Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS has arrived, bringing a wide range of improvements covered in our article on the release. The main highlight, of course, is the brand-new COSMIC 1.0 desktop environment. By contrast, users of Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS are still running its predecessor, a heavily customized version of the GNOME desktop, built with System76’s own patches and modifications.
Given that, it’s only natural for many users to want to move to Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS to take advantage of the new features. Thankfully, System76 has made the upgrade process straightforward, and you’ve come to the right place to find out exactly how to do it.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through upgrading from Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS to 24.04 LTS, covering all the key points. For most cases, the entire process typically takes between 30 and 60 minutes. Needless to say, everything you’ll see below has been tested and proven to work.
Step 1: Take System Backup
Although it is optional, this step is highly recommended. Take a system snapshot before proceeding using one of the system snapshot tools you’re familiar with. If you’re not sure which one to go with, check out my recommendations on the topic. This way, if something goes wrong, you can easily restore your system to its previous state.
However, if you do not feel like taking the above approach, you can instead use a command like the one shown below, which will archive all of the more critical directories and their contents in a tar.gz archive.
sudo tar czf /popos.tar.gz \
--exclude=/popos.tar.gz \
--exclude=/dev \
--exclude=/run \
--exclude=/mnt \
--exclude=/proc \
--exclude=/sys \
--exclude=/tmp \
--exclude=/media \
--exclude=/lost+found \
/Code language: Bash (bash)Feel free to add more “–exclude=” parameters if needed. Finally, the command creates a backup of all files in the “popos.tar.gz” file located on the root partition (/), which you should ideally transfer to another computer or drive before starting the upgrade.
Step 2: Update All Software
Ensure you have a fully updated Pop!_OS 22.04 system. Open the Pop!_Shop app, click on the hamburger menu in the top-right corner, and select “Refresh“. If any updates are available, install them (and reboot if necessary) before moving on. Then, confirm there are no pending updates.
Here is our fully updated Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS system before upgrading to 24.04 LTS.
Step 3: Upgrade to Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS from 22.04 LTS
Now it’s time for the actual upgrade. Surprisingly, the whole process comes down to running a single command. Open the Terminal application and run the following:
pop-upgrade release upgrade -fCode language: Bash (bash)
The system will run the required checks and then start downloading all the packages needed for the update. Please be patient, as this process may take some time.
Once the download finishes, you’ll be prompted to restart your system so the changes can take effect. Go ahead and do so.
sudo rebootCode language: Bash (bash)Once you have done this, the update process will continue. Please be patient again and wait for it to finish. The exact duration depends on your hardware and how many apps you have installed, but for most people it finishes in about 20–30 minutes.
And that’s all. Your upgrade from Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS to 24.04 LTS has been completed successfully. Log in, and enjoy the COSMIC experience.
Conclusion
As you can see, with the proper guidance, upgrading from Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS to 24.04 LTS is relatively easy. The entire process took me about 30 minutes. However, if you still insist on a whole GUI-based upgrade without touching the terminal, System76 says users will receive an upgrade notification in the OS starting in January 2026.
Thanks for taking the time to read and use this guide. As always, your comments are most welcome.
