How to Upgrade Umbraco: Upgrades, Migrations and Rebuilds Explained

If you’re running Umbraco 13 or a version of Umbraco that has already reached end-of-life, you may be considering what comes next.

Moving to the latest version of Umbraco isn't always a simple update, and it isn't necessarily the right option for every website. Depending on your current version, the way your site has been built and what your organisation needs from it in future, the right route could be an upgraded CMS, full website migration or total rebuild.

In this guide, we’ll look at the different options, why you might need to act, and what’s involved in planning and delivering an Umbraco upgrade or wider modernisation project.

What do Umbraco updates involve?

Umbraco updates can range from small patches and minor version changes to major upgrades to your CMS. Depending on the version you’re running, and the scale of the change required, updates can look quite different. A routine patch is very different from moving between major Umbraco versions - and each comes with its own considerations.

Umbraco Patches

Patches are the smallest type of update. They typically address bugs, security issues or other fixes within your existing Umbraco version. Patches generally involve less disruption than a major version upgrade, but they still need to be applied and tested appropriately.

Minor Umbraco updates

Minor updates introduce changes within the same major version of Umbraco. These may include new functionality, improvements and bug fixes while generally maintaining compatibility with the existing version.

While they tend to be more straightforward than major upgrades, your site’s packages, integrations and custom code all need to be considered before making changes.

Major version changes

Moving between Umbraco versions is a more significant undertaking. Changes between versions can affect the way your site, packages, integrations and bespoke functionality work. Because of this, you may need to follow a specific upgrade path rather than simply installing the latest version.

For complex sites, a major upgrade can therefore become a substantial technical project, requiring discovery, compatibility checks, development and thorough testing before anything is deployed to the live website.

Standard- and Long-Term Support – STS vs LTS

Umbraco versions come as either Standard-Term Support releases – also called STS – and Long-Term Support (or LTS). STS versions evolve over time though don’t include backwards compatibility. LTS versions are more stable with longer support periods. This means that if you’re on an STS version, you’ll need to upgrade more often and will need to look at LTS as your next upgrade step.

Testing and Deployment

No matter the size of the update, changes should be tested before they’re introduced to the live site. For a major upgrade, this will usually mean working in a staging or development environment, checking content and functionality, testing integrations and resolving any issues before deployment.

The aim is to make the change while minimising disruption to the website and the people who use it.

Do you need an Umbraco upgrade, migration or rebuild?

If your Umbraco version is approaching or has reached end-of-life, you’ll need to consider how to bring your website onto a supported version.

The right approach depends on your current Umbraco version, how your website has been built, and what you need it to do. In some cases, an upgrade to a newer supported version is appropriate; in others, a migration or rebuild might be more suitable.

Upgrading to a new version of Umbraco

An Umbraco upgrade moves your existing website onto a newer version of Umbraco while retaining its underlying implementation.

This can be the most straightforward option when your current website is fundamentally sound, and Umbraco provides a practical route from your existing version to a supported one.

However, a major version (LTS) upgrade can still involve significant work, particularly where a website relies on custom code, third-party packages or integrations.

Before upgrading, the existing implementation needs to be assessed to identify what will need to change and whether the upgrade can be carried out without rebuilding significant parts of the website.

Umbraco migration

A migration transferring the content, data and functionality that need to be retained from an old version to a brand-new version, while also changing aspects like site structure, URLs and designs.

This could involve moving an existing Umbraco website onto a newly built Umbraco setup while retaining the content, data and functionality you still need, or changing the underlying platform or hosting environment.

Migration may involve rebuilding parts of the website as part of the process. The distinction is that the focus is on moving the website and its important content and functionality onto a different technical foundation, rather than upgrading the existing implementation in place.

Rebuilding

A rebuild means creating the website again on a new technical foundation rather than trying to upgrade the existing codebase.

This may be necessary when the existing Umbraco implementation is too old or technically different from the target version for a straightforward upgrade. It can also be the better option when years of customisations and technical debt have made the existing implementation difficult to maintain or develop.

A rebuild can involve recreating templates, functionality and integrations, while migrating the content that still needs to be retained. It therefore gives you the opportunity to address problems with the existing implementation rather than carrying them into the new website.

At a glance

Which Umbraco update route is right for your website?

Being on an old or unsupported Umbraco version tells you that something needs to change, but it doesn’t determine what that change should be.

An upgrade may be appropriate if the existing implementation is still fit for purpose and there is a viable route to a supported version. A migration or rebuild may be more appropriate if the underlying technology, architecture or functionality makes upgrading impractical.

The decision should start with understanding what you have now and how you need the website to function going forward, rather than simply choosing the newest version of Umbraco. An Umbraco agency can assess your existing website can establish what can be retained, what needs to change and which route represents the most sensible investment for the future.

Why upgrade Umbraco?

If your website is still working as expected, leaving it on its current Umbraco version can seem like the lowest-cost and least disruptive option. However, once that version reaches end-of-life, the risks of leaving it untouched begin to increase.

Security and support

Once an Umbraco version reaches end-of-life, it no longer receives standard security updates, fixes or support from Umbraco. That means newly discovered vulnerabilities will not be addressed within the old version and your website will be more exposed to evolving security threats.

An unsupported CMS can also make it harder to resolve issues when something goes wrong as the version is no longer maintained.

Performance and compatibility

Older versions of Umbraco can limit how well the website works with newer platforms, tools and integrations. Moving to a supported version gives your website access to a more modern technical foundation, which can bring improvements in performance, compatibility and scalability.

New features and capabilities

Upgrading can also give your team access to improvements that aren’t available on an older version of Umbraco. This might include improvements to the content editing experience, new functionality, better integration with modern technologies or capabilities that make it easier to develop and maintain the website over time.

Avoiding growing technical debt

Older custom code, dependencies and integrations may become increasingly difficult to support, while developers have to work around limitations in the underlying platform. Eventually, keeping the existing website running may become more complicated and costly than addressing the underlying problem.

Umbraco updates aren't just about accessing the latest features. They help keep your website on a supported, secure and maintainable technical foundation that can continue to evolve with your organisation's requirements.

Regular, incremental updates can make future upgrades more manageable. Keeping your CMS version relatively up to date reduces the size of the jump between versions, helping to avoid a larger and potentially more complex upgrade project later on.

If your current version is approaching end-of-life, it’s worth assessing your options before support ends. I-Finity can review your existing implementation, identify the available upgrade routes and help you understand the risks, scope and likely next steps before you commit to a project.

Which Umbraco versions are currently supported?

Umbraco follows a defined release and support cycle, with different versions receiving support for different lengths of time. Knowing which version your website is running is therefore an important first step in understanding whether you need to act.

As of September 2026, the supported Umbraco CMS versions are:

Umbraco 17 is the current Long-Term Support release, with standard support running until November 2028.

If your website is running on a version that has already reached EOL (such as versions 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 and 16), Umbraco no longer provides standard security updates and support to your site.

End-of-life does not automatically mean your website needs to be rebuilt. The version you’re using, the condition of your existing implementation and the upgrade paths available will determine the appropriate route. Depending on those circumstances, you may be able to upgrade or migrate your existing site.

For a full breakdown of Umbraco versions, support phases, and EOL dates, see I-Finity’s Umbraco Versions and the Support Timeframe page.

How to upgrade Umbraco to the latest version

Upgrading Umbraco isn’t a simple case of downloading the latest version and switching it on. The process depends on the version your website is currently running, the way it has been built and the dependencies and integrations it relies on.

For some websites, the upgrade path between versions is relatively straightforward. For others, differences in the technology mean that significant development work, or even a rebuild, is required.

Start by assessing your current website

It’s important to have your current website assessed before deciding how to update Umbraco. An Umbraco agency can review your implementation to understand what you’re working with. his typically includes assessing your current Umbraco version and the website’s dependencies, including:

• Custom code and functionality

• Packages and dependencies

• Integrations and external systems

• Hosting environment and technical structure

• Content, data and backups

The outcome of this assessment should establish whether there is a viable upgrade path and what work will be required along the way.

Plan the upgrade path

The newest release isn’t automatically the right choice, so you need to choose your target version carefully. Support lifespan, your existing technology stack, project requirements and future plans all need to be considered.

Depending on your starting version, reaching the target version may involve more than one upgrade stage. Umbraco's supported upgrade routes can require you to move via an intermediate Long-Term Support (LTS) version rather than jumping directly from an older implementation to your chosen target.

The exact route depends on where you're starting, the version you're moving to and the technology your website relies on.

For significantly older versions of Umbraco, there may not be a straightforward in-place upgrade to your target version. You may instead need to migrate content and data while reimplementing parts of the website. At that point, it may also be worth assessing whether a wider rebuild provides better long-term value.

Test before going live

An Umbraco upgrade should be thoroughly tested before it reaches the live website.

Testing needs to cover the functionality that matters to your organisation, including:

• Templates

• Forms

• Integrations

• Content editing

• Responsive behaviour

• Bespoke features

It should also identify issues caused by changes to the underlying Umbraco version or supporting technology.

Deploy the upgraded website

Testing in a separate environment gives your development team the opportunity to identify and resolve problems without disrupting the live website. Once the upgraded implementation has been tested and signed off, it can be deployed to the live environment.

The launch should be planned carefully, particularly for larger or business-critical websites. This includes agreeing how the deployment will happen, when it will take place and what checks need to be completed afterwards.

How to plan an Umbraco upgrade project

Once the right route has been established, an Umbraco agency can help you scope and plan the project before development begins. A typical upgrade process will involve:

1. Define the scope

The agency will use its assessment of your existing website to establish what needs to change, what can be retained and what may need to be rebuilt or replaced.

2. Set up a development environment

Your agency will create a separate development or staging environment for the upgrade. This allows changes to be made and tested without affecting the live website or its visitors.

3. Plan content and testing

Agree how content changes will be managed during development. For larger sites, this could mean setting a content freeze or establishing a process for transferring changes made to the live site.

4. Plan the launch

Before going live, agree the deployment process, timing and responsibilities including, when the site can be taken offline, what needs to be checked after deployment and who will respond if something goes wrong.

Have a clear recovery or rollback plan in place before launch, particularly if the website is business-critical.

Planning your Umbraco upgrade, migration or rebuild

If your Umbraco website is approaching end-of-life, or you're finding it increasingly difficult to maintain, the first step is understanding what you have and what the website needs to do in the future.

An assessment of your current implementation can help establish whether an upgrade is viable, or whether a migration or rebuild would provide a better long-term solution. It can also identify the technical work, risks and investment involved before development begins.

At I-Finity, we can assess your existing Umbraco website and help you determine the most appropriate route forward, whether that's an upgrade, migration or rebuild.

Speak to our expert team about your Umbraco project.