How to Restart Network on Ubuntu 26.04

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Whether you have changed network settings or are troubleshooting connectivity issues, knowing how to perform a network restart on Ubuntu 26.04 is essential. This quick reference guide covers all restart methods for both Desktop (NetworkManager) and Server (Netplan) environments, helping you get your network back online quickly.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to restart network using NetworkManager on Ubuntu Desktop
  • How to apply network changes with Netplan on Ubuntu Server
  • GUI and command line restart methods
  • How to verify network connectivity after restart
Abstract visualization of network restart process showing interconnected nodes and data flow patterns representing Ubuntu 26.04 network connectivity
Restarting network services on Ubuntu 26.04 restores connectivity and applies configuration changes

Software Requirements

Software Requirements and Linux Command Line Conventions
Category Requirements, Conventions or Software Version Used
System Ubuntu 26.04 Resolute Raccoon
Software NetworkManager (Desktop), Netplan (Server)
Other Privileged access to your Linux system as root or via the sudo command.
Conventions # – requires given linux commands to be executed with root privileges either directly as a root user or by use of sudo command
$ – requires given linux commands to be executed as a regular non-privileged user
TL;DR
Restart network on Ubuntu 26.04 using the appropriate method for your environment.

Quick Network Restart Commands
Environment Command
Desktop (NetworkManager) sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager
Server (Netplan) sudo netplan apply
Single interface restart nmcli connection down "name" && nmcli connection up "name"

Network Restart on Ubuntu 26.04 Desktop

Ubuntu Desktop uses NetworkManager to handle network connections. You can restart the network using either the GUI or command line.

GUI Method

The quickest way to restart a network connection on Ubuntu Desktop is through the system tray:

  1. Open Network Settings: Click the network icon in the top-right system tray, then select the connection name or click “Wired Settings” / “Wi-Fi Settings”.
  2. Toggle the connection: Click the toggle switch to turn the connection off, wait a few seconds, then toggle it back on.

    Ubuntu 26.04 Network Settings window showing Wired connection toggle switch in the on position with green arrow indicator
    Use the toggle switch to turn the network connection off and on to restart it

Command Line Methods

For command line control, NetworkManager provides several options to restart services and connections.

Restart NetworkManager Service

This restarts all network connections managed by NetworkManager:

$ sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager

Restart a Specific Connection

To restart only one connection without affecting others, first list your connections:

$ nmcli connection show
NAME           UUID                                  TYPE      DEVICE 
netplan-ens18  64002eca-9493-3b7e-be64-07db9f81dd8b  ethernet  ens18  
lo             c3abf166-02b3-4c60-8815-f093fd88dc79  loopback  lo

Then bring the connection down and up using the connection name:

$ nmcli connection down "netplan-ens18" && nmcli connection up "netplan-ens18"

IMPORTANT
When connected via SSH, restarting the network will disconnect your session. Consider using screen or tmux to maintain your session, or ensure you have physical or console access.

Terminal output showing nmcli commands to restart netplan-ens18 network connection on Ubuntu 26.04
Using nmcli to deactivate and reactivate a specific network connection

Network Restart on Ubuntu 26.04 Server

Ubuntu Server uses Netplan as the default network configuration tool. Unlike NetworkManager, Netplan works by generating backend configurations and applying them.

Apply Netplan Changes

After modifying network configuration files in /etc/netplan/, apply the changes with:

$ sudo netplan apply

This command reads your YAML configuration files, generates the appropriate backend configuration, and applies the new settings without requiring a full system restart.

Test Configuration Before Applying

To validate your configuration and test changes with automatic rollback:

$ sudo netplan try

This applies the configuration temporarily. If you do not confirm within 120 seconds (or press Enter to accept), the previous configuration is automatically restored. This is particularly useful when making changes over SSH.

Debug Configuration Issues

If you encounter problems, generate and review the configuration without applying:

$ sudo netplan generate

This validates the YAML syntax and shows any errors without making changes to the system.

Verify Network Status

After restarting the network, verify that your connection is working properly.

Check IP Address Assignment

Verify your interface has the expected IP address:

$ ip a
2: ens18: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc fq_codel state UP group default qlen 1000
    link/ether bc:24:11:c4:1f:d8 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
    inet 172.16.1.165/24 brd 172.16.1.255 scope global dynamic noprefixroute ens18

Test Connectivity

Ping an external host to confirm network connectivity:

$ ping -c 3 8.8.8.8

Test DNS resolution:

$ ping -c 3 google.com

Check NetworkManager Status (Desktop)

View the current state of NetworkManager and connections:

$ nmcli general status
$ nmcli connection show --active
Terminal showing network verification commands including ip a, nmcli general status, nmcli connection show, and ping test on Ubuntu 26.04
Confirming network status with ip a, nmcli, and ping commands after restart

Conclusion

Restarting the network on Ubuntu 26.04 depends on your environment. Desktop systems use NetworkManager with systemctl restart NetworkManager or nmcli for granular control. Server systems use Netplan with netplan apply to implement configuration changes. Always verify connectivity after a network restart, and use netplan try when making remote changes to avoid lockouts. For more comprehensive network configuration from the command line, refer to our detailed guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is the difference between NetworkManager and Netplan? NetworkManager is a service that actively manages network connections and is used on Ubuntu Desktop. Netplan is a configuration utility that generates backend configurations from YAML files and is the default on Ubuntu Server. Desktop installations may use both, with Netplan generating NetworkManager configurations.
  2. Will restarting the network disconnect my SSH session? Yes, restarting the network service or applying new configurations will interrupt active connections. Use netplan try on servers for automatic rollback if you lose connectivity, or use screen/tmux to maintain your session.
  3. How do I restart network without restarting other services? Use nmcli connection down "connection-name" && nmcli connection up "connection-name" to restart only a specific connection. This leaves other network connections and services like Docker unaffected.
  4. Why does netplan apply not restart my network? The netplan apply command applies configuration changes but does not restart connections that have not changed. If your configuration files have not been modified, running apply has no effect. Verify your YAML files are correctly formatted and saved.

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