# How to update

Back up first.

<Danger>
**Back up first.** Package updates overwrite product files. Keep your own changes under version control and try the new release on a staging copy.
</Danger>

1. Read the release notes and compare any new requirements with your server.
2. Back up the database, `.env`, `storage/` and your customizations.
3. Download the latest archive from Envato and replace the application files with the contents of its `Script` directory. Keep your `.env` and `storage/`.
4. Visit `https://your-domain.example/update` while signed in as an administrator and run the update. It applies the database changes the new release needs.
5. Run the launch smoke test: sign in, send a test email, publish a site, open the published docs, ask Ask AI, and if you use them, check a custom domain and a Git sync.

If the installer appears after an update, the install marker in `storage/app/` wasn't preserved. If the application fails before the update page loads, check `storage/logs/laravel.log`, the PHP version, file ownership and the restored `.env`.