How to Fix "N: Skipping Acquire of Configured File" Error in Linux

By Emily Watson Jul 10, 2026 6 min read How-To Guides

The "N: Skipping acquire of configured file" message appears as a notice during apt update. While it does not stop the update process, it indicates a configuration issue that should be fixed.

Understanding the Error

This error means that one of your repository files in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ is missing or has an incorrect filename format. APT expects source list files to end with .list extension. Files without this extension are skipped. The error is usually harmless but should be fixed to ensure your repositories work correctly.

Fix 1: Check /etc/apt/sources.list.d

List the files in /etc/apt/sources.list.d with ls -la /etc/apt/sources.list.d/. Look for files that do not have a .list extension. These are the files being skipped. Common incorrect names include files ending in .save, .bak, .distUpgrade, or files with no extension at all.

Fix 2: Rename or Remove Invalid Files

If you find files with incorrect names, rename them to have the .list extension. For example, sudo mv /etc/apt/sources.list.d/oldfile.save /etc/apt/sources.list.d/oldfile.list.bak. If the file is unnecessary, remove it with sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/unnecessary-file. Backup files created during system upgrades are common culprits.

Fix 3: Prevent Future Occurrences

This error often appears after Ubuntu distribution upgrades. Backup files from the upgrade process are left with .distUpgrade suffix. Check for these files after any upgrade and remove or rename them. Regular maintenance of your sources.list.d directory prevents this message from appearing.