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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsIf an Ubuntu release upgrade appears stuck, do not immediately reboot or kill the process. First check for an unanswered prompt, then verify that the current release is fully updated, the machine has several gigabytes of free space, and third-party repositories are not blocking dependency resolution. Ubuntu’s supported command-line workflow is sudo do-release-upgrade; retry it only after the underlying apt state is healthy and any required reboot is complete.
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Why an Ubuntu release upgrade appears stuck
A release upgrade changes the operating system between Ubuntu versions. It downloads hundreds of packages, unpacks and configures them, disables incompatible software sources, and may ask you to make decisions along the way. A quiet screen does not always mean the process has failed.
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- Unreachable mirror: downloading can pause when the configured archive mirror is slow, unavailable, or incorrectly configured.
- Insufficient storage: the upgrade needs room for downloaded archives, temporary files, unpacked packages, and the new system state. Ubuntu describes the requirement as several gigabytes, not one universal number.
- Third-party software: PPAs and other repositories can install packages whose dependencies do not exist in the target Ubuntu release. Ubuntu identifies these sources as the most common cause of release-upgrade problems.
- Broken package state: an interrupted installation or unresolved dependency can prevent the upgrader from calculating a safe transaction.
The safest retry state is a backed-up machine running the latest updates for its current release, with no required reboot pending, enough free space, and repositories that are compatible with the target release.
First determine whether it is actually waiting
Before stopping anything, inspect the terminal or graphical session that started the upgrade. Release upgrades are interactive even when most steps are automatic. A prompt may be below the visible portion of a terminal, behind another window, or waiting on a remote session that is no longer in view.
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Prompts that commonly look like a hang
- A package asks whether to keep the currently installed configuration file or install the maintainer’s version.
- A service-restart question appears while packages are being configured.
- The upgrader asks about “Foreign Packages Installed.” These are packages not supplied by the standard Ubuntu archives, often from a PPA or another external repository.
- A confirmation screen is waiting for a yes/no response before it continues.
Read the complete question and its suggested default before answering. If the terminal is connected through a remote session, reconnect to the same session or console rather than starting a second upgrade process. Do not power off while packages are being unpacked or configured; an abrupt shutdown can leave the package database in a state that must be repaired before another attempt.
Choose the recovery path by symptom
| What you see | Most likely issue | Safe next action |
|---|---|---|
| A question, confirmation, or configuration screen | The upgrader is waiting for an interactive answer | Read and answer the prompt in the original terminal or graphical window |
| Progress stops while files are being downloaded | An unreachable or misconfigured package mirror | Check connectivity and change to a reachable official mirror before retrying |
| “Could not calculate the upgrade” or dependency errors | Broken or conflicting package state | Repair dependencies, update the current release, and retry only after apt completes cleanly |
| A message says there is not enough disk space | Insufficient free space on the root filesystem | Check /, remove only files you understand, and leave several gigabytes available |
| A foreign-package or PPA warning appears | Software from outside the Ubuntu archives is incompatible or unresolved | Disable, remove, downgrade, or replace affected packages; restore sources only after a compatible target-release version exists |
| No new Ubuntu release is offered | The current release is not fully updated or the release-upgrade policy does not match the desired track | Finish current-release updates and check whether the policy is set for the intended LTS or interim path |
Prepare the current Ubuntu release before retrying
Do these checks from the current installation, not from a half-completed upgrade. If the previous attempt is still actively installing packages, return to the original session and follow its prompt first. If the attempt has stopped and you have reached a normal shell, prepare the system as follows.
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1. Refresh package information
sudo apt updateThis must finish without repository errors that leave package lists incomplete. A mirror failure, DNS problem, authentication error, or disabled repository should be resolved before you continue.
2. Install every pending update, including phased updates
sudo apt dist-upgrade -o APT::Get::Always-Include-Phased-Updates=trueLet the command complete. When it finishes, run the update checks again if necessary and confirm that no further updates remain for the current release. A release upgrade should not be attempted on a system that still has ordinary package upgrades waiting.
3. Check whether Ubuntu requires a reboot
test -e /run/reboot-required && echo "Reboot required"If the command prints Reboot required, restart Ubuntu normally and allow it to come back up completely before launching the release upgrader. The marker file is a signal that running processes or the kernel do not yet match the newly installed packages.
4. Verify free space on the root filesystem
df -h /Look specifically at the filesystem mounted on /. Ubuntu states that a release upgrade downloads hundreds of new packages and can require several gigabytes of free space. The exact amount varies with the source and target releases, architecture, installed packages, and whether the machine is a desktop or server. Do not treat a small amount of free space as sufficient merely because the download has started: unpacking and configuration also consume space.
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5. Make a separate backup
Copy important documents, application data, service configuration, and any other irreplaceable information to a separate backup location before another attempt. A backup on the same disk does not protect against a failed disk or an unusable installation. Canonical’s upgrade guidance emphasizes that it is extremely important for data to be safely copied to a backup location.
Review PPAs and other third-party repositories
Ubuntu disables third-party software repositories and Personal Package Archives during a release upgrade. Packages installed from them can still be present, however, and those packages are a frequent reason dependency calculation fails. A repository that worked on the source release may not publish packages, signing keys, or compatible dependencies for the target release.
What to review
- PPAs added for desktop applications, development tools, graphics stacks, kernels, or libraries.
- Vendor repositories that do not explicitly support the target Ubuntu release.
- Packages identified by the upgrader as foreign or not supplied by the standard Ubuntu archives.
- Locally installed versions that are newer than the versions available in the Ubuntu archive.
How to handle them
- Record which external sources and packages you actually need. This makes it possible to restore only compatible sources later.
- Disable or remove sources that do not publish packages for the target release.
- For foreign packages, remove them, downgrade them to an archive version, or replace them with a target-release build when that is appropriate for the software.
- Run
sudo apt updateand the fulldist-upgradeagain. Do not proceed until both complete successfully. - After Ubuntu itself is upgraded, re-enable an external source only when its publisher provides a version for the new release. Then update and test that source separately.
The upgrader has an --allow-third-party option, but allowing external sources increases dependency risk. Use it only when you have verified that every relevant repository supports the target release and you understand the packages it will supply. It is not a general fix for a failed upgrade.
Retry with the supported release-upgrade command
Once updates are clean, the reboot requirement is satisfied, storage is available, and repositories have been reviewed, start the supported command-line workflow:
sudo do-release-upgradeStay with the session while it runs. Read each prompt, including questions about configuration files, service restarts, foreign packages, and removal of obsolete packages. The command is the preferred method documented for command-line, headless, server, cloud, and remote upgrades; it is also appropriate on a desktop when you want the terminal’s detailed progress and prompts.
For a desktop
Keep the terminal visible and prevent the machine from suspending during the operation. If a graphical prompt opens, answer it rather than assuming the terminal has stopped. Do not launch a second upgrader from a menu or another terminal.
For a server or remote machine
Use a reliable administrative connection and ensure you can return to the original session if the connection drops. A disconnected terminal does not prove that the upgrade failed. Reconnect to the machine’s console or the session that launched do-release-upgrade and inspect its current prompt before taking any action.
Fix a hang while fetching packages
If the progress stops during downloads rather than during package configuration, suspect the configured mirror or the network path to it. An archive server can be unreachable from one network while working from another, and a stale mirror entry can produce repeated timeouts.
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- Check that the machine still has network connectivity and working name resolution.
- Look at the download error or the package source named by the terminal; distinguish a single slow file from repeated failures against the same mirror.
- Switch to a reachable official Ubuntu mirror using the normal repository-management tools for your edition.
- Run
sudo apt updateand wait for it to finish without errors. - Complete the current-release
dist-upgradeagain before rerunningsudo do-release-upgrade.
Do not repeatedly interrupt downloads and relaunch the upgrader without fixing the source. Each attempt can leave partially downloaded data or an unfinished package transaction without addressing the unreachable mirror.
Repair “Could not calculate the upgrade” and dependency failures
“Could not calculate the upgrade” means the upgrader cannot find a consistent set of package versions for the transition. Common triggers include an interrupted earlier installation, packages held at incompatible versions, and software from PPAs or other external repositories.
Repair individual dependency problems
Ubuntu’s troubleshooting guidance documents this repair command for individual dependency issues:
sudo apt-get -f installRead the proposed changes before accepting them. If the command reports that it cannot resolve a package, do not force the release upgrade around the error. Identify the package or repository named in the message, deal with that conflict, and then refresh and upgrade the current release again:
sudo apt update
sudo apt dist-upgrade -o APT::Get::Always-Include-Phased-Updates=trueBoth commands must complete successfully before you retry do-release-upgrade. If the dependency error repeatedly points to a PPA or foreign package, return to the repository review rather than running the same repair command indefinitely.
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When not to continue
- Package lists still fail to download: resolve the mirror, network, or repository problem first.
- The repair wants to remove critical software: stop and understand the package relationship before accepting.
- Storage is nearly full: make room before unpacking more packages.
- The terminal is still performing installation: wait for completion or answer its prompt instead of starting a second repair operation.
Handle foreign packages and PPA prompts
The “Foreign Packages Installed” step is a diagnostic warning, not an invitation to blindly keep every package. It tells you that software outside the standard Ubuntu archive may need attention during the release transition.
For each listed package, decide whether it is essential, replaceable, or obsolete. An essential package needs a compatible build for the target release. A replaceable package may have an Ubuntu archive equivalent. An obsolete package can often be removed before the upgrade, provided you understand what depends on it. Keep a record of deliberate removals so you can reinstall target-release versions later.
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Do not re-enable every disabled PPA immediately after the upgrade. Restore them one at a time only after checking target-release support. Updating all external sources simultaneously makes it difficult to identify which source introduced a new dependency or signing problem.
If no release is offered
A missing release notification is different from a hung upgrade. First confirm that sudo apt update and the full dist-upgrade finish with no remaining updates. Then check the release-upgrade policy configured for the machine: it may be set to offer only long-term-support releases or to follow interim releases. The desired track must match the release you are trying to reach.
Release availability and point-release timing change over time. Consult the release notes for the intended Ubuntu version and verify that the source release is eligible for that path. Do not change release-policy settings merely to force an upgrade when the current installation is not fully updated.
Can you safely restart an Ubuntu upgrade?
You can safely retry after a failed attempt, but “restart” should not mean abruptly powering off an active package installation. If the upgrader is visibly working, wait. If it is waiting for input, answer the prompt. If it has exited to a normal shell, repair the current package state, reboot when /run/reboot-required exists, verify storage and repositories, and then run sudo do-release-upgrade again.
A second attempt is lowest risk when the system has returned to a consistent, fully updated state. Repeatedly killing the process, deleting package files, or launching multiple upgrade commands can turn a recoverable mirror or prompt issue into a broken package database.
After the upgrade completes
- Reboot if the upgrader requests it and allow the new release to start normally.
- Confirm the machine boots into the intended Ubuntu release and that essential services or desktop functions work.
- Run
sudo apt updateand check for errors from disabled or obsolete repositories. - Restore only third-party repositories that explicitly support the new release.
- Update and test each restored source separately instead of enabling all of them at once.
- Verify that your backup remains available before deleting any pre-upgrade copies.
If the upgrade still fails after these checks, preserve the exact terminal error, the package or repository named in it, and the point where progress stopped. Those details distinguish a mirror failure from a dependency conflict and prevent destructive trial-and-error.
Quick Recap
Common mistakes that make recovery harder
- Forcing a shutdown at the first pause: the process may simply be waiting for a configuration answer.
- Skipping current-release updates: the upgrader expects a coherent, fully patched starting point.
- Ignoring the reboot marker: continuing before rebooting can leave the running system out of sync with installed packages.
- Freeing space by deleting unknown files: this can damage the current installation instead of solving the capacity problem.
- Leaving incompatible PPAs enabled: external packages are a leading source of dependency conflicts.
- Using
--allow-third-partyas a universal workaround: it expands the set of packages that must remain compatible during the transition. - Running two upgraders at once: concurrent package operations can lock or corrupt the transaction.
- Re-enabling every repository immediately: staged restoration makes post-upgrade failures much easier to isolate.
The shortest safe checklist
- Inspect the original terminal or graphical window for a prompt.
- If the process has stopped, back up important data.
- Run
sudo apt update. - Run
sudo apt dist-upgrade -o APT::Get::Always-Include-Phased-Updates=trueuntil no updates remain. - Check
test -e /run/reboot-required && echo "Reboot required"and reboot when indicated. - Check
df -h /and make several gigabytes available on the root filesystem. - Disable or remove incompatible PPAs and third-party repositories.
- Use
sudo apt-get -f installfor documented individual dependency issues, then refresh and fully upgrade again. - Retry with
sudo do-release-upgradeand remain available for prompts. - After completion, re-enable only repositories that support the new Ubuntu release.
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