How to Upgrade to Ubuntu 18.04 From Ubuntu 17.10 and 16.04 Right Now

Brief: This step-by-step tutorial demonstrates how to upgrade to Ubuntu 18.04 from Ubuntu 17.10 and 16.04.

If you are using Ubuntu 17.10 or 16.04 right now and are excited about the new features in Ubuntu 18.04, you may want to use it. Ubuntu 18.04 is released and you can now upgrade to Ubuntu 18.04 today from Ubuntu 17.10 and 16.04.

Upgrading to Ubuntu 18.04 from 17.10 and 16.04 means that you don’t need to create a new USB disk and do a fresh install. All you need is a good internet connection that can download around 1.5 GB of data. The upgrade process takes a few clicks and less than 30 minutes depending on your internet speed. All your data in the existing system remains the same. However, making a backup is always recommended.

Upgrade to Ubuntu 18.04 from Ubuntu 17.10 and Ubuntu 16.04

I am using the default Ubuntu 17.10 GNOME flavor for this tutorial but I believe the same steps should be applicable to other Ubuntu flavors such as Kubuntu, Xubuntu etc. You’ll also have to use some commands but they are not at all complicated.

Before you upgrade to Ubuntu 18.04, you should keep a few things in mind:

If you choose to upgrade your Ubuntu version, you cannot downgrade it. You cannot get back to Ubuntu 17.10 without reinstalling it. Which means you may lose your existing data.
It is always a good idea to make a backup of your data before performing a major upgrade like this.
You need a good internet connection for the upgrade procedure.
You may need an hour or less depending on your internet speed for the entire upgrade procedure.

Put correct settings in place before upgrading to Ubuntu 18.04

Go to Software & Updates:

And under the Updates tab, make sure that Notify me of a new Ubuntu version is set to “Any new version”:

This will reload the Software repository cache.

Once the correct Software Sources settings are in place, open a terminal and use the command below to update the system. It may take some time, depending on your internet speed.

sudo apt update && sudo apt dist-upgrade

If you are asked to do a system restart, restart your system.

Upgrade to Ubuntu 18.04 from 17.10 and 16.04 using command line

You need to make sure that you have update-manager-core package installed. Open a terminal and run the following command:

sudo apt install update-manager-core

After this, run the following command to upgrade to Ubuntu 18.04:

sudo do-release-upgrade

This command will search for a newer Ubuntu version. If it finds a new version, it will download the files, around 1Gb in size, and then will ask you if you want to install those new packages. If you choose yes, your upgrade procedure starts.

Though Ubuntu 18.04 has been released, you might not see the availability of new version immediately.

Upgrade to Ubuntu 18.04 from 17.10 and 16.04 using GUI

If you prefer GUI, let’s see how you can upgrade to Ubuntu 18.04. I have also made a video of the process. You can refer to that as well.

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Run Update Manager so that it looks for distribution upgrade.

sudo update-manager

This will open the Software Updater and it should notify you of the availability of Ubuntu 18.04.

Obviously, click on Upgrade. The rest of the process is fairly easy. All you have to do is to follow the on-screen instructions.

It will download the release upgrade tool.

And then it will prepare your system for the upgrade by setting new software repositories.

And at this stage, you’ll be asked to actually upgrade your system. This is the point of no return. You cannot go back from here so make sure you have a reliable internet. The entire process may take anywhere from 20 minutes to 90 minutes depending on your internet speed.