Upgrading to Ubuntu 19.04 from Ubuntu 18.04 LTS is tricky. There is no way you can make the jump from Ubuntu 18.04 LTS directly to Ubuntu 19.04. For that, you need to upgrade to Ubuntu 18.10 first. Pretty disappointing, I know. But when upgrading an entire OS, you can't be too careful.
And the process itself is not as tedious or time consuming à la Windows. And also unlike Windows, the upgrades are not forced upon you while you're in middle of something.
If you wonder how the dock in the above screenshot rest at the bottom of Ubuntu desktop, it's called dash-to-dock GNOME Shell extension. That and more Ubuntu 19.04 tips and tricks here.
Upgrade to Ubuntu 19.04 from Ubuntu 18.10
Disclaimer: PLEASE backup your critical data before starting the upgrade process.
Let's start with the assumption that you're on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS.
After running the upgrade from Ubuntu 18.04 LTS from Ubuntu 18.10, the prompt will ask for a full system reboot. Please do that, and make sure everything is running smoothly afterwards. Now you have clean new Ubuntu 18.10 up and running. Let's begin the Ubuntu 19.04 upgrade process.
Let's start with the assumption that you're on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS.
After running the upgrade from Ubuntu 18.04 LTS from Ubuntu 18.10, the prompt will ask for a full system reboot. Please do that, and make sure everything is running smoothly afterwards. Now you have clean new Ubuntu 18.10 up and running. Let's begin the Ubuntu 19.04 upgrade process.
- Make sure your laptop is plugged-in, this is going to take time. Stable Internet connection is a must too.
- Run your Software Updater app, and install all the updates available.
- Post the update, you should be prompted with an "Ubuntu 19.04 is available" window. It will guide you through the required steps without much hassle.
- If not, fire up Software & Updates app and check for updates.
- If both these didn't work in your case, there's always the commandline option to make the force upgarde. Open Terminal app (keyboard shortcut: CTRL+ALT+T), and run the command below.
sudo do-release-upgrade -d
- Type the password when prompted. Don't let the simplicity of the command fool you, this is just the start of a long and complicated process. do-release command will check for available upgrades and then give you an estimated time and bandwidth required to complete the process.
- Read the instructions carefully and proceed. The process only takes about an hour or less for me. It entirely depends on your internet speed and system resources.