Stay organized with collections
Save and categorize content based on your preferences.
This document provides an overview of the end of support (EOS) process for Ubuntu
LTS operating systems running on Google Cloud.
EOS versions
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (Focal): EOS on May 31, 2025.
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Bionic): EOS on May 31, 2023.
Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (Xenial): EOS on April 30, 2021.
How will this EOS impact my existing virtual machine (VM) instances
Your current VMs that are running the EOS versions are not affected. After
the EOS date, you can still start or stop your existing VMs that are using these
images.
However, your projects might be at risk because you are running
a version of Ubuntu that is no longer receiving security updates.
What do I need to know
After this date, the following changes take effect:
EOS Ubuntu versions are still available but are marked as deprecated.
For your existing VMs, limited technical support is available through Google Cloud.
If you need to create VMs that use any of these EOS versions after
the EOS date, make copies of the images
that are available in your projects.
Evaluate and move your Compute Engine VMs to either Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
or Ubuntu 24.04 LTS before the EOS date. In-place upgrades of
cloud images from LTS to LTS are supported by Canonical.
For more information, see the Canonical upgrade documentation.
Additional information
To ensure continued support for your EOS Ubuntu LTS VMs on Compute Engine,
consider the following options:
Get Extended Security Maintenance with an Ubuntu Advantage subscription from Canonical.
Extended Security Maintenance (ESM) is provided to Ubuntu VMs that have an
attached
Ubuntu Advantage (UA)
subscription. Canonical ESM for Ubuntu LTS provides at least three additional
years of security patches.
ESM with Ubuntu Pro
Google and Canonical are working together to simplify ESM enrollment for
continuity of security coverage with Ubuntu Pro
on Compute Engine. This will ensure that you don't have to upgrade to
newer Ubuntu versions immediately.
Ubuntu Pro is a premium image that is now available
on Compute Engine. Premium images incur additional license fees to run on
Compute Engine. Upgrading to Ubuntu Pro enables ESM for new Ubuntu
Pro LTS VMs with hourly billing as an alternative to an annual UA
subscription. For information about how to upgrade to Ubuntu Pro, see Upgrade
from Ubuntu to Ubuntu Pro.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-29 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eUbuntu 18.04 LTS and 16.04 LTS have reached their end of support (EOS) on May 31, 2023, and April 30, 2021, respectively, meaning they no longer receive security updates.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eExisting virtual machines (VMs) running EOS Ubuntu versions remain operational, but using these versions poses security risks.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eAfter the EOS date, these versions are deprecated but still available, and limited technical support is provided through Google Cloud.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eUsers can maintain security by upgrading to Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or 22.04 LTS, or by enrolling in Extended Security Maintenance (ESM) via an Ubuntu Advantage subscription or Ubuntu Pro.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eTo use EOS Ubuntu versions for creating new VMs after the EOS date, users must make copies of the available images within their projects.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# Ubuntu LTS end of support\n\n*** ** * ** ***\n\nThis document provides an overview of the end of support (EOS) process for Ubuntu\nLTS operating systems running on Google Cloud.\n\nEOS versions\n------------\n\n- Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (Focal): EOS on **May 31, 2025**.\n- Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Bionic): EOS on **May 31, 2023**.\n- Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (Xenial): EOS on **April 30, 2021**.\n\nHow will this EOS impact my existing virtual machine (VM) instances\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nYour current VMs that are running the EOS versions are not affected. After\nthe EOS date, you can still start or stop your existing VMs that are using these\nimages.\n\nHowever, your projects might be at risk because you are running\na version of Ubuntu that is no longer receiving security updates.\n\nWhat do I need to know\n----------------------\n\nAfter this date, the following changes take effect:\n\n- EOS Ubuntu versions are still available but are marked as deprecated.\n- For your existing VMs, limited technical support is available through Google Cloud.\n\nWhat do I need to do\n--------------------\n\n1. Review the [lifecycle stage](/compute/docs/images/os-image-lifecycle#lifecycle-stages) documentation.\n2. If you need to create VMs that use any of these EOS versions after the EOS date, [make copies of the images](/compute/docs/images/create-custom) that are available in your projects.\n3. Evaluate and move your Compute Engine VMs to either Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or Ubuntu 24.04 LTS before the EOS date. In-place upgrades of cloud images from LTS to LTS are supported by Canonical. For more information, see the [Canonical upgrade documentation](https://ubuntu.com/server/docs/upgrade-introduction).\n\nAdditional information\n----------------------\n\nTo ensure continued support for your EOS Ubuntu LTS VMs on Compute Engine,\nconsider the following options:\n\n- Get Extended Security Maintenance with an Ubuntu Advantage subscription from Canonical.\n\n Extended Security Maintenance (ESM) is provided to Ubuntu VMs that have an\n attached\n [Ubuntu Advantage (UA)](https://ubuntu.com/advantage?utm_source=gcp&utm_medium=email&utm_content=pc-esm)\n subscription. Canonical ESM for Ubuntu LTS provides at least three additional\n years of security patches.\n- ESM with Ubuntu Pro\n\n Google and Canonical are working together to simplify ESM enrollment for\n continuity of security coverage with [Ubuntu Pro](https://ubuntu.com/gcp/pro)\n on Compute Engine. This will ensure that you don't have to upgrade to\n newer Ubuntu versions immediately.\n\n Ubuntu Pro is a premium image that is now [available](/compute/docs/images/os-details#ubuntu_pro)\n on Compute Engine. Premium images incur additional license fees to run on\n Compute Engine. Upgrading to Ubuntu Pro enables ESM for new Ubuntu\n Pro LTS VMs with hourly billing as an alternative to an annual UA\n subscription. For information about how to upgrade to Ubuntu Pro, see [Upgrade\n from Ubuntu to Ubuntu Pro](/compute/docs/images/premium/ubuntu-pro/upgrade-from-ubuntu).\n\nWhat's next\n-----------\n\n- Learn more about [images](/compute/docs/images) on Compute Engine.\n- Learn more about the [Ubuntu LTS operating systems](/compute/docs/images/os-details#ubuntu_lts) that are available on Compute Engine."]]
