Proxmox VE Version History and Upgrade Paths (Updated for 9.2)

This is a reference page that gets updated as new Proxmox VE versions ship, rather than a one-time article. If you're trying to figure out what version you're on, what's changed since, or how to get from an old install to current, it should save you digging through changelogs across multiple releases.

Version history at a glance

Within the current 9.x line, 9.0 was the initial Debian 13 release. 9.1 added OCI image support for LXC containers, virtual TPM state stored in qcow2 (which lets you snapshot VMs with TPM-backed Windows guests, including on NFS/CIFS storage), and a mobile UI refresh with OpenID Connect login support. 9.2 continued with kernel updates (kernel 6.17) and further ZFS and SDN refinements. Point releases (9.2.1, 9.2.2, 9.2.3, etc.) are patch-level fixes and don't require the full upgrade procedure below; a standard apt update && apt dist-upgrade handles those.

The upgrade rule that matters most

Proxmox VE does not support skipping major versions. You cannot go from 7.x directly to 9.x. Instead you upgrade 7 to 8, confirm it's stable, then upgrade 8 to 9 as a separate step. Each major version has its own dedicated compatibility-check tool (pve7to8, pve8to9, and so on for future releases), and running the wrong one, or skipping it entirely, is the single most common cause of a broken major-version upgrade reported in the community.

A real 8-to-9 upgrade sequence

Based on how successful upgrades have been described in practice, the sequence looks like this:

1. Back up everything first, both VM/CT backups and the host configuration itself (see our guide on backing up the Proxmox host for what to include beyond just the guests).
2. Run the version-specific check tool first (e.g., pve8to9 --full) and read its output carefully. It flags deprecated configuration, incompatible packages, and storage issues before you touch anything.
3. Update repository sources to point at the new release's package repositories.
4. Run apt update && apt dist-upgrade.
5. Reboot into the new kernel.
6. Watch for delayed issues as well as immediate ones. Some upgrades look clean on the first reboot and then develop problems days later. Network driver issues and NIC compatibility problems on newer kernels are a recurring pattern, so check for them specifically in the days after a major upgrade and not only in the first hour.

Known rough edges by version (updated as reported)

• Kernel 6.17 (shipped with 9.1/9.2): there are reports of machine check errors on certain Dell PowerEdge servers, and NVIDIA vGPU drivers were not yet compatible with this kernel at the time of writing. The DRBD kernel module has also been reported as failing to build against 6.17 without manual intervention.
• AppArmor + runc on Debian 13: in a recurring issue, Docker inside unprivileged LXC containers breaks due to AppArmor restrictions. 9.1 relaxed some of these restrictions specifically to address it for unprivileged containers, but if you run Docker-in-LXC, check your specific setup after upgrading.
• NVIDIA driver lag: as with most kernel bumps, NVIDIA driver compatibility tends to trail the newest supported kernel by weeks to months. If your homelab depends on NVIDIA passthrough or transcoding, confirm driver support for your specific card and kernel combination before upgrading a production system, and pin the previous kernel in the meantime if needed.

If you're still on an old version

This is more common than the community's "always stay current" advice might suggest. Small businesses and homelabs running Proxmox VE 5.x or 6.x installs that have never been touched since setup show up again and again in support threads. If that's you, don't try to jump straight to 9.x. Work through the major versions in order (5 to 6 to 7 to 8 to 9), backing up and verifying stability at each step. If the box is disposable and you have current backups of everything that matters, consider a clean reinstall on current Proxmox VE instead, which is often faster and less risky than four sequential major-version upgrades on an old, possibly already quirky install.

Related reading

For the install process itself, see our Proxmox VE install guide. For post-install automation, see the Proxmox helper scripts hub.