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To update Angular safely, check your project’s current version with ng version, review available updates with ng update, and use Angular’s interactive Update Guide to choose instructions for your exact starting version, target version, and project setup. If you are crossing multiple major versions, update one major at a time and follow the guide at each step.
Before you update Angular
Run the following commands from your Angular project directory:
ng version— records the installed Angular and CLI versions.ng update— lists updates the CLI identifies as available for the project.
Check your repository state before changing dependencies, and make sure you have a recovery path consistent with your team’s source-control practices. The CLI’s allow-dirty option defaults to false. Its create-commits option can create commits during an update, but neither option replaces a deliberate backup or review process. See Angular’s CLI reference.
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Choose the right update instructions
Open Angular’s interactive Update Guide and select the project’s actual current version and intended target version. Choose the application complexity that best fits your project—Basic, Medium, or Advanced—and indicate relevant options such as Angular Material, ngUpgrade, or Windows. The generated instructions depend on those choices, so review the manual changes and troubleshooting notes for the selected path.
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For a simple update, Angular says the CLI may be enough. A major-version update can involve migrations, refactoring, tests, or learning changed APIs; use the guide rather than assuming a package command covers every required change. Angular’s versioning and release policy describes major releases as potentially requiring developer assistance.
Run the update
For a basic update
To update the core framework and CLI to the current stable versions identified by the CLI, Angular’s keeping-up-to-date instructions give this command:
ng update @angular/cli @angular/core
Check the CLI’s available-update output and the Update Guide before running it; the correct target depends on your project’s current version and intended destination. The command is a general pattern, not a guarantee that every project can move directly to the latest major.
For a specific major version
When targeting a particular major, use the package syntax documented by the CLI, for example:
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ng update @angular/cli@^<major> @angular/core@^<major>
Replace <major> with the intended major version. Angular recommends selecting the latest patch in that major because it includes fixes released after the initial major release. Check the guide for the source-to-target path before applying the command.
When the target is several major versions ahead
Do not jump across multiple major versions in one update. Angular’s supported path is to move one major at a time, consulting the Update Guide for each transition. For example, a project moving from version 10 to 12 should follow the 10-to-11 instructions, complete that update, then follow the 11-to-12 instructions.
Angular versions use major.minor.patch numbering. Major releases can include breaking changes; minor releases are backward-compatible; patches are low-risk bug-fix releases. Angular says major releases are typically supported for 24 months, with 12 months of Active support followed by 12 months of Long-Term Support. Support status changes over time, so check Angular’s live release table when selecting a destination. The page currently identifies versions 2 through 19 as unsupported; do not treat an old version as supported simply because the CLI can identify an update.
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Angular updates are not limited to the framework packages. Use ng update to check libraries in the project, then review each library’s compatibility requirements and peer dependencies. Packages may depend on one another, so update them in the order required by their maintainers or by the Update Guide. Angular explains this approach in its library guidance.
Pay particular attention to Angular Material and ngUpgrade if either is part of the application; select those options in the guide so its instructions match your setup. A third-party library that does not support the target Angular version can block a clean upgrade even when the core framework packages update successfully.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Finish the migration and verify the application
- Apply the CLI-generated migrations and any manual changes listed for the selected version path.
- Build the project and run its relevant automated tests.
- Investigate compilation errors, failing tests, and dependency conflicts before proceeding to another major version.
The exact test plan depends on the application; Angular’s release guidance notes that a major update may require additional tests and refactoring, but does not prescribe a universal checklist.
Quick Recap
Common update problems to avoid
- Skipping intermediate majors: follow each supported major-to-major transition in sequence rather than trying to leap ahead.
- Choosing instructions for the wrong project: verify the source version and select the applicable complexity and options in the Update Guide.
- Ignoring a library conflict: check peer dependencies and package interdependencies instead of treating an Angular-only update as the whole migration.
- Using
--forceas a routine fix: the CLI option ignores peer-dependency mismatches; it does not make incompatible packages compatible. Resolve or deliberately assess the conflict before proceeding.
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