Shortly after the release of Ubuntu 19.10 (Eoan Ermine), Canonical announced the new development cycle for Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. The 8th long-term support version of Ubuntu Linux, 20.04 LTS released on April 23rd of 2020 but the ISO images are now already ready to be downloaded for the users who want to experience the Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.
Don’t expect huge changes
It is safe to say that during the very early stages of development versions of 20.04 LTS will be very similar to the previous version, 19.10. Thus if you are expecting huge changes or new features you probably won’t be able to find those in the early stages.
You can download the ISO images for the Ubuntu Desktop, Ubuntu Server, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Lubuntu, Ubuntu MATE, Ubuntu Kylin, and Ubuntu Budgie.
According to the UbuntuWiki, important dates during the development phase are:
- Testing week: January 9, 2020
- UI Freeze: March 19, 2020
- Ubuntu 20.04 Beta: April 2, 2020
- Kernel Freeze: April 9, 2020
- Release Candidate: April 16, 2020
Just like other LTS’ Focal Fossa will be supported for 5 years.
You can check release notes on Ubuntu Wiki: FocalFossa/ReleaseNotes – Ubuntu Wiki
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa) download
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Desktop (GNOME) | Direct ISO Download | Torrent | Official Source | 64-bit
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Server | Direct ISO Download | Torrent | Official Source | 64-bit
Kubuntu 20.04 Desktop (KDE) | Direct ISO Download | Torrent | Official Source | 64-bit
Lubuntu 20.04 Desktop (LXQt) | Direct ISO Download | Torrent | Official Source | 64-bit
Xubuntu 20.04 Desktop (Xfce) | Direct ISO Download | Torrent | Official Source | 64-bit
Ubuntu Budgie 20.04 Desktop (Budgie) | Direct ISO Download | Torrent | Official Source | 64-bit
Ubuntu Mate 20.04 Desktop (MATE) | Direct ISO Download | Torrent | Official Source | 64-bit
Ubuntu Kylin 20.04 Desktop | Direct ISO Download | Torrent | Official Source | 64-bit
Ubuntu Studio 20.04 Desktop (Xfce) | Direct ISO Download | Torrent | Official Source | 64-bit
How to upgrade Ubuntu 18.04 LTS or 19.10 to 20.04 LTS?
You can upgrade to Ubuntu 20.04 LTS from either Ubuntu 18.04 LTS or Ubuntu 19.10. Ensure that you have all updates installed for your current version of Ubuntu before you upgrade.
To upgrade on Ubuntu Desktop
- Open the “Software & Updates” Setting in System Settings.
- Select the 3rd Tab called “Updates”.
- Set the “Notify me of a new Ubuntu version” drop-down menu to “For long-term support versions” if you are using 18.04 LTS; set it to “For any new version” if you are using 19.10.
- Press Alt+F2 and type update-manager -c -d into the command box.
- Update Manager should open up and tell you that Ubuntu 20.04 LTS is now available.
- If not you can run /usr/lib/ubuntu-release-upgrader/check-new-release-gtk
- Click Upgrade and follow the on-screen instructions.
To upgrade on Ubuntu Server
- Install update-manager-core if it is not already installed.
- Make sure the Prompt line in /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades is set to ‘normal’ if you want non-LTS upgrades, or ‘lts’ if you only want LTS upgrades.
- Launch the upgrade tool with the command sudo do-release-upgrade -d
- Follow the on-screen instructions.
Note that the server upgrade will use GNU screen and automatically re-attach in case of dropped connection problems.
There are no offline upgrade options for Ubuntu Desktop and Ubuntu Server. Please ensure you have network connectivity to one of the official mirrors or to a locally accessible mirror and follow the instructions above.
To upgrade on command line
$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt upgrade
$ sudo apt dist-upgrade
Upgrades on i386
Users of the i386 architecture will not be presented with an upgrade to Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. Support for i386 as a host architecture was dropped in 19.10.
FAQ
When was Ubuntu 20.04 released?
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS was released on April 23rd of 2020.
What is Ubuntu 20.04 Name?
Ubuntu 20.04’s name is “Focal Fossa”.
Is Ubuntu 20.04 an LTS?
Yes, Ubuntu 20.04 is an LTS version that means this version will be supported for a long time.
Is Ubuntu 20.04 LTS free?
Yes, Ubuntu 20.04 is completely free.
How long will Ubuntu 20.04 be supported?
Ubuntu 20.04 will be supported until April 2025.
What is Ubuntu 20.04 based on?
Ubuntu develops and maintains a cross-platform, open-source operating system based on Debian.
Which Linux kernel does Ubuntu 20.04 use?
Ubuntu 20.04 using 5.4 version of Linux kernel.
What is the latest version of Ubuntu?
The latest LTS version of Ubuntu is 22.04, also known as "Jammy Jellyfish" and it was released on 21 April 2022. Ubuntu 22.04 will be supported until 2027.
What are the system requirements for Ubuntu?
The latest version of Ubuntu's system requirements are:
- 2 GHz dual-core processor or better
- 4 GB system memory
- 25 GB of free hard drive space
- Internet access is helpful
- Either a DVD drive or a USB port for the installer media
Can Ubuntu run on older hardware?
If you have the above requirements, you can run Ubuntu. We do not recommend using the latest version of Ubuntu for older hardware, but you can try older versions of Ubuntu.
Can I run Ubuntu on a virtual machine?
Yes, you can install and use Ubuntu in virtual machines like VMWare or VirtualBox.
How do I enable Ubuntu on Windows 10?
To enable Ubuntu on Windows 10, you should be using at least Windows build 1709. Then you should enable Windows Subsystem for Linux from the Windows Features interface. Now you can download and install Ubuntu from Microsoft Store.
Can Ubuntu be installed on a virtual machine?
Yes, Ubuntu can be installed on a virtual machine. A virtual machine (VM) allows you to run an operating system within another operating system. This means that you can install Ubuntu on a virtual machine and run it on top of your current operating system, without the need to replace it or partition your hard drive. To install Ubuntu on VMWare, you can refer to our article: How to install a Linux Distro on VMware Workstation