upgrading-expo

name: upgrading-expodescription: Guidelines for upgrading Expo SDK versions and fixing dependency issuesrisk: criticalsource: https://github.com/expo/skills/tree/main/plugins/expo/skills/upgrading-exposource_repo: expo/skillssource_type: officialdate_added: 2026-07-01license: MITlicense_source: https://github.com/expo/skills/blob/main/LICENSE

When to Use

Use this skill when you need guidelines for upgrading Expo SDK versions and fixing dependency issues.

References

• ./references/react-19.md -- SDK +54: React 19 changes (useContext → use, Context.Provider → Context, forwardRef removal)
• ./references/new-architecture.md -- SDK +53: New Architecture migration guide
• ./references/react-compiler.md -- SDK +54: React Compiler setup and migration guide
• ./references/native-tabs.md -- SDK +55: Native tabs changes (Icon/Label/Badge now accessed via NativeTabs.Trigger.*)
• ./references/expo-av-to-audio.md -- SDK +55: Migrate audio playback and recording from expo-av to expo-audio
• ./references/expo-av-to-video.md -- SDK +55: Migrate video playback from expo-av to expo-video
• ./references/react-navigation-to-expo-router.md -- SDK +56: Migrate @react-navigation/* imports to expo-router entry points (codemod + manual mapping)

Beta/Preview Releases

Beta versions use .preview suffix (e.g., 55.0.0-preview.2), published under @next tag.

Check if latest is beta: https://exp.host/--/api/v2/versions (look for -preview in expoVersion)

npx expo install expo@next --fix  # install beta

Upgrade boundaries

Commit or back up the project and lockfile first. Upgrade one SDK at a time to an explicitly selected version; the SDK labels in these references are historical, so check target-version release notes and installed types before applying APIs. Restore from the checkpoint if native regeneration loses changes.

Step-by-Step Upgrade Process

1. Upgrade Expo and dependencies

# Replace TARGET with the next intended SDK version, not a floating latest
npx expo install expo@TARGET
npx expo install --fix

2. Run diagnostics: npx expo-doctor

3. Only if diagnostics indicate stale caches; run from the verified project root, then reinstall with the project package manager

npx expo export -p ios --clear
npx expo start --clear
# Remove project-local caches only if needed; avoid global Watchman reset.

Breaking Changes Checklist

• Check for removed APIs in release notes
• Update import paths for moved modules
• Review native module changes requiring prebuild
• Test all camera, audio, and video features
• Verify navigation still works correctly

Prebuild for Native Changes

First determine whether native projects are generated or manually maintained; directory existence alone is insufficient. If neither directory exists, the project uses Continuous Native Generation (CNG) and native projects are regenerated at build time — skip this section and "Clear caches for bare workflow" entirely.

If upgrading requires native changes:

npx expo prebuild --clean

This regenerates the ios and android directories. Ensure the project is not a bare workflow app before running this command.

Clear caches for bare workflow

These steps only apply when ios/ and/or android/ directories exist in the project:

• Clear the cocoapods cache for iOS: cd ios && pod install --repo-update
• Clear derived data for Xcode: npx expo run:ios --no-build-cache
• Clear the Gradle cache for Android: cd android && ./gradlew clean

Housekeeping

• Review release notes for the target SDK version at https://expo.dev/changelog
• If using Expo SDK 54 or later, ensure react-native-worklets is installed — this is required for react-native-reanimated to work.
• Enable React Compiler in SDK 54+ by adding "experiments": { "reactCompiler": true } to app.json — it's stable and recommended
• Delete sdkVersion from app.json to let Expo manage it automatically
• Remove dependencies only after checking direct imports, config usage and target-SDK requirements; expo-constants may be directly used.
• If the babel.config.js only contains 'babel-preset-expo', delete the file
• If the metro.config.js only contains expo defaults, delete the file

Deprecated Packages

When migrating deprecated packages, update all code usage before removing the old package. For expo-av, consult the migration references to convert Audio.Sound to useAudioPlayer, Audio.Recording to useAudioRecorder, and Video components to VideoView with useVideoPlayer.

expo.install.exclude

Check if package.json has excluded packages:

{
  "expo": { "install": { "exclude": ["react-native-reanimated"] } }
}

Exclusions are often workarounds that may no longer be needed after upgrading. Review each one.

Removing patches

Check if there are any outdated patches in the patches/ directory. Remove them if they are no longer needed.

Postcss

• autoprefixer isn't needed in SDK +53. Remove it from dependencies and check postcss.config.js or postcss.config.mjs to remove it from the plugins list.
• Use postcss.config.mjs in SDK +53.

Metro

Remove redundant metro config options:

• resolver.unstable_enablePackageExports is enabled by default in SDK +53.
• experimentalImportSupport is enabled by default in SDK +54.
• EXPO_USE_FAST_RESOLVER=1 is removed in SDK +54.
• cjs and mjs extensions are supported by default in SDK +50.
• Expo webpack is deprecated, migrate to Expo Router and Metro web.

Hermes engine v1

Since SDK 55, users can opt-in to use Hermes engine v1 for improved runtime performance. This requires setting useHermesV1: true in the expo-build-properties config plugin, and may require a specific version of the hermes-compiler npm package. Hermes v1 will become a default in some future SDK release.

New Architecture

The new architecture is enabled by default, the app.json field "newArchEnabled": true is no longer needed as it's the default. Expo Go only supports the new architecture as of SDK +53.

Limitations

• Use this skill only when the task clearly matches its upstream product or API scope.
• Verify commands, API behavior, pricing, quotas, credentials, and deployment effects against current official documentation before making changes.
• Do not treat generated examples as a substitute for environment-specific tests, security review, or user approval for destructive or costly actions.