Windows
Linux
Package Management
Windows Windows Update equivalent in Linux
Downloads and installs updates for the OS and all installed packages.
Windows
→
Windows Update
Linux equivalents
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
sudo dnf upgrade --refresh
sudo pacman -Syu
Overview
What this command does
Downloads and installs updates for the OS and all installed packages.
Migration tip:
apt update refreshes the list of available packages — it doesn't install anything yet. apt upgrade then downloads and installs the actual updates.Practical tasks
Common use cases
Update the system and all software
Downloads and installs updates for the OS and all installed packages.
apt update
Refresh package list from repositories
apt upgrade
Install available updates
apt full-upgrade
Upgrade, allow removing old packages
Ready to run
Copyable Linux commands
Review paths, device names, package names and permissions before running any command.
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
apt list --upgradable
Walkthrough
Examples with explanations
# Windows: Windows Update (GUI)
# The classic two-step update:
sudo apt update # step 1: refresh package list
sudo apt upgrade # step 2: install updates
# Do both in one line:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
# Check what would be updated:
apt list --upgradableReference
Common options and variations
| Command or option | Use |
|---|---|
apt update | Refresh package list from repositories |
apt upgrade | Install available updates |
apt full-upgrade | Upgrade, allow removing old packages |
apt dist-upgrade | Same as full-upgrade |
apt list --upgradable | See what can be updated |
Distro differences
Debian/Ubuntu vs Fedora vs Arch
This workflow changes mostly by Linux distribution package manager: Debian/Ubuntu uses apt, Fedora uses dnf, and Arch uses pacman.
| Distribution | Package manager / base | Equivalent command | Difference to notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian/Ubuntu | apt | sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade |
apt update refreshes metadata; apt upgrade installs available upgrades. |
| Fedora | dnf | sudo dnf upgrade --refresh |
Refreshes metadata and upgrades installed RPM packages. |
| Arch | pacman | sudo pacman -Syu |
Full system upgrade; on Arch, avoid partial upgrades. |
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