Enable Automatic Updates in Ubuntu - A Simple Guide
Automating System Updates in Ubuntu
Ubuntu, by default, performs daily checks for available system updates and notifies the user when they are ready. Users then have the option to immediately download and install these updates, or to postpone the process for later consideration. Alternatively, the system can be configured to download and install updates automatically.
NOTE: When instructions within this guide request you to type text, do not include any quotation marks, unless explicitly stated.
Accessing the Software & Updates Settings
Initiate a search on your computer and online resources by clicking the designated “Search” button on the Unity bar. Type “software and update” into the provided search field. As you type, relevant results will appear below the input box.
Select the “Software & Updates” icon from the displayed search results.
NOTE: If you prefer to exclude online content from your search results, you can disable this feature. This option is available in versions of Ubuntu prior to 15.04. For Ubuntu 15.04 and later, disable online content fetching within the settings. To do this, open “System Settings”, navigate to “Security & Privacy” under the “Personal” section, and then disable the “When searching in the Dash: include online search results” option.
Configuring Automatic Updates
Within the “Software & Updates” dialog box, navigate to and select the “Updates” tab.
From the “Automatically check for updates” drop-down menu, choose the option “Download and install automatically”.
Authentication
A dialog box requesting authentication will appear. Enter your Ubuntu account password in the designated “Password” field and click “Authenticate”.
Selecting Update Types
To ensure both system files and installed software are automatically updated, select the following check boxes: “Important security updates”, “Recommended updates”, and “Unsupported updates”. Confirm your selections by clicking “Close”.
Following these steps, system and software updates will now be downloaded and installed automatically in the background without requiring user intervention.
For users operating the server version of Ubuntu, consult our dedicated article detailing the process of enabling automatic security updates in Ubuntu Server.