Skip to content

Ubuntu 26.04: How to Upgrade from 24.04 LTS

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS Resolute Raccoon

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, Resolute Raccoon, was officially released on April 23, 2026.

If you're like me and want to upgrade now, here's a clean step-by-step process to do it on both Ubuntu Desktop and Ubuntu Server.

Before the Upgrade

Before you begin the upgrade, review the following checklist.

  1. Back up anything you care about.
  2. If the system is a VM, take a snapshot.
  3. Make sure the current 24.04 LTS install is fully patched.
  4. Make sure you have enough free disk space.
  5. Be prepared to answer interactive prompts during the upgrade.

On Ubuntu Server, I would also review any third-party repositories or PPAs before you start. They are a common source of upgrade friction, and Ubuntu may disable them during the release upgrade anyway.

Update the current system first:

sudo apt update
sudo apt dist-upgrade -o APT::Get::Always-Include-Phased-Updates=true
sudo reboot

That dist-upgrade pattern follows Canonical's current server guidance and helps flush out phased updates before the release jump. If you want the simpler version for a desktop or lab machine, sudo apt upgrade is usually enough here.

Make sure the release upgrader is installed:

sudo apt install update-manager-core

And make sure the release prompt is still set to LTS:

grep '^Prompt=' /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades

You want:

Prompt=lts

Run the Upgrade

The core process is the same on Ubuntu Desktop and Ubuntu Server.

Ubuntu Desktop

If this is on Ubuntu Desktop, you can wait for the GUI prompt later in the year. If you want to upgrade now, the terminal path is faster and easier to reason about.

Ubuntu Server

On Ubuntu Server, the command is the same, but the risk profile is not. Servers tend to have more local changes, more PPAs, more custom packages, more hand-edited files in /etc, and less tolerance for surprises.

Upgrading Over SSH?

You can upgrade over SSH. You just shouldn't do it casually.

If your main SSH session drops in the middle of a release upgrade, recovery gets more annoying fast. Before you start:

  • Run the session inside tmux or screen.
  • Make sure you have provider console or hypervisor console access.
  • Know whether a firewall will block temporary fallback access.

When do-release-upgrade detects SSH, it may start an additional SSH daemon on port 1022 as an emergency fallback during the upgrade. That only helps if your firewall or security group allows it.

Run:

sudo do-release-upgrade

If Ubuntu says there is no new release available yet, simply retry with:

sudo do-release-upgrade -d

What is -d?

-d is the short form of --devel-release.

From there, Ubuntu will:

  • Check the current system state.
  • Calculate package changes.
  • Show you what will be installed, upgraded, and removed.
  • Disable unsupported third-party repositories where needed.
  • Walk you through the remaining prompts.

Most of the time, the real decisions are about config files. If the upgrader asks whether to keep your current file or install the maintainer's version, stop and read the diff. On a workstation, keeping the current file is often fine. On a system where you know the defaults have meaningfully changed, the maintainer version may be the right call.

When the upgrade completes, the upgrader will usually tell you a restart is required and prompt you to continue. In practice, this is often just a Y to acknowledge the reboot and let it finish the upgrade.

After the Upgrade

After the reboot, do one more cleanup pass:

sudo apt autoremove --purge

And then check the basics before you declare victory:

cat /etc/os-release
systemctl --failed
ss -tulpn

That gives you a quick read on release state, failed services, and listening ports.

References