Kip CroninIf you run Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, you can upgrade to 26.04 LTS now, but you don't have to. 24.04 gets standard security updates until May 2029. Upgrade when the changes below won't hurt you. Wait if you depend on X11 for the Ubuntu desktop, on apt-key in scripts, on GNU-specific coreutils behaviour, or on MySQL accounts using mysql_native_password.
This is a decision checklist built from Ubuntu's release notes, not an upgrade we've run. Our test machine, a ThinkPad X1 Carbon on 24.04, hasn't been upgraded yet. When it has, the tested write-up will be linked here.
Is the upgrade offered yet?
Ubuntu offers an LTS-to-LTS upgrade only after the first point release. 26.04.1 was released on 27 August 2026. Canonical held back the automatic offer for a few weeks to backport fixes for regressions in rust-coreutils. By 30 September, OMG! Ubuntu reported that the upgrade offer was live. We couldn't find a Canonical post giving the exact date.
To check your own machine without changing anything:
do-release-upgrade -c
The -c flag will "Check only if a new distribution release is available and report the result via the exit code". On an LTS install, /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades contains Prompt=lts (we checked ours; it's the LTS default), so you're offered the next LTS and never an interim release such as 26.10.
Support dates: no rush
| Release | Standard security updates until | With Ubuntu Pro (ESM) |
|---|---|---|
| 24.04 LTS | May 2029 | May 2034 |
| 26.04 LTS | May 2031 | May 2036 |
From Canonical's release cycle page. The 26.04 release notes say "supported until April 2031", a month earlier than the table. Plan with the earlier date.
What changes on the desktop
All from the 26.04 summary for LTS users:
- Wayland only for the Ubuntu session. "The Ubuntu Desktop session now runs only on the Wayland back end." X11 apps still run through XWayland. KDE on X11, Xfce, MATE and i3 can still start an X.org session.
- GNOME 46 → 50, with new default apps: Ptyxis replaces GNOME Terminal, Papers replaces Evince, Loupe replaces Eye of GNOME, Resources replaces System Monitor and Showtime replaces Totem.
- GNOME's PreLogin and PostSession scripts are gone. Ubuntu suggests a PAM module such as
pam_execinstead. - Software & Updates isn't installed by default. Install
software-properties-gtkto get it back. - Kernel 6.8 → 7.0 (the 24.04 HWE kernel was 6.17).
What changes in the terminal
sudois now sudo-rs. The original is still available assudo.ws.sudo-ldapwas removed; Ubuntu says to use LDAP through PAM.- Core utilities are Rust (uutils), with GNU versions still available under a
gnuprefix (gnuls). In 26.04,cp,mvandrmare still GNU. To switch everything back to GNU, the notes give:
sudo apt install coreutils-from-gnu coreutils-from-uutils- --allow-remove-essential
apt-keyis removed (APT 3.1). Any script that still calls it fails. APT gainshistory-list,history-undoandhistory-rollback.- OpenSSH 10.2 drops DSA keys, and sshd no longer reads
~/.pam_environmentat login. - chrony replaces systemd-timesyncd on new installs. Upgraders who want the same setup:
apt-mark auto systemd-timesyncd, thenapt install chrony. - Dracut replaces initramfs-tools. cgroup v1 is removed (systemd 259).
- 26.04 is the last release that runs System V init scripts. They still run on 26.04, but 26.10 removes the generator.
Wait if any of these is you
| If you… | Then |
|---|---|
| Need X11 for the Ubuntu GNOME session (screen tools, remote desktop, old drivers) | Test first; only other desktops keep an X.org session |
Have scripts or Ansible roles that call apt-key | Move the keys to /etc/apt/keyrings with signed-by= first (sources.list(5)) |
Run MySQL with mysql_native_password accounts | Those accounts "will be locked out by default"; switch them to caching_sha2_password first |
| Run Dovecot, Squid or a Samba AD DC | Read their sections of the notes: Squid and Dovecot configs may need changes to start, and a Samba AD DC needs the samba-ad-dc package installed before you upgrade |
| Use SSH DSA keys | Generate an Ed25519 key and install it first |
| Rely on cgroup v1 (old container runtimes) | Upgrade the runtime first |
Have shell scripts that depend on exact GNU coreutils output (our caution, not from the notes) | Run them on a 26.04 VM first, or switch to GNU coreutils after upgrading |
Before you upgrade
Ubuntu's upgrade guide asks for three things: back up your data, install every pending update first, and expect third-party repositories and PPAs to be disabled during the upgrade. Then run sudo do-release-upgrade, or accept the offer in Software Updater.
Our take: on a desktop you use every day, wait until a free afternoon and check the table first. On a headless home server, the useful question is whether it runs MySQL, Dovecot, Squid or init scripts. If it runs none of them, the upgrade is mostly a kernel and toolchain bump. Either way, nothing forces you before 2029.