How to Check Your Linux Version

Do you want to find out what version of Linux you have? Whether you're setting up a new Linux machine or just curious about the version you have, it's easy to learn how to check your Linux version.

In this article, we'll look at several methods for checking the version of Linux you have installed. We'll also discuss some of the most popular Linux distributions, so you can figure out which one you're using.

How to Check the Version of Linux You Have

There are several ways to check the version of Linux you have. The first is to open the terminal and type in the command:

cat /etc/os-release

This command will print out the version of your Linux distribution. For example, if you're using Ubuntu, you'll see something like this:

NAME="Ubuntu"
VERSION="20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa)"
ID=ubuntu
ID_LIKE=debian
PRETTY_NAME="Ubuntu 20.04 LTS"
VERSION_CODENAME=focal

In this case, you can see that you're running Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.

If you're using a different Linux distribution, the output will be different. For example, if you're running Fedora, you'll see something like this:

NAME="Fedora"
VERSION="31 (Workstation Edition)"
ID=fedora
VERSION_ID=31
PLATFORM_ID="platform:f31"
PRETTY_NAME="Fedora 31 (Workstation Edition)"
ANSI_COLOR="0;34"
CPE_NAME="cpe:/o:fedoraproject:fedora:31"
HOME_URL="https://fedoraproject.org/"
SUPPORT_URL="https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Communicating_and_getting_help"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://bugzilla.redhat.com/" 

In this case, you can see that you're running Fedora 31 (Workstation Edition).

Now that you know how to check the version of Linux you have