Update PhpStorm

By default, PhpStorm is configured to check for updates automatically and notify you when a new version is available. Updates are usually patch-based: they are applied to the existing installation and only require you to restart the IDE. However, sometimes patch updates are not available, and a new version of PhpStorm must be installed.

When PhpStorm updates to a new major release, it opens the What's New in PhpStorm tab in the editor with information about the changes, improvements, and fixes. To open this tab manually, select Help | What's New in PhpStorm.

If PhpStorm does not have HTTP access outside your local network, it will not be able to check for updates and apply patches. In this case, you have to download new versions of the IDE and install them manually as described in Standalone installation.

Toolbox App

If you installed PhpStorm using the Toolbox App, it will suggest you to update the IDE when a new version is available.

Automatically update all managed tools

Open the Toolbox App and click in the top right corner.
In the Toolbox App Settings dialog, expand Tools and select Update all tools automatically.

If you disable this option, you will need to click Update next to any instance when a newer version comes out.

You can also configure the update policy for every managed IDE instance separately.

Configure the update policy for a specific instance

Open the Toolbox App, click next to the relevant IDE instance, and select Settings.
In the instance settings dialog, select the update channel to use for this IDE instance:
- Update to Release: Update only to stable releases that are recommended for production.
- To Release and Early Access Program: Includes updates to release candidates , beta releases, and EAP builds, which are not recommended for production and include feature previews.

Standalone instance

If you installed PhpStorm manually, the standalone IDE instance will manage its own updates. It will notify you when a new version is available . You can choose to update the current instance, download and install the new version as a separate instance, postpone the notification, or ignore the update entirely.

Configure the update policy

To manage the PhpStorm update policy, open Settings/Preferences Ctrl+Alt+S and select Appearance & Behavior | System Settings | Updates.

The Updates page contains the following settings:

Item	Description
Check IDE updates for	Select whether you want PhpStorm to check for updates automatically and choose an update channel. Early Access Program: Provides all updates, including major version EAP builds and minor version Preview builds. This channel is not recommended for production development. PhpStorm can be updated only to a minor Preview version, but not to a major EAP build. For example, you can update PhpStorm `2021.1.1` to `2021.1.2`, but not to `2021.2 EAP`. The `2021.2 EAP` version in this case will be installed as an additional instance. EAP versions can be updated to both newer EAP and stable PhpStorm versions. If an EAP version is updated to a stable version at some point, the name of the original installation directory does not change. Beta Releases or Public Previews: Includes stable releases, release candidates, and beta releases. Some updates in this channel may contain minor bugs and feature previews. This update channel is not currently used in PhpStorm. Stable Releases: Includes only stable releases that are recommended for production. You can choose the update channel only if you are using a stable version. For EAP builds, the channel is always set to Early Access Program.
Check for plugin updates	Select whether you want PhpStorm to check for new versions of plugins automatically.
Check for Updates	Check for updates immediately. Alternatively, from the main menu, select Help \| Check for Updates on Windows or Linux, or PhpStorm \| Check for Updates on macOS.
Manage ignored updates	Show the list of updates that were ignored. These updates will not be suggested until you remove them from the list of ignored updates. If you remove several updates from the ignored list, only the most recent will be offered for download when you check for updates.
Show What's New in the editor after an IDE update	Open a tab with information about new features and improvements after a major IDE update.

Snap package

If you installed PhpStorm as a snap package, it will manage updates automatically. All snaps are updated automatically in the background every day. You can also get the latest version of all snaps manually at any time by running the following command:

sudo snap refresh

Or if you want to update only the PhpStorm snap:

sudo snap refresh phpstorm

Last modified: 20 December 2021