How to Upgrade to Ubuntu 21.10

If the glowing reviews for the Ubuntu 21.10 release have you intrigued, here’s how to upgrade to Ubuntu 21.10 from an earlier version.

Fair warning: this tutorial is super straightforward (the benefits of upgrading after a stable release, rather than a little bit before). Meaning no, you don’t need to be a Linux guru to get going!

There are plenty of good reasons to upgrade from Ubuntu 21.04 to Ubuntu 21.10, such as benefiting from a newer Linux kernel, enjoying a new GNOME desktop, sampling the new Yaru Light theme, and getting to go hands-on with an able assortment of updated apps.

Check out our video of what’s new in Ubuntu 21.10 for more detail on the changes.

Upgrading from Ubuntu 21.04 Ubuntu 21.10

The “guide” that follows is not complicated to follow if you plan to upgrade from Ubuntu 21.04. In fact, all you need to do is run an update check, install any pending updates, and then wait.

‘Wait for what’, you ask?

This particular dialog:

You’re unlikely to see this box on a system that is not up to date.

If you don’t see the dialog double-check you’re fully upgraded by running the Software Updater tool again, or by entering the following command in a new terminal (ctrl + t) window:

sudo apt full-upgrade

If this says there are no updates to install but the upgrade prompt in the screenshot above still does not show, you may be able to this command to force it:

update-manager -c

From the dialog prompt follow the steps presented on on screen. You’ll get a little intro to the release and be given a link to the Ubuntu 21.10 release notes.

Click ‘Upgrade’ when you’re ready.

The update manager disables your systems current list of software sources, adds the requisite new ones, then compiles a list of packages which need upgrading (and which may need to be removed).

Be aware that you can not cancel an upgrade once it has begun so make sure you have the time and bandwidth (and battery life, if you’re on a laptop) to complete the install before you agree to it.

Once everything is done you’ll be prompted to restart your computer. Go ahead and do so and, when your system comes back up you’ll be using Ubuntu 21.10.

Can I Upgrade from the Command Line?

To upgrade to Ubuntu 21.10 from the command line on a 21.04 system (negating the wait for or interact with any dialog box at all) is pretty easy.

Make sure you are around for the duration of the upgrade. You may be asked to approve or deny a package replacement or replace a file (on a relatively vanilla install this is unlikely but since configs will vary it is possible so I am mentioning it).

Run:

sudo do-release-upgrade

Just follow what you see on screen, then reboot once everything is complete.

Notes

You cannot upgrade to Ubuntu 21.10 from Ubuntu 20.04 LTS directly. It’s possible to configure (or screw up) your software sources to ‘skip’ the interim releases but if you’re gonna put effort in …just do a fresh install.

You cannot upgrade to Ubuntu 21.10 from Ubuntu 20.10 (which is now EOL). You’ll first need to upgrade to Ubuntu 21.04, and then upgrade Ubuntu 21.04 to 21.10.