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World desk9 min

How to Update Ollama on Linux

Run Ollama’s official installer again to update on Linux, then verify the client version and service state. This guide covers systemd, manual architecture-specific archives, pinned releases, GPU dependencies, and troubleshooting.
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The supported way to update Ollama on Linux is to run Ollama’s installation script again. It detects whether the machine uses the amd64 or arm64 bundle, updates the installation, and—when systemd is available—can refresh and restart the Ollama service. Confirm the installed client with ollama -v, then inspect systemd status and journal output if Ollama runs as a service.

Quick answer: run the installer again

You normally do not uninstall Ollama before updating it. Rerun the official Linux installer from a shell:

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curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh

The installer selects the bundle for the host architecture. It maps x86_64 to amd64 and aarch64 or arm64 to arm64. On a Linux system using systemd, the installer can create or refresh /etc/systemd/system/ollama.service, reload systemd, enable the unit, and restart Ollama. If systemd is not running, it warns instead of managing a service.

After the command finishes, verify the client version:

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ollama -v

If Ollama is managed by systemd, check the service and its logs:

sudo systemctl status ollama
journalctl -e -u ollama

This sequence—rerun the installer, check the reported version, and inspect service output where applicable—is the normal update workflow.

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What the Linux installer does

Architecture detection

Ollama publishes architecture-specific Linux bundles. The installer detects the host architecture and downloads the matching one: x86_64 hosts are treated as amd64, while aarch64 and arm64 hosts are treated as arm64. This matters if you choose the manual archive method, because the archive must match the machine on which it will run.

An architecture mismatch is a software-selection problem, not a service-setting problem. If you update manually, confirm that the archive is labeled for the same architecture as the host before extracting it. Do not substitute an amd64 archive on an arm64 installation or the reverse.

Systemd integration

When systemd is running, the installer can handle the service unit as part of the update. It may create or refresh /etc/systemd/system/ollama.service, ask systemd to reload its unit definitions, enable the unit, and restart Ollama. Those actions explain why a service-managed installation can come back under the new client after the installer completes.

A machine without a running systemd instance is different. The installer warns rather than attempting systemd operations. That warning does not by itself prove that the Ollama files failed to update; it means service management was outside the installer’s control. In that setup, Ollama may be started in the foreground with ollama serve, and systemd-specific checks are not the right verification path.

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Before updating: identify the installation and service model

A short pre-update check prevents confusion about which process you are verifying afterward.

  • Client version: run ollama -v and note the version identifier shown before you update.
  • Service-managed installation: run sudo systemctl status ollama. A unit status is useful only when this host uses systemd for Ollama.
  • Foreground installation: if Ollama is launched with ollama serve rather than a systemd unit, plan to verify the process in the same way you normally start it. The installer cannot enable or restart a service manager that is not running.
  • Architecture choice: if you intend to use a manual archive, select the archive that corresponds to amd64 or arm64 as detected for the host.

Keep the first version result for your own change record. The update command does not promise a particular duration, downtime window, migration behavior, or downgrade-safety policy, so avoid treating those as guaranteed properties of every release.

Step-by-step: update to the current release

1. Open a Linux shell

Use the shell account and installation context that normally administers Ollama. The documented update path is a single command that downloads and runs the installer.

2. Rerun the official installer

curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh

The script determines the host architecture and requests the corresponding Linux bundle. You do not select amd64 or arm64 in this command; that selection is performed by the installer.

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3. Read the installer’s service message

On a systemd host, the installer can refresh the unit, reload systemd, enable Ollama, and restart it. On a host without systemd, expect a warning that the service could not be managed. Treat that message as a choice of verification path: systemd commands for a unit-managed setup, or the normal ollama serve process for a foreground setup.

4. Confirm the client binary

ollama -v

The command prints the version of the client available in your shell. Compare it with the release you intended to install. If you requested the latest release, the expected value is the current version selected by the installer at the time you ran it; the command does not guarantee a fixed version number.

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5. Confirm service state when systemd is in use

sudo systemctl status ollama

This shows the unit’s current state and recent service information. It is the appropriate check after an installer-managed restart, but it is not a universal Ollama health check on systems that do not use systemd.

6. Inspect the service journal if anything is unclear

journalctl -e -u ollama

The journal command opens the end of the Ollama unit’s logs. Use it when the unit is not in the state you expect, when a restart appears not to have completed, or when GPU behavior changes after the update. Read the service output before assuming that the model files or the client update are at fault.

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Manual Linux archive updates

The installer is the supported default, but the official Linux guidance also describes a manual path. Download the Linux archive for the host architecture, then extract it into /usr with elevated privileges:

sudo tar x -C /usr

The archive must match the machine: use the amd64 bundle for an x86_64 host and the arm64 bundle for an aarch64 or arm64 host. The manual method gives you direct control over which architecture-specific bundle is placed in /usr; it does not change the fact that service management and version verification still need to be checked separately.

After extraction, run ollama -v from the shell in which you use Ollama. If the installation is backed by systemd, inspect sudo systemctl status ollama and journalctl -e -u ollama. If it is a foreground installation, use the normal ollama serve workflow instead. The archive extraction command alone does not establish which process is currently running.

Choosing between the update methods

Method Architecture handling Service management Version control Operational verification
Rerun the installer Detects x86_64 as amd64 and aarch64/arm64 as arm64 On systemd, can create or refresh the unit, reload systemd, enable it, and restart Ollama; otherwise warns Installs the release selected by the installer unless a version is requested ollama -v, plus systemd status and journal when applicable
Installer with OLLAMA_VERSION Uses the same automatic architecture detection Uses the same systemd behavior as the regular installer Requests the specified release or pre-release Confirm the resulting client version and service state
Manual archive You must select the matching amd64 or arm64 archive Service handling is checked separately; the extraction step itself is not a systemd status check The archive determines which release is placed in /usr Run ollama -v, then use the relevant service or foreground checks

For most Linux installations, rerunning the installer is the least error-prone choice because architecture selection is automatic and systemd integration is handled when available. A manual archive is appropriate when you specifically need to select the bundle yourself. A pinned installer update is the controlled option when the release identifier is known.

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Pin a specific Ollama release

Set the OLLAMA_VERSION environment variable before invoking the installer. For example, this requests version 0.5.7:

curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | OLLAMA_VERSION=0.5.7 sh

The variable can request a specific release or a pre-release. Use an identifier that appears in Ollama’s maintained releases list; the installer does not turn an arbitrary or misspelled value into a valid release.

After a pinned update, verify what was actually installed:

ollama -v

If the installation uses systemd, also inspect:

sudo systemctl status ollama
journalctl -e -u ollama

Pinning controls the release requested by the installer. It does not create a documented downgrade-safety guarantee, define migration behavior, or promise a particular interruption window. Treat a rollback as an operational decision that requires its own validation rather than an automatic property of the environment variable.

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GPU drivers are a separate concern

CUDA for NVIDIA hardware and ROCm for AMD hardware are documented as optional GPU driver or runtime installations. They are not required for every Linux Ollama installation, and neither is part of the core update command.

If Ollama’s GPU behavior changes after an update, separate the two questions:

  • Did the client update? Check ollama -v.
  • Did the service start correctly? Check sudo systemctl status ollama and journalctl -e -u ollama when systemd manages it.
  • Is the driver stack available? Review the CUDA or ROCm installation and the service logs before concluding that the Ollama update changed model files.

This separation prevents an optional GPU dependency from being treated as a prerequisite for a standard CPU or otherwise non-GPU update.

Troubleshooting common update outcomes

The version is not the one you expected

Run ollama -v again in the shell where you normally invoke Ollama. If it still reports the previous version, rerun the documented installer and watch its output for architecture or service messages. If you used a pinned command, check that the requested identifier is an available release or pre-release. Do not infer success from the installer command alone; the version command is the direct client check.

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The systemd unit is missing or cannot be queried

sudo systemctl status ollama is meaningful only when systemd is running and an Ollama unit is present. The installer explicitly warns instead of managing a service when systemd is unavailable. In that case, use the foreground model—ollama serve—and verify the process using the way you normally launch and observe it rather than treating a missing unit as proof that the binary update failed.

The service does not appear to have restarted

First inspect:

sudo systemctl status ollama
journalctl -e -u ollama

The status output identifies the unit state, while the journal provides the most recent service messages. If the installer was run on a systemd host, its documented behavior includes reloading systemd and restarting Ollama. Use the journal to distinguish a service-start problem from a client-version problem before repeating installation steps.

The machine uses the wrong architecture archive

A manual update must use the archive matching the host. The supported mappings are amd64 for x86_64 and arm64 for aarch64 or arm64. Select the correct archive and extract it into /usr with the documented command. Then run ollama -v and perform the service or foreground checks that match your installation.

GPU behavior changed after the update

Do not assume that a changed GPU result means the Ollama client update altered model data. CUDA and ROCm are separate optional dependencies. Confirm the client version, inspect the Ollama service journal, and then check the relevant NVIDIA CUDA or AMD ROCm driver/runtime stack. The available evidence does not establish a universal migration or compatibility outcome for every release, so the logs are the appropriate place to identify the concrete failure.

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The installer reports that systemd is not running

Continue with client verification using ollama -v. The warning means the installer did not create, enable, reload, or restart a systemd unit. If you operate Ollama with ollama serve, manage that foreground process according to your normal shell or process-supervision procedure. Do not use a successful systemd status result as a requirement for installations that intentionally do not use systemd.

A repeatable update checklist

  1. Record the current result of ollama -v.
  2. Decide whether you need the installer’s selected release, a pinned value through OLLAMA_VERSION, or a manually selected architecture archive.
  3. For the standard update, run curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh.
  4. If pinning, use the same command with OLLAMA_VERSION=<release> and choose an identifier from the available releases.
  5. If updating manually, select amd64 for x86_64 or arm64 for aarch64/arm64, then extract into /usr with sudo tar x -C /usr.
  6. Run ollama -v and compare the result with the release you intended to install.
  7. When systemd manages Ollama, run sudo systemctl status ollama and journalctl -e -u ollama.
  8. When systemd is absent, use the ollama serve foreground workflow rather than systemd commands.
  9. If GPU behavior differs, check CUDA or ROCm and the Ollama service logs separately from the client update.

What the update procedure does not promise

The documented commands establish how to install a selected Ollama release and how to inspect the client and service. They do not promise a universal downgrade policy, automatic migration behavior, fixed update duration, or fixed downtime window. Those details can vary with the release and the way the Linux host runs Ollama, so keep version selection, service supervision, and post-update verification as separate decisions.

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