Minimum x86-64 levels of operating systems and software
Operating systems and software that no longer run on every x86-64 processor, what they require, and since which version.
For two decades almost everything built for 64-bit x86 ran on any
64-bit x86 processor. That is changing: enterprise Linux distributions
now build for x86-64-v2 or x86-64-v3, and runtimes follow. On a
processor below the minimum, the installer refuses to continue, the
kernel stops early in boot, or programs exit with an error such as
Fatal glibc error: CPU does not support x86-64-v2.
| Name | Minimum | Since | Notes | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AlmaLinux 10 Operating system | x86-64-v3 | 10.0 (2025) | AlmaLinux also publishes a separate x86_64_v2 build of AlmaLinux 10 for older processors. Source | |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 Operating system | x86-64-v3 | 10.0 (2025) | Source | |
| Rocky Linux 10 Operating system | x86-64-v3 | 10.0 (2025) | Source | |
| MongoDB Software | AVX part of v3 | 5.0 (2021) | mongod and mongos need AVX, which puts the minimum between x86-64-v2 and x86-64-v3: Sandy Bridge and Bulldozer have it, but Pentium and Celeron models before Tiger Lake do not. Source | |
| .NET Runtime | x86-64-v2 | .NET 11 (2026) | Older processors fail with “The current CPU is missing one or more of the baseline instruction sets”. ReadyToRun code in .NET 11 targets x86-64-v3 on Windows and Linux and falls back to the JIT on older processors. Source | |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Operating system | x86-64-v2 | 9.0 (2022) | Source | |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16 Operating system | x86-64-v2 | 16.0 (2025) | The release notes add that QEMU guests need -cpu host (or another model with x86-64-v2 features) to boot. Source | |
| Windows 11 Operating system | x86-64-v2 | 24H2 (2024) | Microsoft states that Windows 11 requires the x86-64-v2 instructions. Starting with version 24H2, Windows uses SSE4.2 and POPCNT and does not boot on processors without them. Source 1, Source 2 | |
| openSUSE Leap 16 Operating system | x86-64-v2 | 16.0 (2025) | Source | |
| Ubuntu Operating system | x86-64-v1 | all releases | The default amd64 packages target the baseline. Since 25.10, Ubuntu also offers optional packages built for x86-64-v3 (the amd64v3 architecture variant). Source |
Each entry links to the vendor’s own statement where there is one; the date is when it was last checked.
What if a machine is below the minimum?
Check the machine’s level first. Inside a virtual machine the answer depends on the CPU model the hypervisor presents, and choosing a different model may be all it takes. On real hardware below the minimum, the choices are to stay on a release line that still supports it (for example RHEL 9 until its end of life), to use a distribution that still builds for the lower level (such as AlmaLinux’s x86_64_v2 build of AlmaLinux 10), or to replace the hardware.
Distributions that still target the baseline
Many community distributions still build their standard x86-64 packages for the baseline, so they run on any 64-bit x86 processor. Some add optional packages for higher levels instead of raising the minimum: Ubuntu’s amd64v3 variant, available since Ubuntu 25.10, is one example.