Upgrading to Ubuntu 23.10 from Ubuntu 23.04 is a breeze.

If you’re fully up-to-date and have an active internet connection, you can upgrade directly. No need to download an ISO, flash it to a USB, or wipe your existing installation.

Why upgrade? Well, Ubuntu 23.04 reaches end-of-life in January 2024, so anyone still using it after that date will need to upgrade to keep receiving security updates, bug fixes, and select software updates.

Note: Ubuntu 23.10 was released on October 12 but the official upgrade path only opened in November. Why the delay? A bug was causing on-screen text to become corrupted during the upgrade process, making it difficult to track the status. All fixed now!

Don’t wait; follow the steps below to upgrade to Ubuntu 23.10 today.

Upgrading to Ubuntu 23.10

Upgrading to Ubuntu 23.10 is easy, but there are a few requirements you must meet first:

  • You must be running Ubuntu 23.04.
  • You must have installed all pending updates.
  • You must have a stable internet connection.

If you meet all of these requirements, you’re ready to upgrade!

While you can upgrade Ubuntu 22.04 to 23.10 you can’t do it directly. Instead, you must first upgrade to 22.10, then 23.04, then 23.10. It is, to my mind, less effort to just download an Ubuntu 23.10 ISO, make a bootable USB, and do a fresh install — but you do you.

Screenshot of Ubuntu 23.10 upgrade prompt.
Upgrade using the Software Updater tool

To upgrade to Ubuntu 23.10 from 23.04, simply:

  1. Open the Software Updater app
  2. If the Upgrade button is visible, click it
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions
  4. Reboot, and enjoy

You can also wait for the upgrade prompt to appear on your desktop to tell you that “a new version of Ubuntu is available. Would you like to upgrade?”. This will offer 3 buttons: ‘Don’t Upgrade’, ‘Ask Me Later’, and ‘Yes, Upgrade Now’. Click the latter to start the upgrade process.

Whether you use Software Updater or the other upgrade prompt, the upgrade process initiated and the steps you follow are the same.

Upgrade from the command line

You don’t have to upgrade to Ubuntu 23.10 using Software Updater, or wait for a dialog prompt to appear. You can upgrade to Ubuntu 23.10 from the command line any time you like.

To get going open a new Terminal window and run:

sudo do-release-upgrade -c

This command checks for a new release and, assuming one is available, displays information about it, asks you to press y to proceed, and then upgrades to it (assuming you want to, of course).

A list of packages that will be upgraded, new packages to be installed, and, in some situations, packages to be removed is displayed. You’ll be asked to confirm you wish to proceed.

If you’re happy to upgrade, keep calm and carry on!

Screenshot of an Ubuntu upgrade from the command line.
Upgrade using the command line

The on-screen text whisks you through the whole process.

Small tip: don’t leave your device unattended in hopes it’ll all be done when you get back. You may be required to press y at some point during the upgrade (especially if your system has lots of third-party software installed on it).

Once the upgrade completes you’ll be told to reboot. Do what you’re told. When your system boots up, you will be able to log in and explore the Mantic Minotaur!

Before upgrading read this!

Backup important files and folders before you upgrade. This way, if something goes awry during the upgrade process you won’t lose anything critical.

3rd-party PPAs and repos get disabled during upgrade. You need to manually re-enable these (if they support Ubuntu 23.10) once the upgrade completes.

Unpin all pinned packages (e.g., Firefox from the Mozilla Team PPA) before upgrading or it could fail.

Let me know how you get on down in the comments!