How to Update Ubuntu

Last updated: October 22, 2026

There are two ways to update Ubuntu: the terminal (apt) and the graphical Software Updater. Both install the same security and bug-fix updates, so use whichever you prefer. The screenshots below come from the original version of this guide and show Ubuntu 22; the commands are unchanged on current releases. I re-checked the apt list --upgradable and apt full-upgrade behaviour on Ubuntu 24.04, but the Software Updater steps are shown only with the original screenshots.

Update vs upgrade: what each command does

Command	What it does	When to use it
sudo apt update	Downloads the current package lists from the repositories. Installs nothing.	Always first
sudo apt upgrade	Installs newer versions of installed packages. Does not remove packages or install new dependencies that need changes it considers risky.	Routine updates
sudo apt full-upgrade	Like upgrade, but may also install or remove packages to resolve changed dependencies, which new kernels sometimes require.	When upgrade reports packages “kept back”
sudo apt autoremove	Removes packages that were installed as dependencies and are no longer needed.	After updating, to free disk space

Method 1: Update Ubuntu from the terminal

Step 1: Refresh the package lists

sudo apt update

The command needs sudo because it changes system files. The last line of the output tells you how many packages can be upgraded.

Step 2: See what will be upgraded (optional)

apt list --upgradable

This lists each package with its new and current version, so you can see what the next step will change before you run it.

Step 3: Install the updates

sudo apt upgrade

Review the list and press Y to confirm.

To run both steps in one line, and answer yes automatically, use:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

The && means the upgrade only starts if the update succeeded. Avoid -y on servers where you want to read the package list before accepting it.

Upgrade a single package

To upgrade only one installed package, name it. Here nginx is the example:

sudo apt install --only-upgrade nginx

The older form sudo apt upgrade nginx from the original version of this guide also works on current releases, but --only-upgrade makes clear that nothing new will be installed if the package is missing.

Step 4: Clean up and check whether a reboot is needed

sudo apt autoremove

Kernel and some library updates only take effect after a restart. Ubuntu creates the file /var/run/reboot-required when that is the case:

ls /var/run/reboot-required

If the file exists, reboot with sudo reboot when it is convenient. If you see “No such file or directory”, no restart is pending.

Method 2: Update with Software Updater (desktop)

Search for Software Updater in the Ubuntu Desktop search box and open it:

It checks for updates and starts downloading them automatically:

When it finishes installing, it shows the message “The software on this computer is up to date”:

Update vs upgrade Ubuntu to a new release

Everything above installs updates inside your current release, for example Ubuntu 24.04 stays 24.04. Moving to a newer release (for example 24.04 to 26.04) is a different, bigger operation, normally done with do-release-upgrade and only after a full backup. Do it on a test machine first, and never on a production server without a backup and a rollback plan. I did not test a release upgrade for this article.

Troubleshooting

Message	Meaning	What to do
Could not get lock /var/lib/dpkg/lock-frontend	Another update process (often the automatic updater) is running	Wait a few minutes and retry. Do not delete lock files.
“The following packages have been kept back”	The upgrade needs dependency changes apt upgrade will not make	Run sudo apt full-upgrade after reading the proposed changes
Temporary failure resolving / Failed to fetch	No network or DNS, or a repository is unreachable	Check the connection, then run sudo apt update again
Updates are held back on a server	Unattended updates or pinned packages	Check apt-mark showhold for held packages

FAQ

How often should I update Ubuntu? Check at least weekly, and apply security updates as soon as they appear on any machine reachable from the internet.

Is apt update the same as apt upgrade? No. update only refreshes the package lists; upgrade installs the new versions.