What is LTS?

LTS means Long Term Support. Ubuntu 26.04 LTS suits people who want to maintain one system for years. Ubuntu 26.10 is an interim release for users willing to keep upgrading for newer desktop and hardware support.

Support dates and conditions

Check the official Canonical lifecycle table  for dates and coverage. Standard maintenance and Pro cover different repository scopes. Third-party PPAs, manually downloaded apps and every peripheral do not automatically receive the same coverage. Security maintenance does not mean every feature continually receives the newest version.

Choosing a release

• Everyday work, family computers and production servers: evaluate LTS first to reduce frequent-upgrade maintenance.
• New hardware or desktop requirements: test a live USB before adopting 26.10.
• Limited time for maintenance: do not choose an interim release solely because it is newest.

See 26.10 or LTS? for practical tradeoffs.

Enabling Ubuntu Pro

Personal users can register at Ubuntu Pro  and obtain a subscription token. In your own terminal, run:

sudo pro attach YOUR_TOKEN_HERE
pro status

Replace YOUR_TOKEN_HERE with your own token. Keep it out of public logs and screenshots. Inspect the actual service state in pro status; installing the client alone does not attach a subscription.

Legacy is an additional service. Free personal Pro does not automatically include coverage through 2041.

Upgrades and ongoing maintenance

LTS users can normally follow an LTS upgrade path, such as 24.04 LTS → 26.04 LTS. Interim users must plan subsequent release upgrades. On 26.10, move to a supported release before July 2027; follow official announcements for upgrade availability.

Back up data and review third-party repositories and drivers before upgrading. Continue applying security updates and keep recovery tools available. Long support does not mean you can leave the system without updates for years.

Next: download and verify images and backup and recovery.