Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops

Frequently asked questions

September 23, 2026

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This section answers some commonly asked questions about upgrading Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops.

What is the correct order to upgrade my Virtual Apps and Desktops environment?

For an illustration and description of the recommended upgrade sequence, see Upgrade sequence and Upgrade procedure.
My site has several Delivery Controllers (in different zones). What happens if I upgrade only some of them? Am I required to upgrade every Controller in the site during the same maintenance window?

The best practice is to upgrade all Delivery Controllers during the same maintenance window, as various services on each Controller communicate with each other. Keeping different versions might cause issues. During a maintenance window, we recommend you upgrade half of the Controllers, upgrade the site, and then upgrade the remaining Controllers. For details, see the Upgrade procedure.
Can I go directly to the latest version, or do I have to do incremental upgrades?

You can almost always upgrade to the latest version and skip intermediate releases, unless explicitly stated in the What’s new article for the version you’re upgrading to.
Can a customer upgrade from a Long Term Service Release (LTSR) environment to a Current Release?

Yes. Customers are not required to remain on a Long Term Service Release for an extended period. Customers can move an LTSR environment to a Current Release, based on business requirements and features.
Are mixed versions of components allowed?

Within each site, Citrix recommends upgrading all components to the same version. Although you can use earlier versions of some components, all features in the latest version might not be available. For more information, see Mixed environment considerations.
How often must a Current Release be upgraded?

Current Releases reach End of Maintenance (EOM) 6 months after the release date. Citrix recommends that customers adopt the latest Current Release. Current Releases reach End of Life (EOL) 18 months after the release date.
What is recommended: upgrade to LTSR or CR?

Current Releases (CRs) deliver the latest and most innovative app, desktop, and server virtualization features and functionality. This allows you to stay on leading-edge technology and ahead of your competition.

Long Term Service Releases (LTSRs) are ideal for large enterprise production environments that prefer to retain the same base version for an extended period.

Do I need to upgrade my licenses?

Ensure that the current license date has not expired, and is valid for the release you are upgrading to. See CTX111618. For information about renewal, see Customer Success Services renewal licenses.
How long does an upgrade take?

The time required to upgrade a deployment varies, depending on the infrastructure and network. So, we can’t provide an exact time.
What are the best practices?

Ensure that you understand and follow the preparation guidance.
Are sysadmin privileges required for a Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops site upgrade?

No. For a standard site upgrade using Windows Authentication (the default), db_owner permissions on the existing databases (site, logging, and monitoring) are sufficient for the Site Manager to update the schemas. sysadmin is primarily required only for initial site creation or if the process must automatically create new databases and server-level logins.
Why does the Site Manager sometimes prompt for elevated rights during an upgrade?

The Site Manager might check for elevated rights if the upgrade requires server-level actions, such as:
- Adding a new Delivery Controller: This requires creating a new SQL login for the Delivery Controller’s machine identity.
- Modifying logins: Actions that require securityadmin or dbcreator roles are often simplified into a request for sysadmin.
- Automatic creation: If the Site Manager is tasked with automatically creating new database structures or mapping users rather than using pre-staged scripts.
Can I upgrade my database without granting the Citrix admin sysadmin rights?

Yes, you can upgrade by performing a manual upgrade. The Citrix admin uses the Site Manager to obtain the upgrade SQL script, then provides the db owner with the script to perform database upgrade. After the database is upgraded, the Citrix admin goes back to the Site Manager to finish the entire upgrade process.
Why do Citrix services run under the machine account?

Citrix services run under the Network Service account by default because it allows the server to use its own identity (the Machine Account, for example, DOMAIN\SERVER$) to securely communicate with other servers and the SQL database without the need for manual password management. This setup relies on Windows Authentication, which is the most secure and recommended method for connecting to SQL because it uses the existing trust within Active Directory.
Which operating systems are supported?

The System requirements article for the version you’re upgrading to lists the supported OSs.

If your current deployment uses operating systems that are no longer supported, see Earlier operating systems.
Which versions of VMware vSphere (vCenter + ESXi) are supported?

CTX131239 lists the supported hosts and versions, plus links to known issues.
When does my version go EOL?

Check the Product Matrix.
What are the known issues with the latest release?

The official version of this product documentation is in English. Any non-English version is solely provided for your convenience and may include machine-translated content. For more information, please refer to the Machine Translation Disclaimer on Cloud Software Group home.

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Frequently asked questions

September 23, 2026

Contributed by:

September 23, 2026

Contributed by:

Frequently asked questions

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