How To Upgrade Ubuntu 24.04 LTS To Ubuntu 26.04 LTS

This guide outlines how to upgrade Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat) to Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (Resolute Raccoon) using the terminal, for both Desktop and Server editions.

The Ubuntu release cycle consists of Long Term Support (LTS) and interim releases. LTS releases are designed for stability and long-term use. They are released every two years and receive five years of standard support, with optional Expanded Security Maintenance (ESM) available for up to ten years through Ubuntu Pro. LTS releases are widely used in production environments where reliability and consistency are critical.

Interim releases are published every six months between LTS versions and include newer software, kernels, and features. While they provide access to the latest improvements, they are supported for only nine months and require more frequent upgrades. Interim releases are better suited for users who want the latest features and are comfortable upgrading regularly.

This guide covers upgrades from Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. For systems running Ubuntu 25.10 (interim), refer to the separate guide on HowTo upgrade Ubuntu 25.10 (Questing Quokka) to Ubuntu 26.04 LTS. If you are running an older Ubuntu LTS release (for example, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS), you must first upgrade to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS before upgrading to Ubuntu 26.04 LTS.

Upgrading before the official release date will result in a development branch or beta install. We recommend waiting for the official release date or the first point release (26.04.1 LTS) to avoid early release bugs and potential stability issues.

• Ubuntu 26.04 LTS release date: April 23, 2026, with standard support ending April 2031.
• Ubuntu 24.04 LTS release date: April 25, 2024, with standard support ending April 2029.

Before you begin, review the Ubuntu 26.04 LTS release notes and the major LTS changes for any compatibility or system-specific considerations, as our steps only provide general guidance. If you have added any third-party repositories (software sources outside the official Ubuntu repositories), document them by running ls /etc/apt/sources.list.d/. If any of this software is important, verify that it supports the new Ubuntu version before proceeding, as you may decide to postpone the upgrade until a compatible release is available.

The following steps can be performed as an in-place upgrade on a live system, either from a local terminal or over a remote SSH connection.

Step 1

Prior to upgrading, make sure the current system is up-to-date by executing these three commands.

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt dist-upgrade

During the next step, Ubuntu automatically disables any third-party repositories by commenting them out and backing up their source files with a .distUpgrade suffix. After the upgrade, you can review these backups and manually re-enable or re-add any required repositories. Consult the relevant software provider for repository configuration details.

Step 2

Upgrade to the latest release with this command, follow the on-screen instructions, and reboot when prompted.

sudo do-release-upgrade

If the command above returns the following notification message, it means you tried to upgrade before the official release or the "soaking period" is still in effect. The soaking period for an LTS release will last a few months, until the point release of 26.04.1 LTS, but you may still continue.

Checking for a new Ubuntu release
There is no development version of an LTS available.
To upgrade to the latest non-LTS development release
set Prompt=normal in /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades.

If you'd like to proceed, you can bypass this by adding the -d option to the command. Execute, then continue by following the on-screen instructions and reboot when prompted.

sudo do-release-upgrade -d

However, if the -d option returns the following notification message, it means the upgrade is intentionally being blocked upstream by the developers, most likely due to critical bugs. This reinforces our recommendation to consider postponing an upgrade until the point release.

Checking for a new Ubuntu release
Upgrades to the development release are only
available from the latest supported release.

Step 3

After reboot, verify the release has been upgraded.

lsb_release -a

Output will be similar to this.

No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description:    Ubuntu 26.04 LTS
Release:        26.04
Codename:       resolute

Step 4

Clear out the local repository of retrieved package files and dependencies that are no longer required.

sudo apt clean

sudo apt autoremove