Sudo Command on Ubuntu 26.04 (2026): Examples + Cheat Sheet

The sudo command lets you run administrative tasks on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and Ubuntu 26.10 without staying logged in as root. These examples use systemctl, apt and safe file operations you will reuse often.

Also see Linux security commands and Top 40 Linux commands.

How to use sudo on Ubuntu

Basic form: sudo command. Ubuntu prompts for your user password, then caches credentials briefly.

sudo -v

Common sudo examples

1. Update and upgrade packages

Refresh indexes and apply upgrades with apt.

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

2. Install a package

Install software from Ubuntu repositories.

sudo apt install curl

3. Remove a package

Remove a package you no longer need.

sudo apt remove package-name

4. Restart a service

Use systemctl on Ubuntu 26.04, not the legacy service command.

sudo systemctl restart ssh
sudo systemctl status ssh

5. Create a directory as root

Useful for paths outside your home.

sudo mkdir -p /opt/myapp
sudo chown $USER:$USER /opt/myapp

6. Change ownership

Fix files created by root that your user should own.

sudo chown $USER:$USER /opt/myapp/config.toml

7. Run as another user

Execute a command as www-data or another account.

sudo -u www-data id

8. Preserve environment selectively

Keep needed variables with care; prefer explicit env passing.

sudo --preserve-env=PATH env | head

9. Edit sudoers safely

Never edit /etc/sudoers with a normal editor.

sudo visudo

10. List allowed privileges

Show rules that apply to your account.

sudo -l

11. Follow auth logs

See recent sudo attempts on Ubuntu.

journalctl -u ssh --no-pager | head
sudo grep sudo /var/log/auth.log | tail

Useful sudo options

Tips and best practices

Prefer full paths when scripts call sudo. Avoid sudo su – for routine tasks; elevate only the command that needs it. After changing sudoers, open a second terminal and verify sudo -l before closing your working session.

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