flatpak-update

Update all installed applications and runtimes (use -y to confirm all prompts automatically)

$ flatpak update

$ flatpak update [com.example.app]

$ flatpak update --commit [COMMIT] [com.example.app]

flatpak update [OPTION…] [REMOTE|APP-ID…]

-h, --help
    Show help and exit

-V, --version
    Show version and exit

--install
    Install after updating

--commit=SUM
    Update to specific commit

--app
    Only update apps, ignore runtimes

--runtime
    Only update runtimes, ignore apps

--system
    Use system installation

--user
    Use user installation

-v, --verbose
    Print debug information

--ostree-verbose
    Show OSTree debug info

-y, --assumeyes
    Auto-confirm prompts

--no-deploy
    Pull updates but skip deploy

--no-pull
    Skip pulling, deploy existing

--no-related
    Don't update related refs

--prune
    Remove unused refs

--force-remove
    Force remove on failure

--delete-data
    Delete app data on uninstall

The flatpak update command refreshes installed Flatpak applications and their associated runtimes to the latest available versions from configured remotes. Flatpak, a universal packaging system for Linux, deploys apps in isolated environments using OSTree repositories, ensuring security and portability across distributions.

By default, it checks all remotes for updates, pulls the latest commits, and deploys them without user prompts if non-interactive. It handles both apps and runtimes, optionally updating related components. Updates occur atomically: new versions are staged alongside old ones, with the previous deployment retained until successful switchover, minimizing downtime.

Key features include assuming yes to prompts (-y), verbose logging, filtering by app or runtime, and pruning unused refs to save disk space. It supports system-wide (--system) and user-specific (--user) installations. Post-update, apps remain functional even if updates fail partially.

This command is essential for maintaining up-to-date software in Flatpak ecosystems like Flathub, reducing manual intervention while respecting sandboxing principles.

Requires OSTree repositories configured; may need sudo for system installs. Fails if remote lacks updates or network issues. Does not auto-update extensions by default.

flatpak update -- Update everything.
flatpak update org.gnome.GEdit -- Update specific app.
flatpak update flathub -- Update from remote.

Introduced in Flatpak 0.6 (2016) as part of the xdg-app project evolution. Developed by Collabora and Endless Computers; now maintained by the Flatpak team under freedesktop.org. Evolved with OSTree integration for atomic updates.

flatpak(1), flatpak-install(1), flatpak-remote-ls(1), ostree(1)