Upgrade Ubuntu 24.04 to Ubuntu 26.04 LTS

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS ("Resolute Raccoon") is the newest long-term support release of Ubuntu. Upgrades from Ubuntu 24.04 LTS opened at the end of September 2026, after the first point release, 26.04.1, so you can now upgrade your VPS in place with Ubuntu's own upgrade tool. This guide walks you through it safely, and explains when a fresh install is the better choice.

This guide is for VPSs running Ubuntu 24.04. If you're on Ubuntu 22.04, you'll need to upgrade to 24.04 first (see Upgrading from Ubuntu 22.04 below). It doesn't apply to Debian, AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux.

Do I need to upgrade now?

• Ubuntu 24.04 gets standard security updates until 31 May 2029, so there's no rush. Upgrading gets you newer software and security updates until 2031.
• Ubuntu 22.04 standard security updates end in 2027. If you're still on 22.04, start planning your move now.

Upgrade in place, or reinstall?

• Upgrade in place (this guide): keeps your files, users and settings. It usually works well on a simple server, but it can take an hour or more, and software installed from outside Ubuntu's own repositories may need fixing afterwards.
• Reinstall with Ubuntu 26.04 and move your data across: often cleaner, especially on an older or heavily customised server, because you start with a fresh system and no leftovers. Copy your sites, databases and settings off the server, reinstall from the Reinstallation tab, then set up your software again and restore your data. See Reinstall your VPS with a different operating system. Reinstalling erases everything on your VPS, so make sure you have copies of everything first.

Before you start

• SSH access as root or as a user with sudo rights. If you're logged in as root, you can leave sudo off the commands.
• A backup you can restore. A failed upgrade can leave your server unable to boot. If you have our VPS backup add-on, click Login To Panel on your VPS's management page and check you have a recent backup. If you don't have the add-on, you can add it with Upgrade/Downgrade in the left-hand menu, or copy your files and databases off the server yourself.
• Enough free disk space. The upgrade downloads and unpacks several gigabytes of packages. Check with df -h /. We suggest having at least 5 GB free.
• Time, at a quiet moment. Allow at least an hour. Your websites and services will be interrupted during the upgrade and the reboot.
• Third-party repositories and PPAs are disabled during the upgrade. Software from them, such as Docker, Node.js from NodeSource, extra PHP versions from a PPA, or MariaDB from MariaDB's own repository, stays installed but won't get updates until you turn those repositories back on (Step 7).
• Software versions change. Ubuntu 26.04 moves to PHP 8.5, Python 3.14, MySQL 8.4, PostgreSQL 18 and OpenSSH 10.2. Apps written for older versions can break, so check your apps support the new versions. MySQL 8.4 locks out database users that still use the old mysql_native_password login method, so check those before you upgrade (see Troubleshooting). Back up PostgreSQL databases with pg_dumpall before you start. Ubuntu lists all the changes in its summary for 24.04 users.
• Control panels: if your server runs cPanel & WHM, don't use this guide. cPanel says Ubuntu's upgrade tool breaks cPanel servers, and cPanel's own upgrade tool doesn't list an upgrade from 24.04 to 26.04 at the time of writing. If you use another control panel, check with its developer first.

Step 1: Check your current version

lsb_release -a

It should show Ubuntu 24.04. If it shows 22.04, see Upgrading from Ubuntu 22.04 below.

Step 2: Install all updates and reboot

The upgrade tool needs your current system to be fully up to date. Run:

sudo apt update
sudo apt dist-upgrade -o APT::Get::Always-Include-Phased-Updates=true

Check for held packages, which can block the upgrade:

apt-mark showhold

If any packages are listed and you don't need to keep them at their current version, release them with sudo apt-mark unhold PACKAGE_NAME. Then reboot, so you're running the latest kernel:

sudo reboot

Step 3: Start a screen or tmux session

If your SSH connection drops during the upgrade, it could stop half-way. Run it inside tmux (or screen) so it keeps going even if you disconnect:

tmux new -s upgrade

If you get disconnected, log back in and reattach with tmux attach -t upgrade. If tmux isn't installed, install it with sudo apt install -y tmux. For more, see Keep commands running after you disconnect with screen and tmux.

Step 4: Allow the backup SSH port

When you run the upgrade over SSH, the upgrade tool starts a second SSH service on port 1022, so you can still get in if the normal SSH service has a problem part-way through. If you use a firewall, allow this port for now:

Ubuntu with UFW enabled:

sudo ufw allow 1022/tcp

If you need it, connect with ssh -p 1022 root@YOUR_SERVER_IP. You'll close this port again in Step 6.

Step 5: Run the upgrade

sudo do-release-upgrade

The upgrade is interactive, so stay at your screen. Along the way:

1. It warns that you're connected over SSH and asks whether to continue. Type y. This is when it starts the backup SSH service on port 1022.
2. It checks your system, disables third-party sources, and shows how many packages will be installed, upgraded and removed. Type y to start. Once the download has finished, the upgrade can't be cancelled.
3. You may be asked whether to restart services automatically during the upgrade. Choosing Yes saves you answering the same question again later.
4. If you've changed a configuration file, such as /etc/ssh/sshd_config, you'll be asked whether to keep your version or install the new one. Press D to see the differences. If you're not sure, keep your currently installed version (press N, or choose "keep the local version currently installed"). This is the default, and it keeps your settings working.
5. At the end, it offers to remove obsolete packages. Read the list first. If it includes something you still use, answer N. You can tidy up later with sudo apt autoremove.
6. When asked to restart, type y. The upgrade isn't finished until the server has rebooted.

Step 6: Check the upgrade worked

Give the server a few minutes to reboot, then connect over SSH again and run:

lsb_release -a
cat /etc/os-release

You should see Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS or later. Check for services that failed to start:

systemctl --failed

Then check your websites and apps. Finally, close the backup SSH port:

sudo ufw delete allow 1022/tcp

Step 7: Turn your third-party repositories back on

Third-party repositories are set up in files in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/. List them with:

ls /etc/apt/sources.list.d/

For each one you still need, check the provider supports Ubuntu 26.04, then set it up again using the provider's current instructions. These usually refer to Ubuntu 26.04 by its codename, resolute. For a PPA, run sudo add-apt-repository ppa:OWNER/NAME again. Then install any updates:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Our guides show the current steps for Docker and Node.js.

Upgrading from Ubuntu 22.04

You can't go straight from Ubuntu 22.04 to 26.04. Upgrades go from one LTS release to the next, so you'll upgrade twice:

1. On Ubuntu 22.04, follow Steps 2 to 7 above. do-release-upgrade takes you to Ubuntu 24.04.
2. Check everything works on 24.04.
3. Follow the whole guide again to go from 24.04 to 26.04.

Two upgrades in a row doubles the chance of something going wrong, so this is where a fresh Ubuntu 26.04 reinstall is often the better option.

Troubleshooting

• "No new release found": make sure you've installed every update and rebooted (Step 2). Then check that /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades contains Prompt=lts. Don't force the upgrade with the -d option. It's meant for development releases, and Ubuntu doesn't recommend it for production servers.
• "Please install all available updates for your release before upgrading": run the commands in Step 2 again, including the phased updates option, until there's nothing left to install.
• Held or kept-back packages: run apt-mark showhold, and release held packages with sudo apt-mark unhold PACKAGE_NAME. Packages from third-party repositories are a common cause, so remove any software you no longer need before you upgrade.
• Not enough free disk space: the upgrade tool tells you how much it needs. Free some space with sudo apt clean and sudo journalctl --vacuum-size=200M, delete old backups and logs, or move to a larger plan with Upgrade/Downgrade.
• SSH doesn't come back after the reboot: wait a few minutes, then click Open Console on your VPS's management page and log in as root (see Use the web console to access your VPS). Check SSH with systemctl status ssh and your firewall with ufw status. If the upgrade was interrupted, run dpkg --configure -a and then apt full-upgrade to finish it.
• A PHP website stopped working: Ubuntu 26.04 installs PHP 8.5, so settings that point to the old version need updating. For example, an Nginx site that used /run/php/php8.3-fpm.sock now needs /run/php/php8.5-fpm.sock. Make sure the PHP packages your site needs are installed for the new version, for example with sudo apt install php-fpm php-mysql.
• An app can't log in to MySQL: MySQL 8.4 locks database users that use mysql_native_password. You can check which users use it, ideally before you upgrade:

  sudo mysql -e "SELECT user, host, plugin FROM mysql.user;"

  Switch each affected user to caching_sha2_password. This sets a new password, so update your app's settings to match:

  sudo mysql -e "ALTER USER 'appuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED WITH caching_sha2_password BY 'NEW_PASSWORD';"

  If you can't change the app, you can turn the old method back on by adding mysql_native_password=ON under [mysqld] in /etc/mysql/mysql.conf.d/mysqld.cnf and restarting MySQL.
• The server won't boot: use Open Console to see where it stops. If you can't fix it, restore your backup or reinstall.

Related guides

• Reinstall your VPS with a different operating system
• Use the web console to access your VPS
• Keep commands running after you disconnect with screen and tmux
• Manage your VPS from the client area

Need help?

Our Cloud VPS plans are self-managed, so you're responsible for installing, securing and maintaining the software on your server. If something on our side isn't working, such as the network, or your VPS won't boot, open a support ticket. New to your VPS? Start with our Cloud VPS Getting Started Guide.