---
layout: docs
page_title: Upgrade instructions
description: >-
  Specific versions of Consul may have additional information about the upgrade
  process beyond the standard flow.
---

# Upgrade instructions

This page describes the process to update the version of Consul that runs in your datacenter.

## General upgrade path

If you are not running a Consul Enterprise
[Long Term Support](/consul/docs/upgrade/lts)
release, each upgrade should jump at most 2 major versions, except where
[dedicated instructions](#dedicated-instructions-for-specific-upgrade-paths)
are provided for a larger jump between specific versions.
If your upgrade path has no applicable [dedicated instructions](#dedicated-instructions-for-specific-upgrade-paths),
review the [version-specific upgrade details](/consul/docs/upgrade/version-specific)
to plan your upgrade, starting from the next version and working
upwards to your target version.

For example, to upgrade from Consul 1.12 to Consul 1.15:

1. Upgrade to Consul 1.14 as an intermediate step.
   To plan, review the upgrade details for
   [1.13](/consul/docs/upgrading/upgrade-specific#consul-1-13-x) and
   [1.14](/consul/docs/upgrading/upgrade-specific#consul-1-14-x).
1. Upgrade to Consul 1.15.
   To plan, review the upgrade details for
   [1.15](/consul/docs/upgrading/upgrade-specific#consul-1-15-x).

## Long Term Support releases

Consul Enterprise [Long Term Support (LTS)](/consul/docs/upgrade/lts)
releases allow jumping at most 3 major versions by upgrading from one LTS release to the next.
Review the [version-specific upgrade details](/consul/docs/upgrade/version-specific)
to plan your upgrade, starting from the next major version and working upwards to your target version.

## Dedicated instructions for specific upgrade paths

The following table provides links to dedicated instructions
for directly upgrading from a version in the starting range
to a destination version.

| Starting Version Range | Destination Version | Upgrade Instructions |
| ---------------------- | ------------------- | -------------------- |
| 1.8.0 - 1.9.17         | 1.10.12             | Refer to [upgrading to latest 1.10.x](/consul/docs/upgrade/instructions/upgrade-to-1-10-x) |
| 1.6.9 - 1.8.18         | 1.8.19              | Refer to [upgrading to latest 1.8.x](/consul/docs/upgrade/instructions/upgrade-to-1-8-x) |
| 1.2.4 - 1.6.9          | 1.6.10              | Refer to [upgrading to latest 1.6.x](/consul/docs/upgrade/instructions/upgrade-to-1-6-x) |
| 0.8.5 - 1.2.3          | 1.2.4               | Refer to [upgrading to latest 1.2.x](/consul/docs/upgrade/instructions/upgrade-to-1-2-x) |

For example, to upgrade from Consul 1.3.1 to latest 1.12:
1. Upgrade to Consul 1.6.10 using the dedicated instructions.
1. Upgrade to Consul 1.8.19 using the dedicated instructions.
1. Upgrade to Consul 1.10.12 using the dedicated instructions.
1. Upgrade to latest Consul 1.12.x after consulting the
   [version-specific upgrade details](/consul/docs/upgrade/version-specific)
   for 1.11 and 1.12.
