How to Upgrade to Ubuntu 18.04 From Ubuntu 17.10

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 right now and are excited about the new features in Ubuntu 18.04, you may want to try it. Ubuntu 18.04 is coming on 26th April but if you want to try it before that, you can upgrade to Ubuntu 18.04 today from Ubuntu 17.10.

Upgrade from Ubuntu 17.10 to Ubuntu 18.04 Beta

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 beta, you should keep a few things in mind:

• Beta means bugs. You’ll have an operating system which is not developed completely. So you may encounter issues with your systems. Beta releases are intended for testing the OS before its final release.
• 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 more depending on your internet speed for the entire upgrade procedure.

Now that you have been warned, let’s see how you can upgrade to Ubuntu 18.04 beta. I have also made a video of the process. You can refer to that as well: 

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Step 1:

Go to Software & Updates:

Under the Updates tab, make sure that ‘Notify me for a new Ubuntu version’ option is set to ‘For any new version’.

For upgrading to Ubuntu 18.04 beta, check the ‘Pre-released updates’ field under Developer Options.

This will reload the Software repository cache.

Step 2:

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.

Step 3:

Now run Update Manager with option d so that it looks for distribution upgrade.

sudo update-manager -d

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

Obviously, click on Upgrade.

Step 4:

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.

Now your system will be installing the new Ubuntu 18.04 packages.

After some time, you’ll be asked whether you want to keep the obsolete packages from the previous Ubuntu 17.10 install. I advise removing them.

At this point, you have already completed the Ubuntu 18.04 upgrade process. You’ll be asked to restart your system now.

After restarting the system, you might not notice a visible difference right away. Even the wallpaper remains the same as Ubuntu 17.10. However, when you check in system details, you’ll see that your system is now Ubuntu 18.04 beta.

That’s it. That’s all you needed to do to upgrade to Ubuntu 18.04 beta from Ubuntu 17.10. Enjoy Ubuntu 18.04 beta and keep reporting bugs and crashes so that Ubuntu team could fix them before the actual release.

Do I need to reinstall Ubuntu 18.04 when the stable version is released?

This question has been asked several times so I decided to include a section on it in this article.

The answer is no. You don’t need to reinstall Ubuntu 18.04 when the final version is released on 26th April. If you install the beta version today, just keep your system updated with all the updates and you’ll have the latest stable Ubuntu 18.04 when it is released.

Featured Image Credit: Ubuntu Community