Upgrade to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat) to access the latest packages, security updates, and five years of long-term support. This guide covers both the graphical desktop method and the command-line approach for servers, so you can choose the workflow that fits your environment. By the end, you will have a fully upgraded system with verified version information and a clear path for future upgrades.
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS accepts direct upgrades from Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and Ubuntu 23.10. If you are running an older release, upgrade incrementally through each supported version first. For example, Ubuntu 20.04 users must upgrade to 22.04 before proceeding to 24.04.
Pre-Upgrade Checklist
A successful upgrade starts with preparation. The following steps protect your data and reduce the likelihood of issues during the upgrade process.
Back Up Your Data
Create a complete backup before starting. The upgrade process modifies system files, replaces packages, and updates configurations. If something goes wrong, a backup lets you restore your previous state. For desktop systems, Timeshift on Ubuntu creates system snapshots that can be restored from the boot menu. For servers, use rsync to copy critical directories to external storage:
sudo rsync -aAXv --exclude={"/dev/*","/proc/*","/sys/*","/tmp/*","/run/*","/mnt/*","/media/*","/lost+found"} / /path/to/backup/Verify System Requirements
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Desktop requires a 2 GHz dual-core processor, 4 GB of RAM (2 GB for virtual machines), 25 GB of storage, and a 1024×768 display. Server installations require less; 1 GHz processor, 1.5 GB RAM, and 5 GB storage are sufficient. Check the official system requirements for the full specifications.
Ensure Stable Power and Network
Connect laptops to power during the upgrade. The process can take 30 minutes to several hours depending on your internet speed and the number of packages being updated. An interrupted upgrade can leave your system in an inconsistent state that requires manual recovery.
Check Disk Space
The upgrade downloads new packages before removing old ones, temporarily requiring extra disk space. Verify you have at least 10 GB free on your root partition:
df -h /If space is tight, clear old package caches and remove unused packages first:
sudo apt clean
sudo apt autoremoveUpdate Your Current System
Before upgrading to a new release, your current system must be fully updated. The upgrade tool checks for pending updates and may refuse to proceed if packages are out of date.
Refresh Package Lists
Download the latest package information from all configured repositories:
sudo apt updateThis command contacts each repository and updates the local package index. You should see output similar to:
Hit:1 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy InRelease Get:2 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-updates InRelease [128 kB] Get:3 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-security InRelease [129 kB] Get:4 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-backports InRelease [127 kB] Fetched 384 kB in 2s (192 kB/s) Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree... Done Reading state information... Done All packages are up to date.
Install Available Updates
Apply all pending updates to bring your system to the latest patch level:
sudo apt upgrade -yThe -y flag automatically confirms the installation. Review the package list if you prefer manual confirmation by omitting this flag.
Apply Distribution Updates
For more thorough updates that handle package dependency changes, run:
sudo apt dist-upgrade -yThis command intelligently handles situations where upgrading a package requires installing new dependencies or removing conflicting packages. It prepares your system for the release upgrade by resolving any package conflicts in advance.
Install the Upgrade Tool
The update-manager-core package provides the do-release-upgrade command used for terminal-based upgrades. This package is typically pre-installed on desktop systems but may be missing on minimal server installations:
sudo apt install update-manager-core -yUpgrade to Ubuntu 24.04 via Desktop GUI
The graphical method uses Ubuntu’s Update Manager application and is suitable for desktop systems where you have access to the display.
Launch Update Manager
Open a terminal from the applications menu and run:
sudo update-managerThis opens the graphical Update Manager. If the upgrade to Ubuntu 24.04 is available, a notification banner appears at the top of the window prompting you to upgrade.
If no upgrade notification appears, your system may not yet be configured to receive the new release. Ubuntu staggers release availability over several weeks after launch. Force the check by running
sudo update-manager -c(shorthand for--check-dist-upgrades), which explicitly checks for new distribution releases.
Start the Upgrade
When the upgrade prompt appears, click the “Upgrade…” button to begin. The Update Manager downloads the upgrade tool and presents the release notes for Ubuntu 24.04.
Review Release Notes
Read through the release notes to understand what changes are included in Ubuntu 24.04. This information covers new features, known issues, and any deprecations that might affect your workflow. Click “Upgrade” to continue.
Confirm Upgrade Details
The upgrade tool displays a summary of changes: packages to be installed, upgraded, and removed. Review this list carefully, especially if you use third-party software that might be affected. Click “Start Upgrade” to proceed.
The upgrade typically takes 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on your internet connection speed and system performance. Do not interrupt the process.
Handle Configuration File Prompts
During the upgrade, prompts may appear asking whether to keep your current configuration files or replace them with new versions. If you have customized system configuration files, choose to keep your current version. For files you have not modified, accepting the maintainer’s version ensures you receive updated defaults.
Remove Obsolete Packages
After the main upgrade completes, the tool offers to remove obsolete packages that are no longer needed. These are packages from the previous release that have no equivalent in Ubuntu 24.04 or are no longer required as dependencies. Removing them frees disk space and keeps your system clean.
Restart to Complete the Upgrade
Click “Restart Now” to reboot into Ubuntu 24.04. The restart is required because the upgrade installs a new Linux kernel and updates core system services that cannot be replaced while running.
Verify the Desktop Upgrade
After rebooting, open Settings and navigate to the About section to confirm you are running Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Noble Numbat.
Upgrade to Ubuntu 24.04 via Command Line
The command-line method works for both servers and desktops. It is the only option for headless servers accessed via SSH.
When upgrading a remote server over SSH, the upgrade tool starts a backup SSH daemon on port 1022. If your connection drops, you can reconnect to port 1022 to resume the upgrade session. Ensure your firewall allows connections to this port before starting.
Start the Release Upgrade
Run the upgrade command:
sudo do-release-upgradeThe tool checks for a new LTS release. If your system is running Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and 24.04 LTS is available, the upgrade proceeds. If you are running 23.10 (the interim release), the tool automatically offers the upgrade path to 24.04.
Confirm the Upgrade
The tool displays the list of packages to be upgraded, installed, and removed. Review the summary and type y to proceed:
The upgrade process downloads and installs packages. Stay connected and monitor the terminal for any prompts about configuration file changes.
Handle Obsolete Packages
Near the end of the upgrade, the tool asks whether to remove obsolete packages. Type y to remove them and free disk space:
Restart the System
The upgrade tool prompts you to restart. Type y to reboot immediately, or run this command manually if you declined:
sudo reboot
Verify the Command-Line Upgrade
After rebooting, confirm the upgrade succeeded:
lsb_release -aExpected output on a successfully upgraded system:
No LSB modules are available. Distributor ID: Ubuntu Description: Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS Release: 24.04 Codename: noble
Post-Upgrade Tasks
After upgrading, complete these tasks to ensure your system is fully functional and secure.
Re-enable Third-Party Repositories
The upgrade process disables third-party repositories and PPAs because they may not have packages compatible with the new release. Check and re-enable them after verifying they support Ubuntu 24.04:
ls /etc/apt/sources.list.d/Disabled repositories have a .distUpgrade suffix. To re-enable one:
sudo mv /etc/apt/sources.list.d/example.list.distUpgrade /etc/apt/sources.list.d/example.list
sudo apt updateUpdate Remaining Packages
Run a final update to catch any packages that became available after the upgrade tool was created:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -yConfigure Automatic Security Updates
Ubuntu 24.04 includes unattended-upgrades for automatic security patches. Verify the service is enabled, or follow the unattended upgrades guide for Ubuntu to configure it:
sudo systemctl status unattended-upgradesReview Firewall Rules
If you use UFW, verify your firewall rules are intact after the upgrade:
sudo ufw status verboseFor detailed firewall configuration, see the UFW firewall guide for Ubuntu.
Troubleshooting Common Upgrade Issues
If the upgrade encounters problems, these solutions address the most common issues.
No New Release Found
If do-release-upgrade reports “No new release found,” the upgrade may not be enabled for your system yet or the upgrade path is not available. First, ensure your system is fully updated:
sudo apt update && sudo apt dist-upgrade -yThen check your upgrade settings in /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades:
cat /etc/update-manager/release-upgradesThe Prompt line controls upgrade behavior:
# Default behavior for Ubuntu LTS releases Prompt=lts
If set to lts, the system only offers LTS-to-LTS upgrades. If set to normal, it offers upgrades to any new release including interim versions. If set to never, change it to enable upgrades.
Held Packages Blocking Upgrade
Held packages can prevent the upgrade from starting. Check for held packages:
apt-mark showholdIf packages are listed, temporarily unhold them:
sudo apt-mark unhold package-nameRe-hold them after the upgrade if needed.
Third-Party PPA Conflicts
PPAs that provide packages also present in Ubuntu’s repositories can cause conflicts. If the upgrade fails with dependency errors mentioning PPA packages, disable the PPA temporarily:
sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:owner/ppa-name
sudo apt updateRetry the upgrade. Re-add the PPA after upgrading if it supports Ubuntu 24.04.
Insufficient Disk Space
The upgrade downloads packages before removing old ones. If disk space errors appear, free space with these commands:
# Remove cached packages
sudo apt clean
# Remove old kernels (keep the current one)
sudo apt autoremove --purge
# Check what is using space
du -sh /var/cache/apt/archives/Upgrade Interrupted or Failed
If the upgrade was interrupted, attempt to resume it:
sudo dpkg --configure -a
sudo apt install -f
sudo do-release-upgradeThese commands configure any partially installed packages, fix broken dependencies, and restart the upgrade process.
System Unbootable After Upgrade
If the system fails to boot after upgrading, boot from the GRUB menu into an older kernel (under “Advanced options for Ubuntu”). Once booted, update GRUB and reinstall the kernel:
sudo update-grub
sudo apt install --reinstall linux-image-generic linux-headers-genericIf you created a Timeshift backup, you can restore your previous system state from the GRUB boot menu.
Future Upgrade Path
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS receives security updates and maintenance until April 2029. Extended support through Ubuntu Pro extends coverage until 2034. The next LTS release, Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, is scheduled for April 2026. When that release becomes available, upgrade using the same do-release-upgrade command documented in this guide.
Conclusion
Your system now runs Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with access to updated packages, security patches, and five years of long-term support. The upgrade process updated core system components, replaced the Linux kernel, and refreshed the package repository sources. Re-enable any third-party PPAs you rely on, verify your firewall configuration, and consider enabling automatic security updates to keep your system protected.