cPanel Upgrade: How to Update cPanel and WHM to the Latest Version

Updated: 4 November 2026 · Applies to: cPanel & WHM 138 (latest build 138.0.15 in cPanel's change log) on AlmaLinux, CloudLinux and Ubuntu 24.04; root access required; steps from the cPanel documentation

To upgrade cPanel, log in to the server as root and run /usr/local/cpanel/scripts/upcp, or open WHM > Home > cPanel > Upgrade to Latest Version and click Click to Upgrade. Both install the newest build of the release tier your server follows. To move to a newer major version, such as 138, choose a tier that offers it in WHM > Home > Server Configuration > Update Preferences first. An upgrade cannot be undone: according to cPanel, you can't downgrade between major versions or release tiers.

/usr/local/cpanel/cpanel -V           # show the installed version
/usr/local/cpanel/scripts/upcp        # update to the latest build of your tier

Before you upgrade

The update process (upcp) checks for "upgrade blockers" and stops if it finds one. According to cPanel's documentation, check these first:

• Backups. Take a full backup, and if the server is important, try the upgrade on a test copy first, as cPanel recommends.
• A valid licence. upcp blocks all updates if it cannot find or read a valid licence. Refresh it with /usr/local/cpanel/cpkeyclt; see the cPanel licence update command.
• Disk space. At least 5 GB free in /usr/local/cpanel, and no read-only file systems (such as /usr/local, /var or /tmp).
• A supported operating system. Current cPanel versions install on AlmaLinux 8, 9 and 10, CloudLinux 8, 9 and 10, and Ubuntu 24.04. Servers on Ubuntu 22.04 cannot upgrade to version 136 or later, Rocky Linux 8 and 9 cannot upgrade to 134 or later (cPanel says to migrate to AlmaLinux), AlmaLinux and CloudLinux 9 must be on 9.5 or later, and CentOS 7 and CloudLinux 7 stop at version 110.
• Package manager locks. The upgrade to version 136 stops if the package manager is holding a lock, for example while a dnf or apt job is still running.

Choose a release tier

The tier decides which version the server gets. cPanel publishes five:

• LTS: one long-term support version per year (currently 134). Security and critical fixes only, no new features.
• STABLE: has had "considerable public exposure, testing, and verification"; published less often than RELEASE.
• RELEASE: feature-complete and fully tested. New installations use this tier.
• CURRENT: a release candidate; some features may still change.
• EDGE: development builds with only basic testing. cPanel does not recommend it for production servers.

For a production server, use LTS, STABLE or RELEASE. Version numbers with an even major value (134, 136, 138) are production releases; odd ones are development builds on EDGE.

Upgrade cPanel in WHM

1. Log in to WHM as root (https://your-server-ip:2087, the default secure WHM port).
2. Open Server Configuration > Update Preferences, select the release tier and click Save. An icon next to a tier means choosing it would be a downgrade.
3. Open cPanel > Upgrade to Latest Version. WHM shows the installed version in the top right corner.
4. Click Click to Upgrade. Select the force option only if you want to reinstall the current files, for example when some are corrupt.

Upgrade cPanel from the command line

1. Connect over SSH as root and check the current version: /usr/local/cpanel/cpanel -V.
2. Set the tier, if you want a different one, in /etc/cpupdate.conf (or in WHM as above):

   CPANEL=release

   Valid names are edge, current, release, stable and lts. A version number (for example CPANEL=136) pins the server to that version, which cPanel advises against except as a step in an upgrade.
3. Start the upgrade as a background process; its output goes to a log file:

   /usr/local/cpanel/scripts/upcp --bg

4. Check whether it is still running and follow the log:

   /usr/local/cpanel/scripts/upcp-running
   ls -t /var/cpanel/updatelogs/ | head -1

   upcp-running answers upcp is running. or upcp is not running.. Each log in /var/cpanel/updatelogs/ is named update. plus a Unix timestamp; open the newest with less or tail -f.
5. When it finishes, run /usr/local/cpanel/cpanel -V again.

Other upcp options: --force reinstalls all files and, according to cPanel, overrides your update preferences to install the latest version; --sync repairs the installed version's files without downloading a newer one (the two cannot be combined); --log=/path/to/file writes the log elsewhere. Because --force and --sync rewrite the cPanel files, they also repair damaged installations; see updating cPanel from the command line.

Upgrading across several versions

If the target is more than one major version ahead, upcp upgrades through each version in between and runs the blocker checks before each step. If a check fails, the server stays on the last version that passed, and cPanel sends the list of problems to the server administrator. For a very old installation, cPanel suggests setting an intermediate version in /etc/cpupdate.conf first, then the final tier.

On the RELEASE tier, automatic upgrades to a new major version wait a random delay of several business days. A manual upgrade, or one with --force, does not wait.

Automatic updates

Other lines in /etc/cpupdate.conf control what happens without you:

• UPDATES=daily (default) updates cPanel every night; manual waits for you; never is not recommended.
• RPMUP=daily updates the operating system packages.
• SECURITY_UPDATES=hourly (default) applies critical cPanel security updates every hour. cPanel recommends keeping it.

Upgrading the operating system

upcp upgrades cPanel, not the operating system. To move to a newer OS under cPanel, cPanel's ELevate tool supports these in-place upgrades: CentOS 7 to AlmaLinux 8, AlmaLinux 8 to 9, AlmaLinux 9 to 10, CloudLinux 7 to 8 and 8 to 9, Ubuntu 20 to 22 and Ubuntu 22 to 24. It reboots several times, so plan a maintenance window and take a full backup first.

On a Managed cPanel VPS we handle cPanel updates for you. For your own server, our cPanel server management service covers hardening, migrations and monitoring.

Official documentation: The upcp script, Product versions and the release process, Upgrade blockers and cPanel ELevate.