How to Update Linux (apt, dnf, and more)

That is the whole job for day-to-day updates. Below we walk through each package manager properly, cover the graphical updaters, explain when a kernel update means you need to reboot, and show how to keep Flatpak and Snap software current too. If you are coming from Windows, this replaces both Windows Update and the Microsoft Store in one habit — and unlike Windows, on Linux one command updates your apps and your operating system together. See our other Linux guides for more of the basics.

1. Debian, Ubuntu and relatives (apt)

Debian-based systems — including Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS and Zorin — use apt. Updating is a two-step process: first refresh the package index, then upgrade.

1. Open a terminal.
2. Refresh the list of available packages from the repositories:

   sudo apt update

   This downloads nothing but metadata; it just tells apt what newer versions exist.
3. Install the newer versions of everything already on your system:

   sudo apt upgrade

   Review the summary of what will change, then press Y to confirm.
4. You can chain both steps into one line — the && only runs the second command if the first succeeds:

   sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

upgrade vs. full-upgrade. Plain apt upgrade installs newer versions and can pull in new dependencies, but it will never remove an installed package. When a bigger update needs to remove something to move forward, use:

sudo apt full-upgrade

This is the modern name for the old apt-get dist-upgrade, and it is allowed to remove packages when required to complete the upgrade. It still keeps you on the same release of the distribution.

Tidy up afterwards. Over time old dependencies pile up. Remove the ones nothing needs any more with:

sudo apt autoremove

2. Fedora, RHEL and relatives (dnf)

Fedora, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux use dnf. It refreshes the metadata automatically as part of the upgrade, so a single command does the whole job:

1. Open a terminal.
2. Upgrade every installed package to its newest available version:

   sudo dnf upgrade

   Review the transaction and press Y to proceed. Add --refresh to force a fresh metadata download first: sudo dnf upgrade --refresh.

Current Fedora releases ship DNF5, where /usr/bin/dnf points at the new engine, so the same dnf commands still apply. You may also see sudo dnf update in older guides — on modern DNF it is an alias for upgrade and behaves the same way.

Moving to a new Fedora release (for example one major version to the next) is a dedicated command rather than a normal upgrade:

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh
sudo dnf install dnf-plugin-system-upgrade
sudo dnf system-upgrade download --releasever=44
sudo dnf system-upgrade reboot

Replace 44 with the release you are upgrading to.

3. Arch Linux and relatives (pacman)

Arch is a rolling release: instead of periodic big version jumps, you receive a continuous stream of updates. Keeping current is one command:

1. Open a terminal.
2. Synchronise the package database and upgrade the whole system in a single step:

   sudo pacman -Syu

   The flags mean Sync, reyrefresh the database, and upgrade installed packages.
3. If you use the Arch User Repository through a helper such as yay or paru, update those packages too:

   yay -Syu

4. The graphical way — Software / Update tools

You do not have to touch a terminal at all. Every mainstream desktop ships a graphical updater that runs the same operations under the hood:

• Ubuntu / GNOME — the Software Updater app, or the Updates tab in GNOME Software.
• Linux Mint — the Update Manager shield icon in the system tray.
• Fedora — GNOME Software (or Discover on KDE) shows system and Flatpak updates together.
• KDE Plasma (any distro) — Discover → Updates.

These tools notify you when updates are available and apply them with a click. They are the easiest option and perfectly safe for everyday use; the command line simply gives you more control and works the same on every machine.

5. Kernel updates and when to reboot

Most updates take effect the moment the program is restarted — no reboot needed. The exception is when the update replaces something that is already running in memory, above all the Linux kernel itself, or core components like systemd or the C library. The old version keeps running until you restart.

1. On Debian and Ubuntu, a reboot-required flag file appears after such an update. Check for it:

   [ -f /var/run/reboot-required ] && echo "Reboot needed"

2. On Fedora and RHEL, ask dnf directly:

   sudo dnf needs-restarting -r

3. When a reboot is needed, save your work and run:

   sudo reboot

After rebooting you will be running the new kernel. Distributions keep a previous kernel or two installed so you can boot back if a new one misbehaves — you will find them in the GRUB boot menu.

6. Flatpak and Snap apps

Flatpak and Snap are cross-distribution app formats that live outside your package manager, so apt, dnf and pacman do not touch them. Update them separately:

1. Flatpak — update every installed Flatpak app and its runtimes:

   flatpak update

2. Snap — Snaps refresh themselves automatically in the background, but you can force it:

   sudo snap refresh

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade && sudo snap refresh && flatpak update

How often should you update?

For security, sooner is better — most fixes for known vulnerabilities arrive through these updates. A weekly manual update is plenty for a personal desktop; servers are often updated more frequently or set to apply security patches automatically. On Debian and Ubuntu the unattended-upgrades package can install security updates for you in the background, which is a sensible default for machines you do not want to babysit. Whichever cadence you pick, updating Linux is fast, and — unlike the reboot-heavy Windows Update cycle — rarely interrupts what you are doing.