Upgrade MySQL 9.7 LTS to 26.7 Innovation on Debian 13
Plan a Debian 13 upgrade from MySQL 9.7 LTS to 26.7 Innovation with Oracle’s APT repository, a verified backup, and package checks.
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Oracle lists MySQL 9.7.x LTS to 26.7.0 Innovation as a supported direct upgrade path. MySQL 26.7 is an Innovation release, not LTS; use it when you want its newer features and can test changes regularly. If you need to stay on a long-term support track, keep MySQL 9.7 LTS. See Oracle’s release model and upgrade paths.
This guide covers an in-place package upgrade on Debian 13 (Trixie) when MySQL 9.7 was installed from Oracle’s MySQL APT repository. The Debian 13 mysql-innovation package index currently lists server package 26.7.0-1debian13. The separate 26.7.1 release note applies to the MySQL Server Docker image only; check APT’s candidate on the system before upgrading.
Before you upgrade
Record the installed server version:
SELECT VERSION();
Confirm that this server was installed from Oracle’s APT repository. These instructions do not upgrade a MariaDB, Percona Server, or distribution-native MySQL installation in place.
Create a full backup that includes the mysql system database, configuration, users, grants, routines, events, and application data. Restore it to a test server and rehearse the package upgrade there. Oracle states that downgrading from MySQL 26.7 to 9.7 is not supported; recovery requires restoring a backup made before the upgrade. See upgrade preparation and MySQL backup guidance.
Review changes in MySQL 26.7 and test application queries, connectors, jobs, and replication in the rehearsal environment. The Innovation track can introduce behavior changes more frequently than an LTS series.
Select the MySQL Innovation repository
The MySQL APT repository updates MySQL to the release series selected in mysql-apt-config. Reconfigure it to use the Innovation track:
sudo dpkg-reconfigure mysql-apt-config
In the dialog, select MySQL Server & Cluster, then mysql-innovation. Save the configuration and refresh package information:
sudo apt update
Check the candidate before upgrading:
apt-cache policy mysql-server
The candidate should come from Oracle’s trixie/mysql-innovation repository. The current Debian 13 package index lists 26.7.0-1debian13. If APT shows the 9.7 LTS series or another source, reconfigure the repository and check again. Do not proceed until the candidate matches the target series.
Upgrade and validate MySQL
During the scheduled maintenance window, upgrade the server package:
sudo apt install mysql-server
APT restarts MySQL after the package upgrade. Wait for the server to finish startup, then confirm the client and server versions:
mysql --version
sudo systemctl status mysql --no-pager
# If root uses local socket authentication
sudo mysql --execute='SELECT VERSION();'
# If root uses password authentication
mysql --user=root --password --execute='SELECT VERSION();'
The server should report version 26.7.0. Review the MySQL error log, application logs, representative queries, scheduled jobs, and replication status before reopening normal traffic. MySQL 8.0 and later perform the upgrade tasks at server startup; a separate mysql_upgrade command is not required.
Rollback
Do not downgrade the 26.7 data directory to MySQL 9.7. If validation fails, restore the rehearsed pre-upgrade backup or server snapshot to a MySQL 9.7 environment. For MySQL 8.4 systems, first follow the supported 8.4-to-9.7 LTS upgrade guide, then evaluate the move to Innovation. To install MySQL 26.7 on a new Debian 13 server, see the fresh-install guide.