Configuring unattended-upgrades - which option to select?

Question

Today I upgraded my system by running sudo apt-get update and sudo apt-get upgrade.
At the end of the installation process I am getting asked : What do you want to do about modified configuration file 20auto-upgrades? I don't know which option to select.

Solution

As you can see in your screenshot, Keep the local version currently installed is pre-selected.
This is the best choice for you, because it keeps changes you eventually may have made active.
If you did not change anything, this option automatically keeps and provides standard settings.

You can change the settings later by running : sudo dpkg-reconfigure unattended-upgrades

Example : I disabled automatic updates on my machine to check what will be upgraded before.

If I would select install the package maintainers's version, my setting would get overwritten.

Alternatively you can change your upgrade settings by manually editing the 20auto-upgrades file ... Just open a terminal and execute : sudo nano /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20auto-upgrades.

Note : In case you get an apt notification /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20auto-upgrades.ucf-dist has an invalid file name extension after running apt update, read my answer to this question.

Comments

[Videonauth]

Unless you did by hand changes to the file before just install the package maintainers version.

[Dante]

I didn't change anything. I restored an image file of my system and I made that image file after a fresh installation of Ubuntu. After that I restored that image and upgraded my system to get rid of unnecessary applications.

[Videonauth]

Then you're probably safe to just take the package maintainers version. :)