Type: FAQ
Category: Umbraco CMS > Versions & Upgrades
Tags: upgrade, major upgrade, upgrade path, latest version, newest release, minor upgrade, patch upgrade, LTS, release comparison, v13 to v17, Umbraco Cloud deployment

Product: Umbraco CMS, Umbraco Cloud
Version: All supported versions

Yes. Get your project onto the newest release of the version you're on now, then start the major upgrade.

But once you've started the major upgrade, you don't have to worry about new releases of your old version. You usually don't need them, and you don't have to start over.

Scope: This article is about which version to start from, and what to do if a new release of your old version comes out while you're still upgrading. It doesn't explain how to do the upgrade. For that, see Major Upgrades.

Why you should start from the newest release

Some releases change your database, not just the code. If you skip a release, your database misses that change.

A major upgrade also changes your database. It works best when your database is already up to date. If you start from an older release, the upgrade has more to do at once. And if something goes wrong, it's harder to see which release caused it.

That's why the upgrade guide asks you to be on "the latest version of your current Umbraco CMS installation" before you start.

What if a new release comes out while you're upgrading?

This happens a lot, because major upgrades take time. You upgrade your left-most environment, test it for a few days or weeks, and meanwhile a new release of your old version arrives.

You don't need to stop and pick it up. But it's worth a quick check first.

How to check if you need it

Open the Umbraco release comparison tool.
Set From version to the release you're on. Set To version to the new release.
Look at what it lists.

Then decide:

What you see	What to do
No breaking changes. Only small fixes or updated dependencies.	Skip it. Carry on with your major upgrade.
A security fix.	Take it, or check that the same fix is already in the version you're upgrading to.
Breaking changes, or anything that changes the database.	Install it before you continue.

Example: compare v13.15.1 with v13.16.0 and you'll see no new features, no breaking changes, and one updated dependency. None of that affects an upgrade to a newer version, so you can skip it.

Not sure what you're looking at? Ask us before you skip anything. Tell us the version you're on, the version you're moving to, and the release you're thinking of skipping.

Why you can't go back on Umbraco Cloud

Umbraco Cloud deploys from left to right. So once your left-most environment is on the new version, you can't push an older version behind it. That's normal and expected.

Finish the major upgrade, check that everything works, and then go back to your usual minor and patch upgrades on the new version.

Two rules that sound similar

These are easy to mix up:

Get on the newest release of your current version first. For example, move from 13.13.1 to the newest 13 before you go to a newer version.
Check for an LTS version in between. If there's a Long-Term Supported (LTS) version between you and the version you want, upgrade to that one first.

See Major Upgrades for the upgrade paths, and Long-term support and End-of-Life to see which versions are LTS.

Do I need to upgrade to the latest release of my current major version before a major upgrade?