How to Upgrade Ubuntu 24.04 to 25.04: Step-by-Step Guide

Ubuntu 25.04 delivers significant improvements tailored for modern workloads, including the Linux kernel 6.14, systemd v257.4, and an enhanced virtualization stack powered by QEMU 9.2 and libvirt 11.0. Developers benefit from the inclusion of LLVM v20, OpenJDK 24, and updated databases like MySQL 8.4 and PostgreSQL 17. System security is strengthened through broader AppArmor profile coverage and Chrony with NTS for secure timekeeping. Transitioning from Ubuntu 24.04 to 25.04 brings enhanced performance, modern development tools, and improved protection.

This guide outlines how to upgrade first from Ubuntu 24.04 LTS to Ubuntu 24.10 Non-LTS, followed by Ubuntu 24.10 to Ubuntu 25.04 Non-LTS. It focuses on updating your system and ensuring application compatibility throughout the process.

Requirements Before Upgrading

Before proceeding with the upgrade, make sure to:

• Access your Ubuntu 24.04 instance using a non-root sudo-enabled user account.
• Ensure that at least 5GB of available disk space exists on your system.

Check Available Disk Space

Run the command below to verify free space:

$ df -h

Expected output might look like this:

Filesystem      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
tmpfs           794M  1.3M  793M   1% /run
efivarfs        256K   23K  229K  10% /sys/firmware/efi/efivars
/dev/vda2       150G   13G  131G   9% /
tmpfs           3.9G     0  3.9G   0% /dev/shm
tmpfs           5.0M     0  5.0M   0% /run/lock
/dev/vda1       511M  6.2M  505M   2% /boot/efi
tmpfs           794M   12K  794M   1% /run/user/1001

Verify Application Compatibility

Ensure your installed software packages will work correctly with Ubuntu 25.04. Compatibility issues can cause runtime errors or package conflicts. Use the steps below to audit your installed applications.

List Installed Packages

$ sudo dpkg --get-selections > packages-list.txt

Review the Package List

$ cat packages-list.txt | more

Visit the official documentation of each application to confirm support for Ubuntu 25.04. Additionally, refer to the 25.04 release notes to find known issues and breaking changes that might impact your setup.

System Preparation for Upgrade

Before launching the upgrade process, ensure all APT repositories are current and all packages are up to date.

Confirm Your Current Version

$ cat /etc/os-release

You should see an output resembling this:

PRETTY_NAME="Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS"
NAME="Ubuntu"
VERSION_ID="24.04"
VERSION="24.04.2 LTS (Noble Numbat)"
VERSION_CODENAME=noble
ID=ubuntu
ID_LIKE=debian
HOME_URL="https://www.ubuntu.com/"
SUPPORT_URL="https://help.ubuntu.com/"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/"
PRIVACY_POLICY_URL="https://www.ubuntu.com/legal/terms-and-policies/privacy-policy"
UBUNTU_CODENAME=noble
LOGO=ubuntu-logo

Update APT Repositories

$ sudo apt update

Upgrade All Installed Packages

$ sudo apt upgrade -y

Reboot the System

$ sudo reboot

Remove Unused Packages

$ sudo apt autoremove -y

Clean Local Package Cache

$ sudo apt autoclean

Allow Temporary SSH Port During Upgrade

During the upgrade, the system might enable fallback SSH access via port 1022. This is a precaution in case your primary SSH connection is lost. To enable this, open the port in your firewall as follows.

Open Port 1022

$ sudo ufw allow 1022/tcp

Apply Firewall Rule Changes

$ sudo ufw reload

Verify Firewall Status

$ sudo ufw status

Your output should resemble the following:

Status: active

To                         Action      From
--                         ------      ----
22/tcp                     ALLOW       Anywhere
1022/tcp                   ALLOW       Anywhere
22/tcp (v6)                ALLOW       Anywhere (v6)
1022/tcp (v6)              ALLOW       Anywhere (v6)

Validate Your Ubuntu 25.04 Upgrade

After completing the upgrade to Ubuntu 25.04, it's essential to confirm that the system is stable and all packages were updated properly. Use the steps below to perform verification checks.

Check Current OS Version

Use the following command to confirm the active Ubuntu version:

$ cat /etc/os-release

The output should resemble:

PRETTY_NAME="Ubuntu 25.04"
NAME="Ubuntu"
VERSION_ID="25.04"
VERSION="25.04 (Plucky Puffin)"
VERSION_CODENAME=plucky
ID=ubuntu
ID_LIKE=debian
HOME_URL="https://www.ubuntu.com/"
SUPPORT_URL="https://help.ubuntu.com/"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/"
PRIVACY_POLICY_URL="https://www.ubuntu.com/legal/terms-and-policies/privacy-policy"
UBUNTU_CODENAME=plucky
LOGO=ubuntu-logo

This confirms the system has been upgraded successfully to Ubuntu 25.04.

Verify the Installed Kernel Version

Use this command to check the active kernel:

$ uname -mrs

Expected result:

Linux 6.14.0-15-generic x86_64

Remove Temporary SSH Port 1022

If you had enabled fallback SSH access via port 1022, remove that rule:

$ sudo ufw delete allow 1022/tcp

Fix Post-Upgrade Issues

After the upgrade, it’s important to confirm that all software repositories are aligned with the new release and that package issues are addressed. Use the steps below for post-upgrade cleanup and validation.

Review Existing APT Sources

List current APT sources to identify any third-party entries:

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

Example output:

docker.list  ubuntu.sources  ubuntu.sources.curtin.orig

Check each repository file and ensure they are updated for Ubuntu 25.04.

Refresh Package Index

$ sudo apt update

Upgrade Packages After Update

$ sudo apt upgrade

Remove Unused Packages

$ sudo apt autoremove -y && sudo apt autoclean

Conclusion

You have now completed the upgrade from Ubuntu 24.04 LTS to Ubuntu 25.04 Non-LTS using the do-release-upgrade -d method. This included reviewing upgrade prompts, allowing restarts, confirming the system version and kernel, and performing post-upgrade maintenance. Third-party repositories were also aligned with the new version. Note that Ubuntu 25.04 offers only nine months of support, so be sure to plan subsequent upgrades to keep your system secure and compatible. For more guidance, refer to Ubuntu’s official server upgrade documentation.