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Install an Ubuntu LTS release unless you can name a specific newer kernel, language runtime, compiler, hardware enablement, or feature that you need immediately. LTS releases arrive every two years and receive five years of standard security maintenance for packages in Ubuntu’s Main component. Interim releases arrive in the six-month cycle, are production-quality, and provide newer software sooner—but their standard support period is only nine months, so you must plan a release upgrade before that window closes.
That makes this a maintenance decision, not a stability-versus-beta decision. Ubuntu does not describe interim releases as experimental previews. The practical trade-off is a longer-lived baseline with fewer upgrades on LTS versus faster access to upstream capabilities on interim.
Which Ubuntu should I install?
Choose LTS for a server, business workstation, family computer, development machine that must remain available, or any installation you do not want to upgrade several times a year. Choose an interim release only when the newer software or hardware support solves a real problem and you have the time, testing process, and rollback plan to move to the next release within nine months.
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| Decision | Choose LTS when… | Choose interim when… |
|---|---|---|
| Support horizon | You want five years of standard security maintenance without a release upgrade. | You can schedule an upgrade during a nine-month support period. |
| Software and hardware | The versions shipped in the LTS baseline meet your requirements. | You need a newer kernel, language, toolchain, driver enablement, or desktop feature now. |
| Operations | You value predictable change and infrequent major upgrades. | You already test upgrades regularly and can absorb more frequent change. |
| Typical role | Production, enterprise, long-term projects, and systems that must stay consistent. | Developers and teams evaluating or adopting recent upstream capabilities. |
Canonical’s lifecycle guidance recommends LTS for production environments and long-term projects. The Ubuntu project’s release documentation describes interim releases as production-quality, while also making clear that they do not receive the long-term commitment of LTS releases.
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What is the difference between Ubuntu LTS and interim releases?
Release cadence
Ubuntu publishes a new release every six months. LTS releases occupy a two-year cadence; the releases between them are interim versions. Version numbers use the year and month of release, so a label such as 24.04 identifies April 2024. Before downloading, check Ubuntu’s live release listing because the available version changes over time.
Standard security maintenance
An LTS release receives five years of standard security maintenance for packages in the Main component. An interim release receives nine months of updates. The shorter period is the defining operational difference: an interim installation is not abandoned, but it must move forward sooner.
Software freshness
LTS provides a deliberately longer-lived baseline. That helps when application versions, drivers, deployment scripts, and documentation need to remain consistent. Interim releases bring newer kernels, programming languages, compilers, libraries, and other features earlier in Ubuntu’s cycle. “Newer” can be valuable for recently released hardware or a project that requires an upstream capability unavailable in the LTS baseline; it can also mean more frequent compatibility work for your own software.
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An interim release works only if release upgrades are part of your normal operating routine. Ubuntu’s official lifecycle wording characterizes these versions as providing cutting-edge features and hardware support every six months, but with only nine months of updates. In practice, you need to:
- Inventory the applications, repositories, drivers, and configuration files that could be affected by an upgrade.
- Keep current backups and verify that you can restore important data.
- Test the next release on representative hardware or a disposable virtual machine before changing a critical system.
- Schedule the upgrade while the installed release is still supported, leaving time to recover from a failed attempt.
- Confirm that third-party software has a repository or package compatible with the target Ubuntu release.
Allowing the nine-month period to expire leaves you with an installation that no longer receives the normal updates for that interim release. The remedy is a planned move to a supported release, not treating the old interim version as a permanent platform.
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How to decide based on the computer’s job
Servers and services that must stay online
Use LTS unless a service has a documented dependency on a newer component. A long-lived server benefits from fewer major changes, a predictable maintenance calendar, and a support horizon that can be communicated to everyone responsible for the system.
Ubuntu’s Server guide documents upgrades from one LTS to the next sequential LTS rather than a direct jump over an intervening LTS. Treat that as guidance for the documented Server upgrade path, and read the instructions for the exact source and target versions before starting. A server upgrade should be a change-managed operation: confirm backups, test the application, reserve console or out-of-band access, check storage capacity, and define a maintenance window.
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Developer workstations
Start with LTS for general development. Move to interim when a project genuinely requires a newer compiler, interpreter, language standard, kernel interface, graphics stack, or development tool than the LTS repositories provide. If only one project needs a newer tool, first consider whether that project can use an isolated environment, container, language-version manager, or backported package while the host remains on LTS. That approach avoids converting the entire operating system to a nine-month lifecycle for a single dependency.
Desktop users with new hardware
Interim can make sense when a very recent laptop, graphics device, wireless adapter, or processor is not well supported by the older LTS kernel or hardware stack. Verify the need rather than assuming that the newest release is automatically better. Ubuntu recommends checking its certified-hardware list; certification indicates that the device has been tested. Its 2025 Desktop datasheet names Dell, Lenovo, and HP among OEMs with certified hardware, but certification is attached to particular devices and configurations, not to every product from an OEM.
If you are unsure about compatibility, boot the Ubuntu Desktop installer from USB and use the try-out session before installing. The session runs without permanently changing the computer, allowing you to check display output, Wi-Fi, sound, suspend, touchpad behavior, and external monitors.
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Education, laboratories, and short-lived test systems
An interim release may be appropriate for a disposable test machine or a lab that explicitly evaluates current upstream software. Document the end date at deployment and make rebuilding or upgrading part of the test plan. For a classroom or shared workstation that should remain unchanged through a school year, LTS is usually the simpler choice.
Support beyond the five-year LTS standard period
The five-year figure applies to standard security maintenance for packages in Main. It is not a promise that every package installed on an LTS system receives identical maintenance for the same duration.
Ubuntu Pro and ESM
Ubuntu Pro can extend security maintenance for eligible packages, including coverage for packages in the Universe component through Extended Security Maintenance (ESM). Eligibility, package scope, and subscription terms determine what is covered. Do not describe this as an automatic extension for every package on every installation.
Optional Legacy coverage
Canonical’s lifecycle information describes an optional Legacy add-on after the 10-year period formed by five years of standard maintenance plus five years of ESM. With that add-on, the total possible support and security-maintenance period can reach 15 years for eligible coverage. The extra period is conditional on the add-on and its package eligibility; it is not the default support promise for a fresh LTS installation.
What the figures mean for planning
| Period | What it represents |
|---|---|
| 5 years | Standard security maintenance for LTS packages in Main. |
| 10 years | Five years of standard maintenance plus five years of ESM coverage where eligible. |
| 15 years | Possible total when the optional Legacy add-on is purchased after the 10-year ESM period, subject to eligibility and package scope. |
Ubuntu project release documentation has estimated that about 95% of Ubuntu installations are LTS. The page does not provide a year for that estimate, so it should be read as an indication of historical usage rather than a current market-share measurement.
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Installing the release you chose
Prepare installation media
- Download the Desktop image for the release you selected from Ubuntu’s official download and release pages.
- Use an 8 GB or larger USB flash drive to create bootable media. Writing the image rewrites the drive and destroys existing data on it, so copy anything important elsewhere first.
- Use the image-writing application described in Ubuntu’s installation documentation. The documented process does not require a paid application.
- Boot the target computer from the USB drive and select the option to try Ubuntu before installing if you need to check hardware.
Check storage and hardware requirements
Ubuntu’s Desktop 24.04 installation tutorial specifies 25 GB of storage as a minimum for that version’s tutorial. Treat this as version-specific guidance, not a universal requirement for every future release or installation type. Leave additional space for updates, applications, caches, logs, and personal data.
For a computer purchase, consult the current certified-hardware listing rather than relying only on an OEM name. Certification reflects testing of listed systems; a similar-looking configuration may use different firmware, wireless hardware, or graphics components.
Choose the installation target
For a new personal computer, decide whether Ubuntu should use the entire disk or coexist with another operating system. A full-disk installation is simpler but removes existing partitions. A dual-boot layout requires a verified backup, enough unallocated space, and a recovery plan for both systems. On a server, follow the storage and deployment procedure for the exact Ubuntu Server image and confirm that automated provisioning, encryption, networking, and remote access work before placing the machine in service.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Upgrade planning for an LTS installation
LTS reduces the frequency of release upgrades, but it does not eliminate them. At the end of the standard five-year period, decide whether to move to the next LTS, use eligible ESM coverage, or retire and rebuild the system. Keep the source and target versions in your asset records so that an upgrade is a scheduled project rather than an emergency.
- Record the installed Ubuntu version, kernel, disk layout, enabled repositories, encrypted volumes, services, and locally modified configuration.
- Check the current Ubuntu release notes and the version-specific upgrade guide for the source and target releases.
- Apply pending updates to the current release and remove obsolete packages or repositories that could block the upgrade.
- Test the upgrade on a clone, spare system, or virtual machine with the same critical applications.
- Take a restorable backup and verify access to local or remote console management.
- Run Ubuntu’s documented release-upgrade procedure during a maintenance window, then validate networking, storage, authentication, scheduled jobs, applications, and monitoring.
For Ubuntu Server, the documented path proceeds to the next sequential LTS. Do not assume that a later jump is supported simply because it appears faster; consult the current instructions for the versions you actually run.
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Upgrade planning for an interim installation
Begin planning the next release shortly after installing an interim version. The six-month Ubuntu cadence means the next release arrives while the current one is still within its support window, but the exact dates and upgrade prompts depend on the release and configuration.
- Write down the installed version and its support end date from Ubuntu’s lifecycle information.
- Monitor the release notes for the next supported version and check compatibility for proprietary drivers, external repositories, VPN clients, development tools, and management agents.
- Keep a tested backup and a bootable recovery medium available.
- Test the target release with the workloads that matter, including graphics, suspend, containers, compilers, database clients, and authentication.
- Upgrade before the nine-month window ends, allowing time to troubleshoot or restore the previous system.
- After rebooting, confirm the running version, kernel, services, package sources, and application behavior.
If your team cannot reserve time for this cycle, reinstall or migrate to an LTS release instead of letting an interim system become an unplanned legacy machine.
Common mistakes when choosing between LTS and interim
“Interim means beta”
That is inaccurate. Ubuntu project documentation calls interim releases production-quality and supports them for nine months. The issue is the shorter commitment, not a beta label.
“LTS means every package is maintained for 10 or 15 years”
The standard LTS promise is five years for packages in Main. Longer coverage involves ESM, eligible packages, and—after 10 years—the optional Legacy add-on. Package component and subscription details matter.
“The newest release is always best for new hardware”
A newer kernel or hardware stack may solve a compatibility problem, but verify it with the live USB session and the certified-hardware information. Newer software can also require changes to drivers, scripts, or third-party repositories.
“I can skip any LTS during a server upgrade”
Ubuntu’s Server guide describes moving from one LTS to the next sequential LTS. Follow the current version-specific procedure rather than assuming that an unsupported jump will work.
“A release choice is permanent”
You can migrate later, but changing release families still costs testing time and may require reinstalling or performing a major upgrade. Choose the lifecycle that matches your operating capacity now.
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- Choose LTS if the system supports customers, production workloads, business applications, or long-lived personal projects.
- Choose LTS if you prefer one major upgrade every few years rather than a release upgrade within nine months.
- Choose interim if a named newer kernel, language, toolchain, driver, or feature is required immediately.
- Choose interim if you can test, back up, and complete upgrades on a predictable schedule.
- Test from USB first when hardware compatibility is uncertain.
- Check certified hardware when buying a computer instead of treating an OEM name as a guarantee.
- Record support dates for every installation, especially interim systems.
- Review package scope before relying on ESM or Legacy coverage for an LTS deployment.
Final recommendation
For most readers asking which Ubuntu to install, LTS is the correct default: it provides a five-year standard security-maintenance horizon and reduces release-upgrade work. Select an interim release only when its newer capabilities solve a specific, documented need and your maintenance process can handle the nine-month support window. Ubuntu’s interim releases are production-quality, but their lifecycle is intentionally short; that trade-off should be a deliberate engineering choice, not an accidental consequence of downloading the newest image.
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