Firmware releases
Release strategy
- Each year comes a long-term support (LTS) release which will be supplied with security enhancement and bug fixes (if necessary).
- Each quarter follows a feature release with additional capabilities.
- Those feature releases always contain the former features in full, so you can adapt your projects to new releases easily.
- Newer features will be included in the following LTS release.
This gives you the opportunity to develop your application or app always with the latest features.
Note: For applications, Phoenix Contact recommends to depend on LTS releases only, especially for applications related to certain approvals which always are examined for LTS releases only. For details, see the according Applications facet on PLCnext Control product pages.
Release history
The PLCnext Technology adventure began in 2016 with an Early Adopters' phase, driven by the PLCnext Control AXC F 2152 with firmware release version 1.0 and the former PC Worx Engineer, a derivative of the well-known PC Worx Automation Suite of Phoenix Contact.
In 2018, the PC Worx Engineer has become the PLCnext Engineer, which is the general engineering tool for PLCnext Technology related programming.
Beginning in late 2018, the above mentioned release strategy was adopted to address the demand for an agile development.
This Info Center spans the following firmware releases:
| Long-term support release | Feature release | Release date |
| 2019.0 LTS | February 20, 2019 | |
| 2019.3 | March 29, 2019 | |
| 2019.6 | June 27, 2019 | |
| 2019.9 | September 29, 2019 | |
| 2020.0 LTS | December 6, 2019 | |
| 2020.3 | April / May 2020 | |
| 2020.6 | July / August 2020 | |
| (2020.9) | – not published – | |
| 2021.0 LTS | Dec. 2020 – Feb. 2021 | |
| (2021.3) | [1] – not published – | |
| 2021.6 | July – Sept. 2021 | |
| 2021.9 | October 2021 | |
| 2022.0 LTS | Feb. – May 2022 | |
| 2022.3 | [2] May 2022 | |
| 2022.6 | July - Aug. 2022 | |
| 2022.9 | [2] October 2022 | |
| 2023.0 LTS | Dec. 2022 – March 2023 | |
| 2023.3 | [2] May 2023 | |
| 2023.6 | [2] August 2023 | |
| 2023.9 | [2] February 2024 | |
| 2024.0 LTS | February 2024 |
- But there is a PLCnext Engineer software suite release 2021.3, published in May 2021
- not for all devices - see Firmware releases on controllers
Firmware updates
You can download all available firmware releases for free in the Downloads section of your device's product page on phoenixcontact.com.
An overview of the available firmware versions per product can be found in the table Firmware releases on controllers. Use the links at the item no. in that table to get to the product page on phoenixcontact.com.
Note: Before upgrading, check the Change notes
for breaking changes! Find links to the regarding product pages linked in the Hardware documentation overview, or the .pdf file in the already downloaded firmware .zip package.
To update the firmware via the Web-based Management on your device, see Administration - Firmware Update.