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NetBSD 9.5 released, ending support for the 9.x branch

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The NetBSD Project released NetBSD 9.5 on September 6, 2026. It is the fifth and, by the project's own description, final release from the NetBSD 9 stable branch, posted by Martin Husemann. The release bundles a selected subset of fixes the project judged important for security or stability since NetBSD 9.4 shipped in April 2024, and it stays fully compatible with NetBSD 9.0. Alongside the release, the project marked end-of-support for every NetBSD-9.x release and for the netbsd-9 branch itself. Anyone still running that branch is urged to move to a newer release: NetBSD 11.0 now, with 11.1 expected at the end of September 2026, or NetBSD 10.2, due within a few days of the announcement. Full release notes and download links accompany the announcement on the NetBSD blog.

Key facts

  • NetBSD 9.5, released September 6, 2026, is the fifth and final release of the NetBSD 9 stable branch.
  • It carries a selected subset of security and stability fixes accumulated since NetBSD 9.4 (April 2024) and remains fully compatible with NetBSD 9.0.
  • The release also marks end-of-support for all NetBSD-9.x versions and the netbsd-9 branch as a whole.
  • Users still on netbsd-9 are urged to upgrade to NetBSD 11.0 (with 11.1 due end of September 2026) or NetBSD 10.2 (due within days).
  • The announcement was posted by Martin Husemann on the NetBSD Project's blog.

Why it matters

NetBSD 9.5 closes out a stable branch that has been maintained since NetBSD 9.0. Its release is also the branch's retirement notice: the project is not just shipping a point update, it is telling everyone still on NetBSD 9 that this is the last patch they will get.

Who it affects

Anyone running NetBSD 9.x in production or on personal systems, since the branch now receives no further security or stability fixes. It also affects users planning upgrades, who now have a firm signal to move to a currently supported branch.

How to use it

NetBSD 9.5 is a drop-in update for existing NetBSD 9.0 installs, described as fully compatible. The project's own recommendation for anyone on the retired branch is to upgrade instead of staying on 9.5: to NetBSD 11.0 now, to NetBSD 11.1 once it ships at the end of September 2026, or to NetBSD 10.2 once it ships within the next few days. Full release notes and download links are posted with the announcement on the NetBSD blog.

How solid is it

The announcement comes from the NetBSD Project's own blog and names a specific poster, Martin Husemann, along with concrete dates for this release and the upcoming NetBSD 11.1 and 10.2. It does not enumerate the individual fixes or CVEs bundled into 9.5, so the scope of what changed since 9.4 is stated only in general terms.

Risks and caveats

The source gives no itemized list of fixes or CVEs in 9.5, and no explanation for retiring the netbsd-9 branch beyond this being its final planned release. The dates given for NetBSD 11.1 and 10.2 are relative ('end of this month', 'a few days') rather than fixed calendar dates, so they could shift.