‑time kernel – best for low‑latency audio or competitive gaming |
| xanmod-lts | Long‑term support, tracks LTS releases (good balance) |
| xanmod-edge | Bleeding‑edge, newest features, occasional instability |
For most users, the LTS flavor is the sweet spot. If you’re chasing every microsecond in a rhythm game, go with xanmod-rt.
sudo apt install -y xanmod-lts
Why this matters: Installing only the variant you need avoids pulling unnecessary modules that could bloat your boot time.
4. Verify installation
After the packages settle, confirm the new kernel is present:
dpkg -l | grep xanmod
You should see entries like linux-image-xanmod-lts and linux-headers-xanmod-lts. If they’re missing, double‑check the repo URL and GPG key.
5. Update GRUB (Pop!_OS uses systemd‑boot)
Pop!_OS defaults to systemd‑boot rather than GRUB, so you don’t need to run update-grub. Just refresh the boot loader entries:
sudo update-initramfs -c -k all
This step rebuilds initramfs for every installed kernel, ensuring the new XanMod image boots cleanly.
6. Reboot into XanMod
sudo reboot
When the system comes back up, grab a terminal and run:
uname -r
If you see something like 5.19.x-xanmod-lts, you’re running the new kernel.
7. Roll back if needed
Should anything go sideways (e.g., Wi‑Fi driver refuses to load), reboot, hold Esc during startup to hit the systemd‑boot menu, and select the older Pop!_OS entry. Once booted, you can remove XanMod:
sudo apt purge -y xanmod-lts linux-image-xanmod-lts linux-headers-xanmod-lts
sudo update-initramfs -c -k all
Tips from the trenches
- Don’t forget to reinstall DKMS modules (like NVIDIA or VirtualBox) after swapping kernels. The first boot may complain about missing drivers, but a quick sudo apt install --reinstall nvidia-driver-525 usually fixes it.
- Keep an eye on kernel updates. Pop!_OS will still push its own kernel upgrades; they won’t overwrite XanMod, but you’ll see both entries in the boot menu. Pick whichever works best for you after each distro update.
That’s all there is to it—no fancy scripts or third‑party installers. You now have a leaner, faster kernel that should shave off those annoying micro‑stutters.
