A typical Home Assistant Core update takes 5 to 15 minutes from start to finish
Most updates complete in under 10 minutes if your system is running normally. The process starts when you click the update button, pauses your automations and integrations briefly, installs the new version, and restarts the service. On older hardware or systems with many integrations loaded, you might see 15 to 20 minutes. If an update is still running after 30 minutes, something has likely stalled and you should check what happened.
The actual time depends on three things: your hardware speed, how many integrations you have installed, and your internet connection. A Raspberry Pi 4 with 20 integrations will update slower than a modern NUC with five integrations. A weak WiFi connection can also add several minutes if Home Assistant needs to download packages during the update.
Key Takeaways
- Standard updates finish in 5 to 15 minutes; anything over 30 minutes suggests the update is stuck and needs investigation.
- Older hardware like Raspberry Pi 3 and systems with many integrations take longer than newer machines with fewer add-ons.
- The update process stops automations temporarily, so plan updates when you do not need your automations running.
- You can watch the update progress in real time through the Settings menu or by checking the system logs if the web interface becomes unresponsive.
What happens during a Home Assistant update
When you start an update, Home Assistant stops accepting new commands from automations and integrations. It downloads the new version files, installs them, and then restarts itself. During the restart, the web interface goes offline for a minute or two. Once the system comes back up, it reloads all your integrations and automations in the order they are configured.
The reloading step is often what takes the longest. If you have 30 integrations, Home Assistant has to reconnect to each one in sequence. Some integrations like Z-Wave or Zigbee take longer because they need to rediscover devices. This is normal and not a sign something went wrong.
You can watch this happen by staying on the Settings page during the update. The status will change from "Downloading" to "Installing" to "Restarting" to "Loading integrations". If you see the same status for more than 10 minutes, the update may be stuck.
Why some updates take much longer than others
A Home Assistant update on a Raspberry Pi 3 can take 20 to 30 minutes because the processor is slower at unpacking and installing files. The same update on a modern Intel NUC might finish in 5 minutes. If you are running Home Assistant in Docker or Podman, the update time also depends on your storage speed — a slow SD card will add 5 to 10 minutes compared to an SSD.
The number of integrations matters significantly. Each integration Home Assistant loads adds a few seconds to the startup time. A system with 50 integrations might take 20 minutes to fully restart after an update, while a system with 10 integrations might take 5 minutes. If you have added many integrations recently and updates are getting slower, that is the reason.
Your internet connection speed affects how long the download step takes, but usually not by much. A slow connection might add 2 to 3 minutes to the overall time. If your connection drops during the download, the update will fail and you will need to restart it.
When an update is actually stuck
If the update status has not changed in 15 minutes, or if the web interface has been offline for more than 5 minutes, the update is likely stuck. This can happen if the system runs out of disk space, if a corrupted file is preventing installation, or if a background process is using too much CPU.
The first thing to try is waiting another 5 minutes — sometimes the system is just slow, not stuck. If nothing changes, restart Home Assistant by powering off the device, waiting 30 seconds, and powering it back on. Home Assistant will detect that the update did not complete and will either finish it or roll back to the previous version.
If the system will not restart normally, check your system logs. On a Raspberry Pi or Linux machine, you can SSH in and run journalctl -u home-assistant@homeassistant -n 50 to see the last 50 log lines. Look for error messages about disk space, permission problems, or integration failures. These will tell you what actually went wrong.
How to know if your hardware is too slow for updates
If every update takes 25 minutes or longer, and you have fewer than 20 integrations, your hardware is likely the bottleneck. Raspberry Pi 3 and older single-board computers struggle with Home Assistant updates because they have slow processors and limited RAM. This does not mean the system is broken — it just means updates will always be slow.
You can check your hardware by opening Settings, then System, then About. Look at the CPU and memory usage during an update. If CPU is constantly above 80 percent and memory is above 70 percent, your device is working at its limit. Upgrading to a Raspberry Pi 4, a used Intel NUC, or a small PC will cut update times in half or more.
If you cannot upgrade hardware, you can speed things up slightly by disabling integrations you do not actively use before updating. Each integration you remove saves a few seconds during the restart. You can re-enable them after the update finishes.
Preparing for an update so it goes smoothly
Before starting an update, make sure you have at least 500 MB of free disk space. Home Assistant needs room to download and unpack the new version. You can check your disk space in Settings, then System, then Storage. If you are below 500 MB, delete old backups or logs first.
Turn off any automations that depend on Home Assistant being online. If you have an automation that sends a notification when Home Assistant goes offline, it will trigger during the update restart. You can disable automations temporarily in Settings, then Automations, or just accept that you will get a false alert.
Schedule updates for a time when you do not need your smart home running. Lights, locks, and other devices will not respond to commands while the update is in progress. Most people update in the evening or early morning when automations are less critical.
What to do if an update fails completely
If an update fails and Home Assistant will not start at all, the system usually has a rollback mechanism. Power off the device, wait 30 seconds, and power it back on. Home Assistant will detect the failed update and restore the previous version automatically. This can take several minutes.
If the rollback does not work and Home Assistant still will not start, you may need to restore from a backup. Home Assistant creates automatic backups before each update, stored in the .homeassistant/backups folder. You can restore from these through the Settings menu if the system boots at all, or by copying the backup file manually if you have SSH access.
Failed updates are rare, but they happen most often when disk space runs out during installation or when a corrupted integration prevents the system from starting. Checking your disk space before updating prevents most failures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Home Assistant while an update is running?
No. During the update, automations are paused and integrations are offline. Your smart home devices will not respond to commands or automations. The web interface will also be unavailable for 1 to 5 minutes during the restart. Plan updates for times when you do not need your system running.
Why does my update say "Downloading" for 10 minutes?
A slow internet connection or a slow storage device can make the download and unpack step take longer than expected. If the status eventually changes to "Installing", the update is working normally and just slow. If it stays on "Downloading" for more than 15 minutes, restart Home Assistant and try again.
Do I need to do anything after an update finishes?
Usually no. Home Assistant reloads all your integrations and automations automatically after restarting. If an integration does not reconnect, you may need to restart it manually through Settings, Devices and Services. If you disabled automations before updating, re-enable them.
Will updating Home Assistant break my automations or integrations?
Rarely. Most updates are backward compatible and do not change how automations work. Occasionally a major version update removes or changes an integration, but Home Assistant warns you about this before the update. Check the release notes in Settings, System, About before updating if you want to know what changed.
Is it safe to update Home Assistant over WiFi?
Yes, but a wired connection is more reliable. If your WiFi drops during the download step, the update will fail and you will need to restart it. If you have a choice, plug in an Ethernet cable before updating. If you must use WiFi, make sure you have a strong signal and no other large downloads running.