A new version of Ubuntu Linux is released frequently. There are two release versions: Standard and Long-Term Support (LTS) releases. Ubuntu Linux’s normal releases come out every 6 to 9 months. This is suitable for desktop users since the latest versions include new features and hardware support. Ubuntu LTS releases occur every two years and are supported for five years for both desktops and servers. The LTS versions are suitable for servers since long-term support is great for enterprise applications and services. Below is how one can find out the version of Ubuntu Linux running on a system.
How to find the Ubuntu Linux version on a computer
As described above, there are two types of Ubuntu Linux releases Standard and Long-term support (LTS). Below are steps you can use to find out the version of Ubuntu you are running. The quickest way to find out the Ubuntu Linux version is to use the lsb_release utility. LSB (Linux Standard Base) is a utility that provides information about Linux distribution. To use the utility, open your terminal by typing Ctrl — Alt — T on your keyboard to open the terminal. Then type the commands below: That should output a similar info sheet below: That gives you the version of Ubuntu and the release number. When you use the -d switch with the lsb_release command instead of –a, it displays the description only. Another way to find out the Ubuntu Linux version is via the issue or the os-release file. Run the commands below to display the content of the issue file. The issue file contains the operating system identification text. That should output a similar line as below: Alternatively, you may look in the /etc/os-release file to learn and find out the Ubuntu Linux version. That file contains more operating system identification data. Run the commands below to display the os-release data for Ubuntu Linux. That should output the lines below: The hostnamectl command also shows you info about Ubuntu Linux. Run the commands below to view the Ubuntu Linux version. That should up the info sheet below: These are some of the many ways to find out the Ubuntu version number from the command line.
Find the Ubuntu Linux version via desktop system settings
If you are on an Ubuntu desktop and you want to view the version of Ubuntu Linux running on your computer, you can do that from the Settings app. To do that, click on the top bar and select the System menu at the top right corner. Then select Settings. In the Settings app, select About. From there you should see details about your computer, including the Ubuntu Linux version. That’s should do it! Conclusion: This post showed you the many ways to view the Ubuntu Linux version running on your computer. If you find any error above or have something to add, please use the comment form below.
