How to update and back up Open WebUI without losing your chats?

Updated: 28 September 2026 · Applies to: Open WebUI 0.11 with Docker on Ubuntu 24.04 / 26.04 LTS

Open WebUI releases updates often. Because your chats, users and settings live in a Docker volume, you can replace the container with a newer image without losing them. Always make a backup first, because a release that changes the database cannot be undone by going back to the old image.

1. Back up

Run this in a folder where you want the backup file. It packs the whole open-webui volume into a dated archive:

docker run --rm -v open-webui:/data -v $(pwd):/backup alpine tar czf /backup/openwebui-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz /data

Check that the file exists and has a reasonable size with ls -lh openwebui-*.tar.gz, and copy it to another machine as well.

2. Read the release notes

Look at the release notes for changes that need action.

3. Update the container

Remove the old container. The volume with your data stays:
```
docker rm -f open-webui
```
Download the new image (or replace :main with a fixed version tag such as :v0.11.4):
```
docker pull ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:main
```

Start it again with the same options you used to install it. For example, with host networking as in How to install Open WebUI with Docker and connect it to Ollama?:

docker run -d --network=host \
  -v open-webui:/app/backend/data \
  -e OLLAMA_BASE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:11434 \
  -e WEBUI_SECRET_KEY=YOUR-EXISTING-KEY \
  --name open-webui --restart always \
  ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:main

Clear your browser cache (Ctrl+F5, on a Mac Cmd+Shift+R) so that the new interface loads.

With Docker Compose, run docker compose pull and then docker compose up -d in the folder of your docker-compose.yml.

Go back to an older version

Recreate the container with an older version tag. If the version you updated to changed the database, the older version may not work with it. In that case restore the backup from step 1:

docker stop open-webui
docker run --rm -v open-webui:/data -v $(pwd):/backup alpine sh -c "rm -rf /data/* && tar xzf /backup/openwebui-YYYYMMDD.tar.gz -C /"
docker start open-webui

Replace YYYYMMDD with the date in your backup file name. This deletes everything currently in the volume before it restores the backup, so use the right file.

Frequently asked questions

Everyone is logged out after the update.
The WEBUI_SECRET_KEY changed. Use the same key as before in the docker run command.

Should I update automatically?
For a server that people depend on, no: an automatic update can bring breaking changes or database migrations. Update by hand after a backup, or pin a version.

How often should I back up?
Before every update and regularly (daily or weekly) if the server is in active use.

Official documentation: Open WebUI documentation: Updating.

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