Updating Atlas AVD

How to update Atlas AVD to a new version: where Atlas tells you an update is ready, how to install it from the Updates page, and more.

Before you begin

  • An Atlas AVD administrator account. Installing and rolling back updates are admin-only permissions and can't be given to custom roles.
  • Atlas's managed identity keeps the Contributor or Website Contributor role on its App Service (or its resource group). Atlas sets this up at deployment, so you only need to check it if updates report that the managed identity is unavailable.

Knowing when an update is ready

Atlas checks for a new version every hour. When one is available, it tells you in three places:

  • A banner across the top of the admin console reads "A new version of Atlas AVD is available". Click it to open the Updates page, or choose Do not show again to hide it for that version.
  • The version badge at the bottom of the sidebar shows your version and the new one (for example v2.4.0 → v2.5.0). Its dot is green when you're up to date, yellow when you're a few patches behind, and red when you're a minor version or more behind.
  • The Updates page (Administration > Updates) shows Update Available, with the new version and its release notes.

Click Check for updates on the Updates page to check straight away instead of waiting for the hourly check.

Installing an update

  1. In the admin console, open Administration > Updates, or click the update banner or the version badge in the sidebar.
  2. Review what's new on the What's New and All Changes tabs, or click View Release Notes for the full notes.
  3. Click Start Update.
  4. Read the Confirm Update panel. It confirms that your database and configuration are kept, and that Atlas backs up the current version automatically before it starts.
  5. Click Confirm Update. Atlas opens a progress page and works through each step, from validating the environment and creating a backup to restarting and finalizing.
  6. When the page shows System Ready, Atlas returns you to the console on the new version.

The update runs on the server, so it carries on even if you close the browser. It's still best to keep the progress page open until it finishes, so you can see the result.

What to expect while it runs

  • Most updates take a few minutes from start to finish.
  • If your App Service plan is Standard (S1) or higher and has a staging slot, Atlas installs the new version in the staging slot and switches over once it's ready, with minimal interruption.
  • Without a staging slot, the Atlas console and User Portal restart once and are unavailable for about 30 to 90 seconds. Plan updates for a quiet time if that matters to your users.
  • Your host pools and session hosts aren't changed by an Atlas update, and users already connected to their virtual desktops stay connected.
  • Before changing anything, Atlas checks that there's enough free disk space, that the database is reachable, and that no other update is running. If a check fails, nothing is changed.
  • Database changes are applied automatically. You never need to run anything by hand.

If the progress page shows Still waiting for the server after several minutes, Azure is taking longer than usual to restart the app. Restart it in the Azure portal (App Service > Restart), then reopen Atlas.

Rolling back to an earlier version

If a new version doesn't suit you, you can go back to an earlier one at any time.

  1. Open Administration > Updates and click Roll Back. You can also use Rollback next to a version in the Release History list.
  2. In Select a version to roll back to, pick the version you want.
  3. Type the version number to confirm. Atlas backs up the current version first, and service is briefly interrupted while it switches.

Atlas also protects you automatically. If a new version fails to start, Atlas restores the previous version on its own, so a failed update doesn't leave you without a working console.

Other options on the Updates page

  • Skip version: hide a release you don't want to install. Atlas tells you again when a newer one arrives, and Undo brings the skipped release back.
  • Reinstall: run the full install again for the version you're already on. This is useful if support asks you to repair an installation.
  • Update Channel: in the Deployment Environment card, choose Stable (the default) or join the Beta Program to get new features early. Return to Stable moves you back to the current stable release and restarts the app.
  • Update History: see every past update, reinstall, and rollback, with when it ran and how it ended.

If an update doesn't go to plan

  • Update Failed: click Retry Update, or Rollback to return to the version you were on. Download Logs saves the details to send to support.
  • Intermediate update required: your version is too far behind to jump straight to the latest. Install the version Atlas names first, then update again.
  • Could not check for updates: Atlas couldn't reach the update service. Check that your App Service can reach the internet, then click Check for updates again.
  • The managed identity is unavailable: Atlas's managed identity is turned off or missing its role. Turn on the system-assigned identity for the App Service and give it Contributor or Website Contributor on the App Service, then retry.
  • You don't have permission to update Atlas: updates are limited to administrators. Ask an Atlas admin to install it.

Deployments that run Atlas from a container image don't update from the Updates page. Deploy the new image tag instead. If the console won't load at all, Recovery Mode can reinstall the current version for you.

Next steps