How to Upgrade Ubuntu 24.04 to 26.04 LTS on VPS and Servers

Upgrade Ubuntu 24.04 to 26.04: Step-by-Step Server Guide

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS brings updated kernel support, newer software versions, security enhancements, and long-term support through 2031. For many VPS owners and Linux administrators, upgrading from Ubuntu 24.04 to the latest LTS release is a natural step toward maintaining a secure and supported infrastructure.

For administrators planning an Ubuntu LTS upgrade, proper preparation is often more important than the upgrade itself. Compatibility checks, backups, and testing can prevent hours of troubleshooting later, especially on production VPS and dedicated servers.

However, upgrading a business-critical server requires more than simply running a single command. Services such as Nginx, Docker, databases, monitoring tools, and third-party repositories can all be affected during a major operating system upgrade.

This guide explains how to upgrade Ubuntu 24.04 to 26.04 safely on VPS instances and dedicated servers, how to prepare your system beforehand, and what to check after the upgrade is complete.

Check Your Current Ubuntu Version

Before starting, verify that your server is running Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

lsb_release -a

or:

cat /etc/os-release

You should see output similar to:

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

If your server is running an older release such as Ubuntu 22.04, upgrade to Ubuntu 24.04 first before proceeding.

Prepare Your Server Before Upgrading

Proper preparation significantly reduces the risk of downtime and upgrade failures.

Create a Backup or Snapshot

Never perform a major operating system upgrade without a backup.

For VPS environments, create a snapshot if your provider supports it.

For production servers, ensure you have:

● Database backups;

● Website backups;

● Application configuration backups;

● Copies of important custom scripts

An operating system upgrade is generally safe, but having a rollback option is essential.

Review Ubuntu 26.04 Changes

Before upgrading a business-critical server, review the major Ubuntu Server 26.04 changes that may affect virtualization platforms, networking, security settings, container workloads, and application compatibility. Understanding these changes in advance helps reduce the risk of unexpected issues after the upgrade.

This is particularly important for production workloads that rely on specific software versions.

Update Existing Packages

Make sure Ubuntu 24.04 is fully updated.

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt full-upgrade -y
sudo apt dist-upgrade -y

Install all available updates before attempting a release upgrade.

Remove Obsolete Packages

Cleaning unused packages reduces the likelihood of dependency conflicts.

sudo apt autoremove -y

You can also remove obsolete package cache:

sudo apt autoclean

Verify Available Disk Space

One of the most common causes of failed release upgrades is insufficient free disk space. During the upgrade process, Ubuntu downloads new packages, installs updated kernels, creates temporary files, and stores package archives. Systems with limited storage may encounter interrupted upgrades or dependency errors.

Before proceeding, check available disk space:

df -h

Pay particular attention to the root filesystem as well as the /boot and /var partitions if they are mounted separately. If storage is running low, remove unnecessary files and packages before continuing.

Check Application Compatibility Before Upgrading

A successful operating system upgrade depends not only on Ubuntu itself but also on the applications running on the server. Before you update Ubuntu 24.04 to 26.04, review the software stack and confirm that critical services support the newer release.

Pay particular attention to:

● Docker containers and container management tools;

● Nginx or Apache web servers;

● PHP versions and extensions;

● MySQL or PostgreSQL databases;

● Monitoring and backup software;

● Third-party repositories and vendor packages.

Many upgrade-related issues occur because administrators focus on the operating system while overlooking application dependencies. A package or extension that works correctly on Ubuntu 24.04 may require updates or configuration changes on Ubuntu 26.04.

In many real-world upgrades, third-party repositories and outdated PHP extensions cause more problems than Ubuntu itself. Reviewing these components in advance can prevent unexpected compatibility issues after the upgrade.

For business-critical environments, testing the upgrade on a staging server is strongly recommended before applying changes to production systems.

Check Release Upgrade Settings

Ubuntu controls release upgrades through the release-upgrader configuration.

Open the configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades

Verify that the following setting exists:

Prompt=lts

This ensures the server follows the standard LTS-to-LTS upgrade path.

Using the correct release-upgrade setting helps avoid confusion when new Ubuntu versions become available and ensures the system follows Canonical's recommended upgrade path.

Save the file if changes are required.

Upgrading Ubuntu Over SSH

Many administrators manage and upgrade their Ubuntu VPS remotely through SSH. While the upgrade process is generally reliable, losing connectivity during a major operating system upgrade can complicate recovery and troubleshooting.

An interrupted SSH session during a release upgrade can create unnecessary complications.

Before upgrading, consider starting a persistent terminal session using:

screen

tmux

If your network connection drops, the upgrade process can continue running in the background.

Some Ubuntu release upgrades may also start a temporary SSH service on an alternative port to help prevent lockouts during the upgrade process.

This is especially useful when upgrading remote production servers.

Upgrade Ubuntu 24.04 to 26.04

Once the system is fully updated and backed up, you can begin the upgrade process.

First, ensure the upgrade manager is installed:

sudo apt install update-manager-core

Then start the release upgrade:

sudo do-release-upgrade

If Ubuntu 26.04 has been enabled as the next supported LTS upgrade target for your system, the upgrade manager will begin downloading the required packages.

During the upgrade, Ubuntu may ask how existing configuration files should be handled. This commonly affects services such as SSH, Nginx, Apache, and system networking components. If the server contains custom configurations, review the proposed changes carefully before replacing existing files with maintainer versions.

Ubuntu may also identify obsolete packages that are no longer required. In most cases they can be removed safely, but administrators should verify that no production applications depend on them before approving removal.

The upgrade process may also require service restarts and confirmation of package changes. Read each prompt carefully rather than automatically accepting every option.

What to Do After the Upgrade

After the upgrade finishes, reboot the server:

sudo reboot

Once the server comes back online, verify the operating system version.

lsb_release -a

Expected output:

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS

You can also verify using:

cat /etc/os-release

After confirming that Ubuntu 26.04 is running successfully, the next step is to verify that all critical services start correctly and continue operating as expected.

Verify Critical Services

Even when the operating system upgrade completes successfully, application-level issues can still appear. Before returning the server to normal operation, verify that all critical services start correctly and function as expected.

SSH

sudo systemctl status ssh

Nginx

sudo systemctl status nginx

Apache

sudo systemctl status apache2

Docker

sudo systemctl status docker

Database Services

For MySQL:

sudo systemctl status mysql

For PostgreSQL:

sudo systemctl status postgresql

Confirm that applications, websites, APIs, and scheduled jobs continue operating normally.

Common Upgrade Problems and Fixes

Even well-prepared upgrades can occasionally encounter issues. The following problems are among the most common when performing an Ubuntu LTS upgrade.

No New Release Found

Some Ubuntu 24.04 systems may not immediately receive the Ubuntu 26.04 upgrade notification because Canonical gradually enables LTS upgrades after the first point release.

If you receive:

No new release found

Verify:

● The system is fully updated;

● Prompt=lts is configured correctly;

● Ubuntu 26.04.1 has been released and enabled for upgrades.

Third-Party Repository Conflicts

Many upgrade issues are caused by external repositories and PPAs.

Review enabled repositories:

grep -r ^deb /etc/apt/

Disable repositories that do not yet support Ubuntu 26.04 before upgrading.

Package Dependency Errors

Refresh package information:

sudo apt update

Then attempt to repair broken dependencies:

sudo apt --fix-broken install

After resolving dependency issues, continue the upgrade.

Service Fails After Upgrade

Check logs:

journalctl -xe

systemctl status service-name

Most post-upgrade service failures are caused by:

● Deprecated configuration directives;

● Incompatible third-party modules;

● Outdated repositories.

Should You Upgrade a Production VPS Immediately?

Not necessarily.

Although Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is a stable release, production infrastructure should always be upgraded carefully.

A recommended approach is:

1. Test the upgrade on a staging server.

2. Verify application compatibility.

3. Create snapshots and backups.

4. Schedule a maintenance window.

5. Upgrade production systems only after successful testing.

Organizations running Docker containers, database clusters, monitoring systems, or custom software should perform additional validation before rolling out upgrades across multiple servers.

Waiting until the first Ubuntu 26.04 point release is often the preferred strategy for business-critical environments.

Conclusion

Upgrading Ubuntu 24.04 to 26.04 LTS is a straightforward process when the server is properly prepared beforehand. The most important steps are creating backups, updating existing packages, verifying compatibility, and testing critical services after the upgrade.

For VPS and production environments, careful planning is far more important than upgrading immediately. Whether you plan to upgrade a single VPS or an entire fleet of servers, testing and preparation remain the most important parts of a successful Ubuntu 24.04 to 26.04 upgrade.