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Refer to Mytour's article on upgrading to the latest version of Ubuntu below for instructions. However, before proceeding with the steps, Mytour recommends that you back up your important data files before starting to avoid any potential mishaps.
Is it possible to upgrade to the latest version of Ubuntu?
Whenever a new version of Ubuntu is released, users of the previous version can upgrade to the latest version for usage. For example, if you're using Ubuntu 17.10, Canonical has just released Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, and you can explore Ubuntu 18.04 to see what's new. Should you update to discover the new features and limitations of this new operating system version?
Basically, you can only upgrade from one Ubuntu release to the next. For instance, if you've installed Ubuntu 17.04 and you want to upgrade to Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, the upgrade process will install Ubuntu 17.10. Then, you can redo the upgrade process from Ubuntu 17.10 to Ubuntu 18.04 LTS.
Upgrading from one Long Term Support (LTS) release to another LTS release is allowed, but the upgrade process will be delayed to bring the LTS release to the stable channel.
For example, Ubuntu 18.04 LTS was released on April 26, 2018. However, users cannot directly upgrade to Ubuntu 16.04 LTS until the Ubuntu 18.04.1 LTS release is officially launched, scheduled for July 28, 2018.
Guide to upgrading to the latest version of Ubuntu
Method 1: Upgrading to the latest version of Ubuntu using graphical tools
You can upgrade to the latest version of Ubuntu using the built-in graphical tools on a standard Ubuntu computer or through Terminal commands.
Choosing the version to upgrade to
By default, standard Ubuntu releases provide options for users to upgrade to the latest standard release. Long Term Support (LTS) releases offer options to upgrade to the latest LTS release.
For example, if you install Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, you won't have options to upgrade to Ubuntu 18.10. Instead, you'll only be allowed to upgrade to Ubuntu 20.04 LTS when it's available. However, you can still change this if you wish.
To find options to make changes, you click on the Activities button (on GNOME Shell) or the Ubuntu logo (on Unity) located in the top-left corner of the screen. Search for Update, then click on Software & Updates.
Alternatively, you can also open the Software Updater application and click on Settings to open the settings window.
Next, click on the Updates tab. Under Notify me of a new Ubuntu version, select either For any new version or For long-term support versions, depending on the type of update you want. Once done, click on Close.
Upgrade to the latest version of Ubuntu
When a new release is available, Ubuntu may notify users through the standard Software Updater tool. However, if the Software Updater tool doesn't find any updates, you can manually check for updates.
To upgrade to the latest version of Ubuntu, press Alt+F2, then enter the command below and press Enter:
update-manager -c
The Software Updater tool will check Ubuntu servers and notify you if a new Ubuntu version is available. Click on the Upgrade button to upgrade to the latest version of Ubuntu.
If the Software Updater tool doesn't provide a notification of a new release available, use the keyboard shortcut Alt+F2, then enter the command below and press Enter:
/usr/lib/ubuntu-release-upgrader/check-new-release-gtk
If a notification appears on the screen stating that a new version of Ubuntu is available, click on Yes, Upgrade Now to install.
Method 2: Upgrading to the latest version of Ubuntu via Terminal
You can also upgrade to the latest version of Ubuntu via Terminal. This solution is useful for server systems or different Ubuntu Linux distributions with various desktop environments.
Before starting the steps, run the command below to ensure that you have installed the update-manager-core package. The commands used during the latest Ubuntu update process will not work if these packages are not installed.
sudo apt install update-manager-core
Choosing the version to upgrade to
As mentioned above, when upgrading to the latest version of Ubuntu using graphical tools, standard Ubuntu releases typically offer the option to upgrade to the next available version, while long-term support versions only provide the option to upgrade to the next long-term support version.
For example, if you're running Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, when Ubuntu 18.10 becomes available, you won't receive the update because the system is configured to wait for the Ubuntu 20.04 LTS release by default.
To change this, in the Terminal window, you run the file /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades below in any text editor under root privileges, such as the nano text editor:
sudo nano /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades
Edit the line 'Prompt=' in the file to 'Prompt=normal' or 'Prompt=lts', depending on whether you want to be notified to upgrade to regular releases or LTS releases.
Save the file and close your text editor. If using the nano text editor, you can press Ctrl + O and then press Enter to save the file, and then press Ctrl + X to close the nano window.
Upgrade to the latest version of Ubuntu via Terminal
To check for available upgrades that you can perform, run the command below:
do-release-upgrade -c
This command will check Ubuntu servers for available updates and notify you of which version of Ubuntu you can upgrade to. The available Ubuntu version for upgrade is listed in the /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades file on your system.
To perform the upgrade to the latest version of Ubuntu, execute the command below:
sudo do-release-upgrade
Ubuntu will commence the upgrade process. Enter Y and then press Enter to confirm.
The Terminal command do-release-upgrade functions similarly to the graphical upgrade tool. However, you cannot upgrade directly from Ubuntu 16.04 LTS to Ubuntu 18.04 LTS; you must wait for the Ubuntu 18.04.1 LTS release to be available.
The command do-release-upgrade -d will upgrade to the Ubuntu development branch, which is unstable. However, this method is not recommended for production systems. Ubuntu development versions are unstable and should only be used for testing purposes.
Reinstalling Ubuntu is an option
Furthermore, if the above tools do not provide options to upgrade the system, for instance, if you are running Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and want to upgrade before July 26th, you can visit the Ubuntu homepage to download the latest version to your machine and install it, create a bootable USB drive, or burn it to a disc, then install Ubuntu on your system.
This article by Mytour has just guided upgrading to the latest version of Ubuntu. Additionally, you can reinstall Ubuntu to keep your installed applications. However, a small note is to remember to back up your important data before performing this method of installation or upgrading to the latest version of Ubuntu, as during the installation process, your applications and data will be lost.
