Introduction
If you’re an Ubuntu user, it’s important to know which version you’re currently running. This information can be useful for a variety of reasons, such as troubleshooting, ensuring compatibility with software packages, and determining when you need to upgrade to a newer version. In this article, we’ll explore several methods for checking your Ubuntu version number, from the command line to graphical interfaces.
Using the lsb_release command
The lsb_release command is one of the easiest ways to check your Ubuntu version number. It prints out detailed information about the current Linux distribution, including the release number, codename, and description.
To use the command, simply open a terminal window and type in the following command:
lsb_release -a
This will display the current version information for your Ubuntu installation. Here’s what sample output might look like:
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description: Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS
Release: 20.04
Codename: focal
The “Distributor ID” field identifies the distribution you’re using, while the “Description” field provides additional detail about the version and release. “Release” is the major version number, and the “Codename” is a name given to the release for identification purposes.
Using the /etc/lsb-release file
Ubuntu also stores version information in the /etc/lsb-release file. You can view the contents of this file to check your Ubuntu version by typing the following command:
cat /etc/lsb-release
This should output a few lines of information, including the “DISTRIB_RELEASE” line that contains the version number. Here’s what sample output might look like:
DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu
DISTRIB_RELEASE=20.04
DISTRIB_CODENAME=focal
DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION=”Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS”
Using System Monitor
System Monitor is a graphical tool that can be used to view system specifications, including the Ubuntu version. To access it, click on the “Activities” button on the top left corner of the screen, type “System Monitor” into the search bar, and click on the program when it appears.
Once System Monitor is open, click on the “System” tab located on the top left corner of the interface. Here, you should be able to see the version number of your Ubuntu installation, listed as “OS type”.
Using the uname command
Another command that can be used to deduce the Ubuntu version number is the uname command. This command will print out information about the current system, including the kernel name, release version, and processor type.
To use the command, open a terminal window and type in the following command:
uname -a
This should output a single line of text, with the version number located in the middle of the output. Here’s what sample output might look like:
Linux mycomputer 5.11.0-46-generic #51~20.04.1-Ubuntu SMP Tue Oct 19 12:39:30 UTC 2021 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
The version number in this output is “20.04.1”, which corresponds to the version of Ubuntu running on the system.
Using the apt command
The apt command is used to install, remove, and manage packages in Ubuntu. It can also be used to view version details of installed packages. To use the command, type the following in the terminal window:
apt list –installed
This command will output a list of all installed packages on your system, along with their version numbers. You can filter the list to show only the version number for Ubuntu by using grep:
apt list –installed | grep ubuntu
This will provide a filtered list of packages that include the word “ubuntu” in their names. The version number can be found next to “ubuntu” in the package name.
Graphical method
The easiest graphical method is to use the “About” dialog, which can be accessed by clicking on the settings icon on the top right corner of the screen and selecting “About”. Here, you’ll find information about the release number, codename, and description of your Ubuntu installation.
Conclusion
In this article, we’ve explored multiple methods for checking the version number of Ubuntu, from command line tools like lsb_release and uname to graphical interfaces like System Monitor and the Ubuntu About dialog. Each method provides a unique way to access version information, so it’s up to the reader to choose the method that works best for them. We encourage readers to leave a comment if they found the article helpful.