A Complete Guide to Check Ubuntu Version through GUI and Terminal

A Complete Guide to Check Ubuntu Version

Ubuntu, one of the most popular Linux distributions, is renowned for its stability, ease of use, and strong community support. Whether you prefer the Graphical User Interface (GUI) or the Terminal, here’s how you can check your Ubuntu version using both methods.

Check Ubuntu Version through GUI:

Method 1: Using System Settings:

  1. Click on the “Activities” button on the top left corner of the desktop or press the Super key (Windows key) on your keyboard.
  2. Type “Settings” and click on the “Settings” icon to open it.
  3. In the Settings window, scroll down and click on “Details”.
  4. In the Details section, you will find the version information under the “About” tab.

Method 2: Using Command Launcher:

  1. Press Alt + F2 to open the command launcher.
  2. Type “about” and press Enter.
  3. This will open the same “About” window as above.

Check Ubuntu Version through Terminal:

Method 1: Using lsb_release command:

Open your Terminal using Ctrl + Alt + T, or you can search for “Terminal” in the application menu.

lsb_release -a

The output will look something like this:

No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description: Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS
Release: 20.04
Codename: focal

Method 2: Using cat /etc/os-release command:

Alternatively, you can use the following command:

cat /etc/os-release

The output will look something like this:

NAME="Ubuntu"
VERSION="20.04.3 LTS (Focal Fossa)"
ID=ubuntu
ID_LIKE=debian
HOME_URL="https://www.ubuntu.com/"
SUPPORT_URL="https://help.ubuntu.com/"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/"
PRIVACY_POLICY_URL="https://www.ubuntu.com/legal/terms-and-policies/privacy-policy"
VERSION_CODENAME=focal
UBUNTU_CODENAME=focal

Method 3: Using hostnamectl command:

Another way to check the Ubuntu version is by using the hostnamectl command:

hostnamectl

The output will look something like this:

Static hostname: ubuntu
Icon name: computer-desktop
Chassis: desktop
Machine ID: 61944d53f5a24e7cb7d3cf5b3ee2abf1
Boot ID: 6a78b271199d42a799a9f77316c5454b
Operating System: Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS
Kernel: Linux 5.13.0-28-generic
Architecture: x86-64

Method 4: Using uname command:

You can also use the uname command to check the kernel version:

uname -a

The output will look something like this:

Linux ubuntu 5.13.0-28-generic #31~20.04.1-Ubuntu SMP Wed Jan 19 14:08:14 UTC 2022 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Congratulations! Now you know how to check your Ubuntu version using both GUI and Terminal methods.