---
title: "Why am I unable to update acquia_cms to the latest version?"
date: "2025-06-30T11:20:17+00:00"
summary: "Resolve Acquia CMS update issues by managing dependencies. Learn how to avoid deadlocks and update smoothly."
image:
type: "article"
url: "/drupal-starter-kits/help/69766-why-am-i-unable-update-acquiacms-latest-version"
id: "69dc4d1d-00ad-46d2-b229-954fff6264ed"
---

This issue occurs when you explicitly require contributed modules that are already included with [Drupal Starter Kits](https://github.com/acquia/drupal-recommended-project). This causes dependency deadlock and slows the upgrade process.

_Workaround_:

1.  **Review dependencies**: Review the dependencies listed in your project’s root `composer.json` file. Identify any modules that are provided by [Drupal Starter Kits](https://github.com/acquia/drupal-recommended-project).
2.  **Remove Drupal Starter Kits dependencies**: Remove the direct dependencies associated with [Drupal Starter Kits](https://github.com/acquia/drupal-recommended-project) from the root `composer.json` file. This prevents conflicts during the upgrade process.
3.  **Run Composer update**: After you remove [Drupal Starter Kits](https://github.com/acquia/drupal-recommended-project) dependencies, run the following command:
    
        composer update acquia/acquia_cms -W
    
    The `-W` parameter ensures that your `composer.lock` file is updated with the latest compatible versions of the dependencies.
    

By following these steps, you can circumvent the dependency deadlock and enable a seamless update of [Drupal Starter Kits](https://github.com/acquia/drupal-recommended-project) to its latest version.

Here is an example of the `composer.json` file without direct dependencies:

![cms_removing-direct-dependencies.png](https://acquia.widen.net/content/d4g13s1swp/web/cms_removing-direct-dependencies.png?w=480&v=c8da05c8-19eb-405f-8f9a-343a89f41963&itok=qRv580AB)