We recently launched TrueNAS 26 BETA.1, marking the first step towards our new annual release cadence. This shift replaces our previous twice-yearly software release schedule, and is designed to provide better quality, more predictable planning, and a clear path toward a 3-year Long-Term Support (LTS) release for our TrueNAS Enterprise customers.
Today, we’re excited to announce the release of the next stage, with TrueNAS 26 BETA.2.
TrueNAS 26 is the upcoming release of our enterprise storage platform built on OpenZFS 2.4, designed to enable tiering between flash and spinning disk – reducing cost-per-TB without sacrificing performance – while adding native container workloads and browser-based file sharing to a single unified system.
With BETA.2, we’ve focused on hardening the foundation laid by BETA.1, squashing bugs, and refining the features that define the TrueNAS 26 platform – including tiered storage, integrated search across up to a billion files, and native LXC container support.
When TrueNAS 26 is the Right Move
If you’re planning to upgrade from TrueNAS 25.x to TrueNAS 26, here’s what to expect for both performance and usability. TrueNAS 26 is built to address the modern challenges of “memflation,” AI-driven data demands, and the need for simplified, intelligent data services. Key improvements include:
- OpenZFS 2.4: Delivering major hybrid pool improvements, including new dataset tiering and Fast Dedup enhancements. This allows you to balance flash performance with HDD capacity, reducing your cost-per-TB without sacrificing speed.
- Linux Kernel 6.18 (LTS): Ensuring your system supports the latest hardware, drivers, and security patches, providing a stable foundation for the next several years.
- TrueNAS WebShare & TrueSearch: Our new intelligent data services that transform how you access and find your data. WebShare offers secure, browser-based file sharing, while TrueSearch provides sub-second, desktop-like search performance for up to a billion files.
- LXC Container Support: Providing a lightweight, efficient path for running Linux workloads, offering a clear migration path for those coming from legacy jail-based environments.
What’s New in BETA.2
TrueNAS 26 BETA.2 builds upon the momentum of our first beta, introducing a focused set of refinements to enhance stability and the user experience.
- Enhanced Networking & Connectivity: We’ve introduced Forward Error Correction (FEC) configuration for network interfaces, and resolved issues with custom S3 backup endpoints, GMail OAuth, and SMB/NFS integration.
- Improved Virtualization & Containers: This release delivers fixes for VM cloning, GPU passthrough, and Intel GPU support for LXC containers. We’ve also addressed issues with container hostname reporting, ID mapping for LXC, and container cleanup after pool disconnection.
- Streamlined Storage Management: We’ve improved visibility for pool operations like resilvering and scrubbing on the dashboard. Additionally, we fixed NVMe namespace deletion and resize issues, and corrected storage usage estimates on the Snapshots screen.
- Refined ACLs & Permissions: ACL preset templates now auto-include local and directory service user/admin groups for better compatibility. We’ve also resolved issues editing user accounts with docker group membership.
- Stability & System Reliability: We’ve squashed bugs related to SMB service crashes, ZFS memory consumption with certain I/O hints, and false-positive SMART alerts after upgrades. We’ve also restored the missing
en_US.UTF-8locale and added system reboot history logging. - Polished Interface & User Experience: Improvements include better audit logging and access control for webshell sessions, fixes for GUI SSL certificate saving, and correct rendering of dashboard widgets. The “Report a Bug” feature now correctly attaches debug files.
- Smoother Upgrade Paths: We’ve addressed upgrade regressions involving container dataset mounting and GPU isolation to ensure a more seamless transition from earlier versions.
Upgrades and Rollbacks
With the extended development lifecycle of TrueNAS 26, we’re able to provide a more polished product at an earlier stage – but we’re only recommending TrueNAS 26 for our Early Adopter users, rather than General. Beta software still has the opportunity for changes in development and features, so users seeking greater stability are probably best suited to wait until the first Release Candidate (RC) or even the full release later this year.
If you’re an Early Adopter interested in upgrading from TrueNAS 25.x to TrueNAS 26 to test out the latest features, TrueNAS includes the ability to “roll back” to previous releases through the Boot Environments menu. Simply choose to activate your previous TrueNAS 25.x boot image, and you’ll return to the previous release.
Important Notice: When you’re upgrading to a new release of TrueNAS, you may receive a notification that your storage pool or pools can be “upgraded” as well, to become fully compatible with the newest features. It’s important to note that a “pool upgrade” is different from a “system upgrade” – and you should only complete this step once you’re certain you won’t need to boot an older release of TrueNAS that might not understand the new features, such as dataset tiering or deduplication improvements. If you’re just trying out TrueNAS 26, make sure you don’t upgrade your pool until you’ve decided to stay.
Prepare for Your Upgrade
TrueNAS 26 represents the new standard for unified, intelligent storage. If you’re ready to explore the future of TrueNAS, we recommend reviewing the full TrueNAS 26.0.0-BETA.2 Release Notes to understand the specific changes and migration considerations for your environment.
As we move toward the final release, we encourage the community to continue testing and providing feedback. Your input is critical in helping us deliver the quality and reliability you expect from TrueNAS.
Ready to start? Download the latest release from the TrueNAS Download page or contact our team if you need assistance planning your transition to TrueNAS 26.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What’s new in TrueNAS 26 BETA.2?
A: BETA.2 focuses on stability, adding FEC configuration for network interfaces and fixing VM cloning, GPU passthrough, and NVMe namespace issues present in BETA.1.
Q: Should I upgrade from TrueNAS 25.x to TrueNAS 26-BETA.2?
A: Only if you consider yourself an Early Adopter. General users should wait for the first RC or the full release for greater stability.
Q: If I want to try it out, can I roll back after upgrading to TrueNAS 26?
A: Yes; the Boot Environments menu lets you activate a previous 25.x boot image to return to your prior release – just make sure not to upgrade your pool itself!