Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS is now available. How to safely update the system

Canonical has released the first point update for Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS, opening the official migration path for long-term release users. See how to prepare your machine and safely upgrade the version in both the GUI and the terminal.

What this guide covers and who it is for

The release labeled '.1 LTS' is traditionally the moment when Canonical opens the official migration gate for existing long-term support installations (LTS – Long Term Support). It packages bug fixes, stability patches, and driver updates discovered after the initial release of the 26.04 branch. According to the Canonical blog announcement, this release was prepared with workstations, development environments, and enterprise AI projects in mind.

This guide will walk you through the process of migrating a workstation or server from Ubuntu 24.04 LTS to Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS without reinstalling the system. You will learn how to proceed via the graphical interface and the terminal, how to avoid session drops, and how to verify the machine's state after reboot.

Prerequisites and machine preparation

Before you proceed to download new packages, ensure the stability of your current environment. The system replaces critical libraries during migration, so any unfinished installation could lock the APT manager.

• Base system: installed Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with all current patches.
• Free space on the system partition (/): minimum 15–20 GB of free space for downloading and unpacking packages.
• Backup: secured home directory (/home) and service configurations from directory /etc on an external drive.

First, sync the indexes and install any pending updates:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Expected result: the APT manager reports no pending packages to update (message 0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove).

Graphical update via Software Updater

For workstations with the GNOME graphical environment, the built-in update manager is the simplest route.

1. Launch the Software Updater from the system menu. Expected effect: the system will scan the repositories and display a window indicating the availability of Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS.
2. Click the Upgrade button. The system will display release notes and prompt for the administrator password (sudo).
3. In the wizard window, confirm the start of the download and installation process. At this stage, the wizard will ask about removing orphaned packages (dependencies that are no longer supported) – choose to remove them.
4. After configuration is complete, click the prompt to restart the computer. The system will load the new kernel version and a refreshed desktop.

Text-mode migration for servers and workstations

On servers and machines without a graphical environment, we perform the entire process directly from the command line using the tool do-release-upgrade.

Enter the command to start the upgrade wizard:

sudo do-release-upgrade

If mirror servers in your region have not yet announced the availability of the point release, you can force the branch check with the developer switch:

sudo do-release-upgrade -d

During installation, the installer may encounter previously modified configuration files (e.g., /etc/ssh/sshd_config). The screen will ask whether to keep the local version or overwrite it with the package maintainer's file. It is safer to keep your own configuration (default option keep your currently-installed version) and manually add any new parameters after reboot.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

When upgrading the system version, two elements most often fail: remote sessions and kernel modules for graphics cards.

SSH session interruption: If you are performing the update remotely, never run do-release-upgrade directly in the shell. A network drop during installation will interrupt the glibc library configuration and lock up the server. Always work in a session of the tool tmux or screen.

NVIDIA driver issues: After loading the new Linux kernel, compilation of DKMS modules may fail, resulting in a black screen after reboot. In such a situation, press the shortcut Ctrl + Alt + F3, log in to the TTY console, and check the accelerator status and recommended drivers:

ubuntu-drivers devices

Then install the suggested version of the proprietary package (e.g., sudo apt install --reinstall nvidia-driver-...) and restart the machine.

Installation verification and what next

Once the system is up, make sure the migration was completely successful. Enter in the terminal:

lsb_release -a

In the Description section, you should see Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS. Then review the system log for kernel and systemd service errors from the current boot:

journalctl -p err -b

The absence of critical entries indicates a fully functional system. If you use the station for machine learning or containerization, check the compatibility of the Docker runtime and CUDA stack with the new version of system libraries. You can find the detailed list of package changes directly in the technical documentation of the release.

Sources

• https://x.com/ubuntu/status/2104972058010562637
• https://ubuntu.com/blog/upgrade-your-desktop-ubuntu-26-04-lts?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=organic+social
• https://linuxiac.com/ubuntu-24-04-lts-users-can-now-upgrade-to-ubuntu-26-04-1-lts/
• https://linuxiac.com/ubuntu-unity-project-faces-uncertain-future/
• https://9to5linux.com/you-can-now-upgrade-ubuntu-24-04-lts-to-ubuntu-26-04-lts-heres-how