This brief tutorial shows students and new users how to update and upgrade software packages Ubuntu. This post applies to Ubuntu 18.04 | 16.04 and beyond.
New users and students will learn that the first thing after installing Ubuntu is to understand how to update software packages on Ubuntu systems.
One of the most effective ways to protect your systems is by updating them regularly. These updates and patches are released to fix security vulnerabilities, enhance performance, and resolve platform issues.
Students and new users will also discover that the most accessible place to start learning Linux is Ubuntu Linux OS.
It’s a great Linux operating system for beginners.
Ubuntu is an open-source Linux operating system that runs on desktops, laptops, servers, and other devices.
While learning Ubuntu, you will find that Linux isn’t so different from Windows and other operating systems in many ways, especially when using the system to get work done.
To learn how to update Ubuntu, follow the steps below:
Update Ubuntu via Terminal
There are multiple ways to update Ubuntu. You can do it from the command line terminal or console and the desktop graphical user interface (GUI).
Ubuntu has an Advanced Packaging Tool (APT) tool that is powerful, easy to use, and handles package management.
It’s the default package management and installation tool for Ubuntu and other distributions.
To update Ubuntu from its terminal, simply press the Ctrl + Alt + Delete keys to open its console window when using a desktop computer.
You can run the commands below on the terminal to check all package repositories for new versions.
sudo apt update
When you run the command above, it will prompt for your password.
The above command won’t update your system. It checks for newer versions of installed programs. When the command finishes executing, it displays a number of the package(s) that can be updated or upgraded if newer versions are available.
To view a list of upgradeable packages, run the commands below:
sudo apt list --upgradeable
The command above will list all upgradeable packages.
Upgrade Packages via Terminal
Now that you know which packages are available to upgrade if you want to upgrade them, run the commands below:
sudo apt upgrade
Running the commands above will prompt you for your password before executing. Only administrators and members of the administrator’s group can upgrade packages.
Running the commands above will list the packages to be upgraded and prompt you to accept the changes that will be done.
You can type Y for Yes.
When you type Y, all upgradeable packages will be upgraded.
To simplify the process, you run both commands simultaneously on one line. Below is the simplified version of both commands above.
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
Another command that’s not in the picture is the autoremove command. This command removes packages not needed from your system to clear up disk space.
sudo apt autoremove
This is how one updates packages on Ubuntu via the command line terminal.
You can run the three commands above efficiently online, as shown below:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade && sudo apt autoremove
Continue below to learn how to update | and upgrade packages from the desktop.
Update | Upgrade Software from GUI
Now that you know how to update and upgrade packages from the Ubuntu terminal, follow the steps below to learn how to upgrade packages from the Ubuntu desktop interface.
First, log on to the Ubuntu desktop.
When you log in, go to the Activities Menu, then search for Software Updater.
This is the GUI equivalent to the apt command line tool above.
When the tool opens, it will check for all available upgradeable packages.
If there are upgradeable packages, it will give you an upgrade to upgrade them. Click the Install Now button to begin upgrading.
When you click the Install Now button, it will prompt you for your password. As mentioned above, only administrators and members of the administrator’s group can install packages on Ubuntu.
After typing your password, your computer will begin to upgrade packages.
The GUI tool doesn’t have options to remove obsolete packages from your systems. So, you can use the command line option above to remove those packages that your machines no longer need.
When your computer is entirely up to date, when you run the Software Updater tool, it should display that it is fully updated.
That’s it!
Conclusion:
This tutorial showed you how to update and upgrade software packages on Ubuntu systems. If you find any error above, please use the comment form below to report.
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