Upgrading Raspberry Pi to Ubuntu 20.04

The Ubuntu upgrade process on Rapsberry Pi is not different to the upgrade process on a regular Ubuntu desktop or server. This article will provide you with steps outlining how to proceed with and upgrade from Ubuntu 18.04 to Ubuntu 20.04 on Rapsberry Pi. For more detailed information please visit our guide on How To Upgrade Ubuntu To 20.04 LTS Focal Fossa.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to update and upgrade your current Ubuntu system
  • How to upgrade from Ubuntu 18.04 to Ubuntu 20.04

Upgrading Raspberry Pi to Ubuntu 20.04

Upgrading Raspberry Pi to Ubuntu 20.04

Software Requirements and Conventions Used

Software Requirements and Linux Command Line Conventions
Category Requirements, Conventions or Software Version Used
System Ubuntu 18.04 on Raspberry Pi
Software N/A
Other Privileged access to your Linux system as root or via the sudo command.
Conventions # – requires given linux commands to be executed with root privileges either directly as a root user or by use of sudo command
$ – requires given linux commands to be executed as a regular non-privileged user

Upgrading Raspberry Pi to Ubuntu 20.04 step by step instructions

  1. Update and upgrade your current Ubuntu 20.04 system:
    $ sudo apt update 
    $ sudo apt upgrade
    $ sudo apt dist-upgrade
    


  2. Remove all unused packages:
    $ sudo apt autoremove
    
  3. Run the Ubuntu upgrade utility. In case the do-release-upgrade command is missing you might need to install the update-manager-core packages first.

    Furthermore, if you are upgrading before the official upgrade from Ubuntu 18.04 is available you need to use the -d with the bellow command in order to force the direct upgrade:

    $ sudo do-release-upgrade
    

    Follow the prompt. For more detailed information please visit our guide on How To Upgrade Ubuntu To 20.04 LTS Focal Fossa.