Canonical Ubuntu 24.04, “Noble Numbat”, was released by Ubuntu on April 25. Noble Numbat, Ubuntu’s tenth LTS version (Long-Term Support), contains several security and performance enhancements.
Ubuntu 23.10, “Mantic Minotaur”, released on October 20, 2023 will continue to receive security updates until July 2024. There’s still no reason why you shouldn’t upgrade to 24.04 now.
This guide will show you how to upgrade Ubuntu 23.10 from Ubuntu 24.04.
Why Upgrade to Ubuntu Noble Numbat 24.04?
The main advantage of upgrading to Ubuntu 24.04 Numbat as an LTS version is that users receive five years free of security maintenance for the main Ubuntu repository.
Ubuntu Pro users who sign up for the free personal version of Ubuntu Pro will receive five extra years of updates to both the main and Universe repositories.
Subscribers are also able to purchase the legacy support upgrade for two additional years of support.
Noble Numbat offers up to 12 years support. security featuresThis includes user namespace restrictions and binary hardening. It also disables older versions of TLS, AppArmor 4, and other security software.
The most important thing is that all the Ubuntu 24.04 binary package have been rebuilt due to the discovery of a hidden backdoor in xz Utils (data compression package) in early April.
Please read this article. Noble Numbat release notes Discover all the benefits of upgrading.
It Works
While you can technically upgrade to Ubuntu 24.04 Numbat using Terminal (see below)Ubuntu allows you to upgrade easily to the latest version by using the Software Updater.
You must first use the software updater in order to make sure that your Ubuntu 23.10 installation is current. You can then rerun your software updater in order to upgrade to Ubuntu 24,04.
Ubuntu 23.10 launches the upgrade, connecting with the software channels necessary and the applicable packages. The option will be presented to you to remove obsolete packages.
Ubuntu disables PPAs and third-party repositories by default. After the OS has upgraded to version 24,04, you can reenable them via the command line.
Step 1: Prepare Your System Step 1.
Upgrade to Ubuntu 24.04 Numbat is a simple process. Although it is always wise to take basic precautions whenever you make significant changes to the OS, this upgrade process is straightforward.
- Close all open files, including programs.
- You should plug your portable device into a power outlet to avoid the battery draining.
- Be sure to perform a system backup on your favorite utility.
Next, make sure that your version of Ubuntu is the latest. This can be done in the simplest possible way:
- Click on the workspace selector at the top-left, and type “update” into the search box.
- Launch the utility by clicking the “Software Updater Icon”.
Click “Install Now” and enter your admin password to download and apply these updates. Enter your administrator password, then click “Install now” to download the updates.
Click “Restart Now,” if Ubuntu 23.10 requires that you restart to apply updates.
Update Ubuntu 23.10 using the command line. Run the following command in Terminal:
sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade
Ubuntu 23.10 can be updated to the latest version by clicking “Y”.
Step 2. Step 3.
You will probably be required to reboot the system during the updating process. Log back in to Ubuntu Desktop if this happens.
The workspace switcher is located at the top-left.
The next notification will inform you that Ubuntu 23.10 has been updated, but a newer version (24.04) is now available. Click “Upgrade” in order to continue.
We initially didn’t notice this option, because we were upgrading only a couple of hours after Ubuntu 24,04 was released. If the problem persists after you launch Software Updater, shut down the application and then launch Terminal.
Here, you can run:
sudo update-manager -c
If you receive a notification stating that no new Ubuntu version has been found, add the ‘-d’ flag to the command:
sudo update-manager -c -d
The Upgrade Tool should now be available.
Step 3. Step 3.
The upgrade wizard will launch and display a short introduction to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Numbat, along with a link to release notes. Visit the link to read the release notes and discover the latest changes in Noble Numbat.
Then, click “Upgrade” and start downloading the upgrade tool. When this is completed, the tool will launch stating that it’s “Preparing Upgrade.” Now, a window will appear asking “Do you want Start the upgrade?”
You can read the information on the page to find out how many packages you need to install and the required space. Click “Start Upgrade” to continue.
Step 4. Install Your Upgrades
After setting up the new channels, the release upgrade tool will start downloading all the new packages.
You may be prompted during the process to restart Ubuntu services without asking. To confirm, click “Next”.
While the upgrade tool is installing upgrades, the wallpaper on your system may change to the Noble Numbat background. Click “Terminal”, to get detailed information regarding the upgrade.
Step 5. Step 6.
A window will appear when the release upgrade tool reaches cleaning-up. It will encourage you to “Remove outdated packages.”
Select “Details” if you’re not sure what to choose. A list of redundant items will appear. These can be “Kept”, but to save space we recommend “Remove.”
Step 6. Confirm Upgrade
Ubuntu will ask you to restart your OS, regardless of whether you remove outdated packages. Click “Restart Now”.
After logging in to Ubuntu 24.04, you can verify that the upgrade went smoothly via System Settings. Simply click on the workspace switcher located at the top-left and enter “about”.
You can view your OS’s version by selecting “About” under Settings.
The Terminal command can be used to check the current Ubuntu version:
lsb_release -a
Step 7. Step 7.
By default, when Ubuntu upgrades to a newer version, all third-party repositories, PPAs, and other software are disabled. It is easy to enable them again using Terminal.
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Noble Numbat has eliminated the traditional /etc/apt/sources.list in favor of /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ubuntu.sources for managing source configuration. The OS is now in line with “deb822”.
Nonetheless, the basic procedure for enabling repos/PPAS will remain the same.
- Launch Terminal to run:
sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ubuntu.sources - If any third-party repos or PPAs you use aren’t enabled, remove the ‘#’ at the start of the relevant line.
- Press Ctrl+X and then Y in order to save the changes.
Stay Updated
It is important to check for new updates, even after you have upgraded to Ubuntu version 24.04. For this, follow the steps from Step 1 and run the Software Updater.
Launch Terminal and then:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade
In this case, using the Terminal will be beneficial as it will alert if you still have any third-party repositories/PPAs disabled.
Upgrade to Ubuntu 24-04 via the Command Line
If you are a Linux expert, you might prefer to upgrade from the command-line. This method has the advantage that you don’t have to deal with windows or buttons. However, it is important to first prepare your system by following Step 1 and then run a backup.
Open Terminal and run the following:
sudo do-release-upgrade
This command will search for the latest version of Ubuntu. It will then prompt you to upgrade. Tap ‘y’ to proceed.
This prompt stated that there was no Ubuntu release available. We were able to fix this by adding the ‘-d’ flag, i.e.
sudo do-release-upgrade -d
This step-by-step upgrade guide from Ubuntu 23.10 is intended to help you make the switch to Ubuntu 24.04 so that your system can benefit from 12 years of security and performance updates as well as the latest features.
Editor’s note: Canonical is credited for the Ubuntu screenshots and images featured in this article.
