---
title: "FreeBSD 15.1-RELEASE Installation Instructions"
sidenav: download
---

:releaseCurrent: 15.1-RELEASE
:releasePrev: 15.0-RELEASE
:releasePrevLegacy: 14.4-RELEASE
:localRel: 15.1

include::shared/en/urls.adoc[]

= FreeBSD {localRel}-RELEASE Installation Instructions

== Abstract

This article gives some brief instructions on installing FreeBSD {releaseCurrent} and upgrading the systems running earlier releases.

== Table of Contents

* <<install,Installing FreeBSD>>
* <<upgrade,Upgrading FreeBSD>>

[[install]]
== Installing FreeBSD

The link:{handbook}bsdinstall/[Installing FreeBSD] chapter of the FreeBSD Handbook provides more in-depth information about the installation program itself, including a guided walk-through with screenshots.

[[upgrade]]
== Upgrading FreeBSD

If you are upgrading from a previous release of FreeBSD, please read the upgrading section in the link:../relnotes[Release Notes] for notable incompatibilities carefully.

[[upgrade-source]]
== Upgrading from Source

The procedure for doing a source code based update is described in link:{handbook}cutting-edge/#makeworld[Updating FreeBSD from Source].

For Git use the releng/{localRel} branch which will be where any upcoming Security Advisories or Errata Notices will be applied.

[[upgrade-binary]]
== Upgrading Using "FreeBSD Update"

The man:freebsd-update[8] utility supports binary upgrades of amd64, arm64, and i386 systems running earlier FreeBSD releases.
Systems running {releasePrevLegacy} or {releasePrev} can upgrade as follows:

[.screen]
----
# freebsd-update fetch
# freebsd-update install
----

Now the man:freebsd-update[8] utility can fetch bits belonging to {releaseCurrent}.
During this process man:freebsd-update[8] will ask for help in merging configuration files.

[.screen,subs="verbatim,attributes"]
----
# freebsd-update upgrade -r {localRel}-RELEASE
# freebsd-update install
----

The system must now be rebooted with the newly installed kernel before the non-kernel components are updated.

[.screen]
----
# shutdown -r now
----

After rebooting, man:freebsd-update[8] needs to be run again to install the new userland components:

[.screen]
----
# freebsd-update install
----

At this point, users of systems being upgraded from earlier FreeBSD releases will be prompted by man:freebsd-update[8] to rebuild or reinstall all third-party applications (e.g., ports installed from the ports tree or packages installed by man:pkg[8]) due to updates in system libraries.

After updating installed third-party applications (and again, only if man:freebsd-update[8] printed a message indicating that this was necessary), run man:freebsd-update[8] again so that it can delete the old (no longer used) system libraries:

[.screen]
----
# freebsd-update install
----

Finally, reboot into a fully {releaseCurrent} system:

[.screen]
----
# shutdown -r now
----
