If you are running an older version, shut it down. Wait until it has completely
shut down (which might take a few minutes in some cases), then run the
installer (on Windows) or just copy over /Applications/Bitcoin-Qt (on macOS)
or bitcoind/bitcoin-qt (on Linux).
Upgrading directly from a version of Bitcoin Core that has reached its EOL is
possible, but it might take some time if the data directory needs to be migrated. Old
wallet versions of Bitcoin Core are generally supported.
Bitcoin Core is supported and extensively tested on operating systems
using the Linux kernel, macOS 11.0+, and Windows 7 and newer. Bitcoin
Core should also work on most other Unix-like systems but is not as
frequently tested on them. It is not recommended to use Bitcoin Core on
unsupported systems.
26.1 Release Notes
How to Upgrade
/Applications/Bitcoin-Qt
(on macOS) orbitcoind
/bitcoin-qt
(on Linux).Compatibility
Notable changes
Wallet
RPC
Logs
P2P and network changes
Build
CI
Miscellaneous
Credits