Proxmox VE Version History and Upgrade Paths

This is a reference page, not a one-time article — it gets updated as new Proxmox VE versions ship. 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, this is meant to save you digging through changelogs across multiple releases.

Version History at a Glance

Within the current 9.x line specifically: 9.0 was the initial Debian 13 release, 9.1 added OCI image support for LXC containers, virtual TPM state stored in qcow2 (letting 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 — you upgrade 7→8, confirm it's stable, then upgrade 8→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 actually 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, not just 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 worth specifically checking for in the days after a major upgrade, not just in the first hour.

Known Rough Edges by Version (Updated as Reported)

• Kernel 6.17 (shipped with 9.1/9.2): Reports of machine check errors on certain Dell PowerEdge servers, and NVIDIA vGPU drivers not yet compatible with this kernel at 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: A recurring issue where 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 it's worth checking your specific setup after upgrading if you run Docker-in-LXC.
• 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, it's worth confirming driver support for your specific card and kernel combination before upgrading a production system, and pinning the previous kernel in the meantime if needed.

If You're Still on an Old Version

It's 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 simply never been touched since setup are a recurring pattern in support threads. If that's you, don't attempt to jump straight to 9.x. Work through the major versions in order (5→6→7→8→9), backing up and verifying stability at each step, or — 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.