How to upgrade GNOME in Ubuntu 20.04?

I'm currently using Ubuntu 20.04 LTS with Gnome 3.36.8. But I like the new GNOME 40 look. I've been using this system for almost 2 years, and I've many programs installed here and everything set up the way I want to. So, is there a way to upgrade my GNOME to the new version? Thank you.

2 Answers

Unless you can compile Gnome 40 yourself to run on Ubuntu 20.04, you cannot currently install Gnome 40 on Ubuntu LTS because no PPA exists for this. There is, however, a PPA that allows to install Gnome 40 on the latest Ubuntu 21.04. So if you want Gnome 40, move to Ubuntu 21.04 first.

It is possible to install GNOME 40 on Ubuntu 20.04. I followed these steps and they worked for me.

Note: All packages are still in the experimental phase. Installing the repositories mentioned below may break your system.

Instructions:

1. Install the devacom/gnome-40 and devacom/x11 repositories to fix gnome-shell dependencies:

   sudo add-apt-repository ppa:devacom/gnome-40
   sudo add-apt-repository ppa:devacom/x11
   sudo apt-get update

2. Install gnome-shell before the upgrade (fix desktop will not load):

   sudo apt install ubuntu-desktop

   • You may also want to install the Applications Menu or ArcMenu extensions using your browser.

3. Upgrade your system:

   sudo apt upgrade

4. Reboot your system and enjoy.