Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Support Nearing End: Upgrade or Subscribe to ESM for Updates

In April 2020, Canonical introduced Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Focal Fossa, which is now nearing the end of its mainstream support lifecycle. Canonical is urging users of this version to consider upgrading to a newer version soon.

Ubuntu 20.04 LTS has been supported with mainstream updates for five years, with this period ending in April 2025. Beyond this, an additional five years of extended support is available, concluding in April 2030. However, this extended support is part of the paid subscription for Ubuntu Pro and is not available for free.

For businesses, obtaining this extended support requires a paid subscription to Ubuntu Pro. Personal users, on the other hand, have the benefit of receiving ESM (Extended Security Maintenance) extended support for up to 5 devices at no cost, effectively extending their support period until April 2030.

Canonical has made it clear that the extended security maintenance will strictly end by the specified date in April 2030, with no plans to extend the support timeline as was seen with Microsoft Windows XP, which had its support period extended due to businesses not being prepared to upgrade.

Businesses currently using Ubuntu 20.04 LTS need to plan their upgrade strategies now. Upgrading before April next year is free, but waiting until after April 2025 to upgrade to a newer version will require a paid subscription.

Server security and compliance are critical for enterprise and publicly traded companies. Failing to either subscribe to the ESM plan or upgrade could result in compliance issues.

Canonical strongly recommends all Ubuntu 20.04 LTS users to complete their upgrades by April next year. Failing to do so, without subscribing to the ESM plan, will mean no further security updates will be available.

Personal users interested in subscribing to Ubuntu Pro for free can do so here: https://ubuntu.com/pro/subscribe