Upgrade from 26.04 LTS to 26.10

Checked: 2026-10-18. Ubuntu 26.10 was released on 2026-10-15. Support ends in July 2027. Leave LTS only when you need the changes and can keep upgrading. Official release notes

Check Eligibility First

TPM-backed FDE systems cannot upgrade in place from 26.04 at release. Wait for official support; do not disable security features to bypass checks.
Check known issues and boot layouts if you use custom /boot, DKMS, NVIDIA, enterprise SSH sign-in or third-party repositories.
This guide starts from 26.04. Users of 24.04 should first follow the 26.04 upgrade guide.

Back Up and Update the Current System

Complete the backup checklist and test restoration. Save recovery keys, application data, repository settings and storage layout. Remote servers need console or out-of-band access.


lsb_release -ds
sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgrade

Review the update result and reboot when requested. Release upgrades may disable third-party repositories; subsequently re-enable only repositories that explicitly support stonking.

Enable Interim Release Notifications

In Software & Updates → Updates, select notifications for any new version, or edit /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades:


Prompt=normal

This only changes the notification channel. Check availability without starting an upgrade:


do-release-upgrade -c

Only when the tool offers 26.10 and the checks above pass, run:


sudo do-release-upgrade

Review removal, replacement and configuration prompts. If 26.10 is not offered, check networking and the channel, then wait for official availability. Do not add -d or manually replace repository codenames with stonking. Official upgrade method

After the Upgrade

Reboot and check the release, failed services, networking and daily applications:


lsb_release -ds
uname -r
systemctl --failed

On remote systems, keep the existing session and verify SSH access from a second terminal. Do not bulk-purge packages in rc state; first check whether the OpenSSH purge bug is fixed. Complete the post-upgrade checklist.

Setting Prompt=lts does not downgrade the system. Restore a backup or reinstall when needed; see rollback planning. These steps follow official documentation and do not represent hardware-wide upgrade testing by this site.