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How to update your Python libraries

· 2 min read

Quick tutorial on how to update your Python libraries

TLDR​

The basic steps to updating your Python packages are:

  1. Figure out which packages are actually outdated
  2. Upgrade them
  3. Lock your new dependencies

How you do this will depend on which package manager you use:

update pip packages​

show outdated dependencies

pip list --outdated

upgrade the ones you need

pip install --upgrade requests pandas etc

pin the new versions

pip freeze > requirements.txt

update uv packages​

show outdated dependencies

uv tree --outdated --depth 1

update the versions listed in your lockfile

uv lock --upgrade

upgrade the installed versions to what is listed in your new lockfile

uv sync

update poetry packages​

show outdated top-level dependencies

poetry show --outdated | grep --file=<(poetry show --tree | grep '^\w' | sed 's/^\([^ ]*\).*/^\1/')

then update your pyproject.toml and install

poetry install

Check your outdated Python libraries​

Keeping your Python libraries up to date is crucial for security, performance, and access to the latest features. Whether you're using Windows, Linux, or macOS, updating your Python libraries is a straightforward process. In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps for each operating system.

Before updating, you can check which libraries are installed and their versions by running this command on your command terminal:

pip list --outdated

This command displays a list of installed packages that have newer versions available.

Updating Python libraries on Linux or macOS​

  1. cd to your project directory and be sure you activate your project's virtual environment

  2. To update a specific package:

pip install --upgrade package_name

  1. To update all outdated packages:

pip list --outdated --format=freeze | cut -d= -f1 | xargs -n1 pip install --upgrade

Updating Python libraries on Windows​

  1. cd (or Set-Location) to your project directory and be sure you activate your project's virtual environment

  2. Use the following command to update a specific package (Replace package_name with the actual library name):

pip install --upgrade package_name

  1. To update all outdated packages at once, run:

pip list --outdated --format=freeze | ForEach-Object {($_ -split '=')[0]} | ForEach-Object {pip install --upgrade $_}