In the previous article, QGIS 4.0 Roadmap Unveiled: Major Qt6 Migration Scheduled for October Release, we introduced some early news about QGIS 4.0. According to the official roadmap, QGIS 4.0 (based on Qt 6) was expected to be released in October 2025—around this time. However, upon checking the official website yesterday, it appears that QGIS 4.0 has been officially delayed, with the new release date now set for February 2026.
Key Information
According to the official announcement, the delay aims to ensure a smooth transition to Qt 6 and to give plugin developers, testers, and packagers enough time to adapt. It seems that upgrading to Qt 6 is indeed a significant undertaking.
In addition, the first long-term release (LTR) in the QGIS 4.x series will be QGIS 4.2, scheduled for October 2026. The final release of the QGIS 3.x series will be QGIS 3.44, which also serves as the last long-term support version before transitioning to QGIS 4.0. This ensures that users will continue to have a stable environment before the major upgrade.
A Small Comfort
For macOS users, the official builds currently go up to QGIS 3.42. To prevent further delays for macOS users, the QGIS team has decided to revert the certified macOS build pipeline for QGIS 4.0 development back to QGIS 3.44. In other words, macOS users will still be able to use the latest QGIS 3.44 version before QGIS 4.0 officially arrives.
Summary
It looks like we’ll have to wait a bit longer—but good things take time. For those who can’t wait, the testing version of QGIS 4.0 is available for download. However, keep in mind that some plugins may not yet be compatible or stable, so it’s best not to use it in production environments.