How to upgrade Ubuntu 24.04 to Ubuntu 26.04 LTS step by step

Upgrading Ubuntu from one LTS version to the next is one of those tasks that seems simple, but can turn into a minor drama if not properly prepared. Go from Ubuntu 24.04 to Ubuntu 26.04 It involves touching hundreds of packages, the kernel, the desktop, and even critical components like sudo, so it's best to proceed slowly and know what you're doing.

In this guide you will find a complete and very detailed tour for upgrade Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat) to Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (Resolute Raccoon) Using the terminal, this guide covers what's changed in the new version, how to prepare your system, which commands to run, how to troubleshoot common errors, and what to check after a reboot. The goal is to make the migration as smooth and easy as possible, whether you're using your personal PC or a server.

What does Ubuntu 26.04 LTS offer and why is it worth upgrading?

Before you jump into the update, it's good to know what you're going to find. Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is a very ambitious extended support release which introduces profound changes to the desktop, kernel, and security; it's not simply a facelift.

To begin with, Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is based on GNOME 50, with a more polished desktop environment, better support for Wayland (especially on Nvidia graphics cards), performance improvements with triple buffering, and new features such as digital wellbeing tools to monitor screen time.

The core of the system is updated to Linux Kernel 7.0This is the first kernel to consolidate stable driver support in Rust. It includes a new CPU scheduler designed to reduce micro-cuts under load (Time-Slice Priority / TIP) and significant improvements to file systems like XFS, which gains self-repair capabilities in the face of certain errors.

Another key change is that Ubuntu 26.04 is fully committed to WaylandThe X11/Xorg session disappears from the login screen. This doesn't mean older applications will stop working, as XWayland remains as a compatibility layer, but you will no longer be able to start a "classic" Xorg session.

In terms of security, Canonical is taking a big step forward with the Reimplementation of critical utilities in RustThe old sudo is replaced by sudo-rs and a large part of the traditional coreutils are moved to versions written in Rust, reducing the attack surface for memory vulnerabilities without changing the usual behavior of the commands.

The desk also has a new look new default applicationsShowtime replaces Totem as the video player, Resources replaces the old system monitor, Papers takes over from Evince as the document viewer, Loupe continues as the image viewer, and in some environments Ptyxis is adopted as the terminal designed to work with containers.

If you work with AI or GPU computing, you'll be interested to know that NVIDIA CUDA and AMD ROCm are now available directly from the official repositorieswithout relying on third-party PPAs. Furthermore, Ubuntu 26.04 refines the workflow of full disk encryption backed by TPMfacilitating PIN or passphrase configurations after installation and better integration with biometrics.

Finally, in corporate environments, integration is strengthened with cloud authentication and MFAas well as a centralized application management through a unified Software Center that manages both .deb packages and snaps, leaving behind old and scattered tools.

System requirements and supported upgrade paths

For the update to go smoothly, it's important to make sure the computer meets certain minimum requirements. Canonical sets out some basic and recommended requirements which should be respected, especially at the desk.

On servers, Ubuntu 26.04 Server LTS is satisfied with a dual-core processor at 1 GHz, 1 GiB of RAM and 4 GiB of diskAlthough in practice almost any current machine will meet the requirements with a considerable margin.

On desktops, the minimum requirements include a dual-core processor at 2 GHz, 2 GiB of RAM and 25 GiB of storage, in addition to a graphics card with 3D acceleration, 1024×768 resolution and at least 128 MiB of video memory.

The realistic recommendation for comfortable use is to have 4 to 6 GiB of RAM, 25 GiB or more of disk space, and a GPU with 3D capabilities at 1280×1024 and 256 MiB of VRAMIf you're running low on memory or storage, the update can be a real ordeal and might not finish.

Regarding official routes, You can upgrade directly from Ubuntu 24.04 LTS to 26.04 LTS Following the LTS channel. It's also possible to upgrade from the intermediate version Ubuntu 25.10. If you're coming from an older LTS version, such as 22.04, you'll have to upgrade in two stages: first to 24.04 and then to 26.04.

Basic concepts: update, upgrade, dist-upgrade and do-release-upgrade

Much of the update is based on understanding what each apt command does. Updating the package list is not the same as changing the system version.Mixing concepts leads to frequent errors.

The first protagonist is sudo apt updateThis command only downloads and updates package information from the repositories configured on your system. In other words, it downloads the metadata of available versions, compares it with what you have installed, and determines which packages could be updated, but it doesn't install anything.

Once you've run update, you can see which packages have newer versions with sudo apt list --upgradable and find out how list the installed packagesThis list shows you each package installed on the system that has a newer version in the configured repositories.

To effectively install these new versions, you use sudo apt upgradeThis command downloads and installs the latest versions of packages without requiring any uninstallation. It can add new packages as dependencies, but never removes existing ones: if an update involves removing something, that specific update is skipped.

When we want more aggressive behavior, this comes into play sudo apt dist-upgrade (o sudo apt full upgrade(which does the same thing in the modern apt tool). This command not only updates packages, but also manages more complex dependency changesIt can even remove conflicting packages. Furthermore, it prioritizes the most important components if there are dilemmas.

The command actually responsible for to change from one version of Ubuntu to the next es sudo do-release-upgradeThis wizard takes care of downloading the package set for the new version, disabling third-party repositories, resolving dependencies, and guiding you through the entire LTS-to-LTS migration process or from an intermediate version.

Essential preparations before updating from 24.04 to 26.04

Most problems in large updates are not due to very serious bugs, but to skip the basic preparationsA little prevention is worth more than several hours of trying to salvage a system that's only partially working.

The first thing, and this is non-negotiable, is to make a full backup of your important dataAlthough the process is designed to keep your home directory intact, there is always a risk of power outages, human error, or other unforeseen conflicts. On company servers and machines, it is highly recommended to combine backups with snapshots of the VM or ZFS if you are using ZFS as the root directory.

First of all, it's advisable to confirm the current version with: cat / etc / os-release, where you should see a field VERSION_ID = »24.04 ″ If you are actually on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. If you are on 22.04 or another version, adjust the plan and perform the necessary intermediate upgrades.

Next, it is mandatory to fully update the system. Open a terminal and run the following commands in this order:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt dist-upgrade
sudo apt autoremove

This ensures that There are no partially updated packages or obsolete dependenciesWhen you're finished, check if a restart is needed by launching:

&& echo “REBOOT REQUIRED” || echo “No reboot needed”

If you see “REBOOT REQUIRED”, reboot before proceeding. The update assistant may refuse to start if a reboot is pending or, worse, encounter a new kernel that hasn't yet booted.

Another crucial step is audit third-party repositories (PPAs)They are the number one cause of problems in immigration. You can list them with:

grep -r «^deb » /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list.d/

Note down everything that isn't an official Ubuntu repository (for example, browser PPAs, code editors, drivers, etc.). The upgrade process will deactivate these repositories, but you'll need to decide later which ones you want to reactivate and, above all, whether they support Ubuntu 26.04.

Also check the available disk space on the root partition with:

df -h /

Ideally have at least 10-15 GB freeIf you're really short on cash, clear your package cache with sudo aptclean and deletes temporary or unnecessary files. The package downloader will need several gigabytes during the process.

If you're using an Nvidia graphics card with proprietary drivers, it's worth checking the current version with nvidia-ksOlder drivers (470 or 390 series) may not be compatible with kernel 7.0, while versions 535 and higher are compatible. If you detect an older version, update it first using [command missing]. sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall and restart to check that the system starts without problems.

Finally, make sure you have the component that manages version updates installed with:

sudo apt install update-manager-core

LTS update channel configuration

Ubuntu decides which new versions to offer you based on a configuration file. To jump from one LTS version to the next, you need the system to be configured in LTS mode..

Check the contents of /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades with:

cat /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades

You should see something like:

Prompt = lts

If in your case it appears Prompt = normalThis means the system is also prepared to offer intermediate development versions. To switch from an LTS scenario to a pure LTS, you can change it with:

sudo sed -i 's/Prompt=normal/Prompt=lts/' /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades

Double-check the file to confirm that the value has been saved correctly. This ensures that When you launch the wizard, it will offer you Ubuntu 26.04 LTS as soon as Canonical enables it on the LTS channel.

How to launch the upgrade to Ubuntu 26.04 LTS from the terminal

Once everything is ready, it's time to take the plunge. For environments with PPAs, proprietary drivers, or servers, The recommended way is to use the terminal with do-release-upgradebecause it allows you to clearly see what the system is doing at any given moment.

In a local session or via SSH (preferably within tmux or screen to prevent connection drops), run:

sudo do-release-upgrade

The assistant will begin by checking if a new version of Ubuntu is available for your channel. It will download a specific upgrade tool and show you a summary with the planned changes, the packages that will be installed, updated, and removed and the approximate discharge volume.

During the process, you'll see several steps: reading package lists, calculating changes, downloading hundreds of packages, installation, and final cleanup. On a typical broadband connection, this can take anywhere from 40 minutes to just over an hour, depending on your speed and the amount of software installed.

While the assistant works, Do not close the terminal or suspend the equipmentIf you're using a laptop, make sure it's plugged into a power source. Any interruption during the installation can leave the system in a half-finished state, requiring you to intervene with dpkg and apt.

It's normal for dialogues to appear asking for your input. For example, when there are modified configuration filesThe system will ask if you want to keep your current version or install the new one from the maintainer. As a general rule, if you've modified that configuration yourself (for example, in /etc/ssh/sshd_config or /etc/default/grub), it's usually safer to keep the local version and then manually review the changes. If you've never modified it, you can usually accept the new version.

Another point where the assistant will ask for confirmation is when propose removing obsolete packages that are no longer needed in the new version. On a relatively standard system, you can accept this without problems. If you have many things installed experimentally, you can always say no and clean them up later with sudo apt autoremove.

You'll also see warnings that Third-party repositories are temporarily disabled during the update. This is standard and desirable behavior: it avoids conflicts with PPA packages that are not yet ready for the new LTS.

In some scenarios, right after release, running do-release-upgrade might give you the message that “a new version has not been found”Canonical is releasing the update in stages to avoid overloading the servers and to detect problems early. If you want to force the update without waiting for the general notification to be activated, you can use:

sudo do-release-upgrade -d

This modifier causes the system to check the development channel, which is the first to offer the new LTS version. On critical or workstation machines, it's usually wiser to wait a few hours or days for the update to be released normally, or even until the first maintenance point (April 26, 2019), but on test systems, using -d can be useful.

Using apt to keep the system up to date and automate updates

In addition to the timely update to 26.04, you might be interested in automate daily package updates This avoids having to constantly monitor the system. It doesn't replace the `do-release-upgrade` method, but it does keep the system patched and up-to-date within the same version.

At a manual level, the usual practice is to run the following periodically:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

This command links the update of the package list and the installation of the new available versions. The system will display a summary with How many packages are updated, how many new ones are installed, how many are removed and the download size. When finished, it may sometimes ask you to restart if the kernel or important components have been updated.

If you want to go a step further and automate this process, you can schedule a cron task To schedule updates for a specific time, for example, in the early morning. To edit the root user's task table:

sudo crontab -e

If this is your first time running it, you'll choose a text editor (nano is usually the most user-friendly). In the file that opens, you can add a line like this:

00 3 * * * root apt update -y && apt-get dist-upgrade -y

This tells cron to run a command as root every day at 3:00 AM. automatic apt update followed by a dist-upgrade. Parameter -y Each command automatically prompts the user with questions like "Do you want to continue?". Keep in mind that while convenient, automating dist-upgrade in production requires caution: in some cases, it could remove packages or introduce changes you want to monitor manually.

Common errors during the update and how to fix them

Even when everything is well prepared, problems sometimes arise during or after the process. The good thing is that Most errors can be fixed with a few commands if you know what to look for.

If the update stops complaining about broken packages or unmet dependencies, the first thing you should try is:

sudo apt --fix-broken install
sudo apt install -f

These commands attempt Repair incomplete dependencies and install missing packagesIt is a quick way to recover a consistent state of the packet system.

Sometimes, if the process is interrupted midway (for example, by accidentally closing the terminal or due to a power outage), dpkg may get stuck in a "halfway" state. In that case, the reference command is:

sudo dpkg --configure -a

It resumes pending configurations of packages that had been unpacked but not fully configured. Often, combining it with sudo apt install -f leaves the system stable again.

One of the most feared failures is the Black screen on startup after updateThis is usually related to problems with the Nvidia GPU module for the new kernel. If this happens to you, try booting into recovery mode from GRUB, enter a root shell, and run:

sudo dkms autoinstall

This command forces the rebuild of the DKMS modules for the current kernel. If the Nvidia driver is not present, you can reinstall it with:

sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall

After that, restart with sudo reboot and check if the system boots normally to the graphical interface.

Another type of problem arises with Very old applications that expect a pure X11 server and they fail under Wayland. In many cases, it's enough to launch the application by forcing the X11 backend through XWayland. For example, for GTK applications you can use:

GDK_BACKEND=x11 application-name

In Qt-based applications, the trick is:

QT_QPA_PLATFORM=xcb application-name

And if it's a program that uses SDL, you can try:

SDL_VIDEODRIVER=x11 application-name

If you want this variable to always apply to a specific program, you can copy its .desktop file to ~ / .local / share / applications / and modify the Exec= line by adding the corresponding variable before the command.

Post-boot checks on Ubuntu 26.04

If everything went well, after the restart you'll see the refreshed login screen and, shortly after, the Ubuntu 26.04 desktop. Even so, it's a good idea to do a quick check to confirm that The update has been completed successfully.

To begin, check your Ubuntu kernel and version with:

uname -r
lsb_release-a

You should see something along the lines of 7.0.0-XX-generic The kernel version is listed, and the description says “Ubuntu 26.04 LTS” with the codename “resolute”. This indicates that you are indeed on the new LTS with the expected kernel.

You can also check that sudo-rs is in use running:

sudo –version

The output should indicate the version of sudo-rs, and when using sudo whoami You should be able to obtain root access without any problems. For the end user, the behavior is identical, but under the hood, it's a more secure implementation.

Another important step after the update is deciding what to do with the third-party repositories that were deactivatedCheck the files in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ that have backup suffixes (such as .distUpgrade) and check if the software vendor already supports Ubuntu 26.04 (often using the codename “resolute”). Once you confirm, you can reactivate that repository with add-apt-repository or by adjusting the file and then running:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

If a PPA doesn't yet offer packages for 26.04, the wisest course of action is to leave it disabled for now. Forcing older repositories on a new LTS release is not an option. It's a ticket guaranteed to be damaged or broken..

Since Ubuntu 26.04 is based solely on Wayland for GNOME, it's a good idea to do some quick tests of screen and audio sharing in the applications you use for video conferencing (Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, etc.). If you find that screen sharing is not possible, check the status of the portal service with:

systemctl –user status xdg-desktop-portal-gnome

If it's not active, you can start and enable it with:

systemctl –user enable –now xdg-desktop-portal-gnome

Finally, once you've confirmed that everything is working as it should, you can perform a quick cleanup of any remaining update files by running:

sudo aptclean
sudo apt autoremove

This will remove downloaded packages and files that are no longer needed, freeing up some disk space.

Frequently asked questions about upgrading to Ubuntu 26.04

A recurring question is whether You can upgrade directly from Ubuntu 22.04 to 26.04The official answer is no: you must first upgrade to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and, once it's stable, then upgrade to 26.04 from there. Skipping an LTS release in between is not supported and can leave the system unmaintainable.

Another logical concern is whether The update deletes your personal files.The do-release-upgrade process is designed to keep the contents of /home and installed applications (whether .deb packages, snaps, or Flatpaks) intact. Even so, any operation of this magnitude should be performed with a backup, just in case.

Regarding X11's disappearance, many people wonder if "X is gone for good." The reality is that The pure Xorg session does disappear in GNOMEBut XWayland is still present, so the vast majority of applications that used X at a low level will continue to function without any visible changes.

If you're too lazy to deal with the terminal, you might prefer to wait. use the graphical updater (Software Updater). Keep in mind that, with LTS releases, Canonical usually delays the automatic update offer until the release of version 26.04.1, typically in August, when many initial issues have been ironed out. If you want to update sooner, you'll have to use the terminal.

Regarding whether an in-place upgrade or a clean install is better, general experience indicates that For most users, in-place upgrades are the most convenient and secure option.It preserves applications, settings, and data, and avoids having to rebuild everything from scratch. A clean install is usually only justified if your system has years of testing, manual builds, or a configuration that deviates significantly from the standard.

If your system is based on ZFS in rootThe good news is that the Ubuntu 24.04 → 26.04 combination with ZFS is planned and supported, and the wizard handles datasets well. Even so, it's excellent practice to create a manual snapshot before starting, for example with:

sudo zfs snapshot rpool/ROOT/ubuntu_noble@pre-upgrade

So, if something goes seriously wrong, you'll always be able to rollback using a simple ZFS rollback instead of having to reinstall from scratch.

With everything we've seen, it's clear that upgrade Ubuntu 24.04 to Ubuntu 26.04 It's not just a matter of running a command and forgetting about it; it's a process that requires preparation: backups, a fully updated system, PPAs under control, sufficient disk space, and special attention to drivers and Wayland. By following these steps, mastering the key commands (update, upgrade, dist-upgrade, and do-release-upgrade), and knowing how to react to common errors, you can make the leap to the new LTS with all its advantages in performance, security, and a modern desktop, minimizing surprises and without having to give up your data or your usual applications.