Do you log in to an Ubuntu Operating System fist time? and you don’t know what Ubuntu version is running on?. It is a good command for the ubuntu version check step by step guide. If you are a beginner, you can use it.
When you install Ubuntu on your system, what version it is. To know more about Ubuntu install please check my previous article How to install Ubuntu on Virtualbox. but what happened after upgrading your system, A new version will be installed and the old version will disappear.
Right now, the situation is the same as the unknown system you are using. Now your next task to check Ubuntu version.
In this article, I will cover about 5 methods to check what Ubuntu version is running on your system.
- What is the Latest Ubuntu version?
- What Ubuntu Version you are using check by command line
- What Ubuntu Version you are using check-in /etc/os-release file
- How to check ubuntu version by /etc/issue file
- Use hostnamectl command to check ubuntu version
- Use Gnome Desktop to Check what Ubuntu version you are using
- Conclusion
What is the Latest Ubuntu version Today?
This article is not about the latest Ubuntu version, It is about how to check ubuntu version running on your system.
But if you here to know latest Ubuntu version today, I will not disappoint you. I will help you to know latest version.
Check Out Ubuntu Latest version for today including old release . The official Ubuntu release page is a good source.
What Ubuntu Version you are using check by command line
Mostly, I use lsb_release utility to display the Linux Standard Base (LSB) information about your Linux distribution including Ubuntu.
You can say this is the preferred method by command line to check what ubuntu version is running on your machine. You will find this method useful for any environment and version.
So what are you waiting for? Use the following command and have fun.
$lsb_release -a
vijay@Ubuntu-19:~$lsb_release -a No LSB modules are available. Distributor ID: Ubuntu Description: Ubuntu 19.04 Release: 19.04 Codename: disco vijay@Ubuntu-19:~$
Any reason, if lsb_release is not working then there are following alternate methods to check ubuntu version.
What Ubuntu Version you are using check-in /etc/os-release file
Identification data of the operating system is saved in /etc/os-release file. You can retrieve the ubuntu version information from this file.
This method will work only on Ubuntu 16.04 or later release.
You can use the following command to complete this task.
$cat /etc/os-release
vijay@Ubuntu-19:~$cat /etc/os-release NAME="Ubuntu" VERSION="19.04 (Disco Dingo)" ID=ubuntu ID_LIKE=debian PRETTY_NAME="Ubuntu 19.04" VERSION_ID="19.04" 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=disco UBUNTU_CODENAME=disco vijay@Ubuntu-19:~$
How to check ubuntu version by /etc/issue file
/cat/issue file has stored system identification data. the cat command can be used to see this information. The following command will be executed.
$cat /etc/issue
vijay@Ubuntu-19:~$cat /etc/issue Ubuntu 19.04 \n \l vijay@Ubuntu-19:~$
Use hostnamectl command to check ubuntu version
the hostnamectl command I used in another article to set the hostname, you can check this post How to Change Hostname in Ubuntu.
the hostnamectl command is not only used for setting hostname. you can use this command for checking Ubuntu version.
Similar to above this command will only work on Ubuntu 16.04 or newer versions. the following command can be used to check the Ubuntu version
$hostnamectl
vijay@Ubuntu-19:~$hostnamectl
Static hostname: Ubuntu-19
Icon name: computer-vm
Chassis: vm
Machine ID: 4f14bff2e47e446f88896b31b0f9e7e4
Boot ID: 22afdbe2aec240bea5cd18d9846f1f7f
Virtualization: oracle
Operating System: Ubuntu 19.04
Kernel: Linux 5.0.0-19-generic
Architecture: x86-64
vijay@Ubuntu-19:~$
Use Gnome Desktop to Check Ubuntu version
Gnome is the default graphical environment in Ubuntu 19.04 for desktop. Follow the following steps to check what ubuntu version is running your system:
Step 1: Right click on desktop and click on settings option. The settings page will be displayed on the screen.
Step 2: Click on the details tab in the system settings page. You will find it left sidbar.
Step 3: Your Ubuntu version will be shown under the orange Ubuntu logo.
Conclusion
You have seen how easy to check Ubuntu version by using the command line interface. You can also use the gnome desktop to find out running OS. For more information on Ubuntu, releases visit Ubuntu Latest release page.
If you have any question, Please drop a comment below in comment box.
Thanks for Reading!
Cheers!