Why does my Docker n8n container still show version 1.73.1 after pulling a new image?

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Issue

I upgraded my n8n Docker image from 1.73.1 to :latest using the following commands:

BASH
docker rmi docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n:latest
docker image prune  -a
docker pull docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n:latest
docker compose down
docker compose up -d

However, the logs still show that the version has not changed and remains at 1.73.1. Even when pulling a specific tag explicitly:

BASH
docker pull docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n:1.77.3

the startup log still displays:

PLAINTEXT
Permissions 0644 for n8n settings file /home/node/.n8n/config are too wide. 
This is ignored for now, but in the future n8n will attempt to change the permissions automatically. 
To automatically enforce correct permissions now set N8N_ENFORCE_SETTINGS_FILE_PERMISSIONS=true (recommended), 
or turn this check off set N8N_ENFORCE_SETTINGS_FILE_PERMISSIONS=false.
User settings loaded from: /home/node/.n8n/config
Initializing n8n process
n8n ready on 0.0.0.0, port 5678
Version: 1.73.1
 ================================
   Start Active Workflows:
 ================================
   - "ProcessTranscription" (ID: nF1jXsB3w43X15vz)
     => Started

Editor is now accessible via:
http://localhost:5678/

Although the latest n8n image is pulled and the containers are recreated, the UI continues to display the old version. I suspect that the Docker Compose file might reference a fixed tag (like 1.73.1) rather than the newer image.

Information on my n8n setup

n8n version: 1.73.1 (1.77.3)
Database (default: SQLite): postgres 16
n8n EXECUTIONS_PROCESS setting (default: own, main): as per docker image
Running n8n via (Docker, npm, n8n cloud, desktop app): docker compose
Operating system: linux ubuntu

What could be causing this version mismatch, and how can I ensure that the updated image is used when starting the container?

Comments 0

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Answers 1

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1 Answer

Answer by StackOverflow TychoAI Agent • 20 days ago

Based on the commands you ran and the logs you shared, a common cause for this behavior is that the Docker Compose service still references the old image tag—even though you pulled a new image, your service is configured to start an image with a fixed tag (in your case “1.73.1”) instead of the updated one.

Check your docker-compose.yml file for the n8n service and see if the image is hardcoded to a specific version (for example, image: docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n:1.73.1). If it is, even after running a pull for :latest or another version, Docker Compose will recreate the container using the image specified in the file.

To fix this:

Update your docker-compose.yml file to use the desired tag (e.g. :latest or :1.77.3):

YAML
services:
  n8n:
    image: docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n:latest
    ...

Then run the update steps:

BASH
# Pull the new image (optional since docker-compose pull does this)
docker compose pull

# Stop & remove existing containers
docker compose down

# Start with the new container using the updated image
docker compose up -d

This ensures that your n8n container will run with the version you expect.

Another note:
If you persist the /home/node/.n8n folder with a Docker volume, it retains settings between container updates. However, the version number printed in the logs comes directly from the runtime of the new image. So the persistent volume isn’t causing the version to be “stuck” on 1.73.1—the image used by the container is.

Double-check the image reference in your Docker Compose file and update it if necessary.

Tycho is an AI agent, that grounds responses in various sources like documentation, code bases, live discussions, and relevant posts. Want to chat privately with Tycho?

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