Home Assistant releases a new major version (2026.10.0, 2026.11.0, …) every month, followed by patch releases (.1, .2…). Each monthly release can include integration changes that affect your setup.
1. Read “Backward-incompatible changes”
Every monthly release notes post has a section listing breaking changes per integration. Search it for the integrations you actually use. Also check any HACS custom integrations. They’re outside Home Assistant’s release process and often need their own update after a core release.
2. Take a backup and store it off the box
On Home Assistant OS, create a backup from Settings → System → Backups (docs). When updating Core or apps (add-ons) from the Updates page, you can also choose to create a backup first. Copy backups off the device: a backup on the same SD card or SSD that just died isn’t a backup.
On a container install, back up your config directory and pin the image tag, e.g. ghcr.io/home-assistant/home-assistant:2026.10.2, so rolling back is just changing a tag. See configuration docs for where config lives.
3. Consider the “.1 rule”
Many users wait for the first patch release (x.y.1) before updating. Patch releases usually fix regressions reported in the first days. If a feature or security fix matters to you, update sooner, but read the notes first.
4. After updating
Check Settings → System → Repairs and the logs for errors, test your most important automations, and confirm integrations loaded.
Checklist
- Breaking changes read for integrations you use
- HACS integrations checked
- Backup created and copied off the device
- Repairs and logs reviewed after the update