This article may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, the price is the same for you and the store pays me a small commission that helps keep Tecnoyfoto running.
After updating Home Assistant, you may wonder why HACS is no longer where you left it and what happened to your integrations and dashboard cards. HACS becomes Marketplace in Home Assistant 2026.11. Migration is designed to happen automatically and preserve your existing setup, but checking the features you rely on is still worthwhile.
This guide explains the change, what should carry over and how to check the result without deleting files. It also includes a free Tecnoyfoto Hub Windows tool for comparing accessible configuration files before and after the update.
What happened to HACS in Home Assistant?
HACS, the Home Assistant Community Store, helped users install community integrations, dashboard cards, themes and other projects. Starting with Home Assistant 2026.11, that experience is built into Home Assistant as Marketplace.
There is no separate new HACS to install on 2026.11. Open Settings → Marketplace. The standalone HACS integration is replaced during migration and old HACS links redirect to Marketplace. Community projects are still maintained by their authors; their presence in Marketplace does not make them official Home Assistant integrations.
What happens during the HACS to Marketplace migration?
When Home Assistant starts after updating, Marketplace takes over the HACS installation. The migration is intended to keep installed projects, custom repositories and update entities. Existing HACS links redirect and previous dashboard resource paths remain supported.
Automatic migration does not prove that every device will work after an update. A project may have a separate compatibility or connection issue. Check the components you depend on before reinstalling anything.
Before updating, save the essentials
- A complete, restorable Home Assistant backup stored somewhere safe.
- A list of important custom integrations, cards and repositories, with versions where practical.
- If you use our Windows tool, a before-update inventory saved on your computer. It supports comparison and is not a restorable backup.
Know where your backup is and how to restore it. If you already updated, you can inspect current files, but cannot reconstruct an earlier inventory with certainty.
What about custom repositories?
Installed custom repositories carry over. To add a project outside the catalog, use Marketplace’s option to add from a link. Marketplace may ask you to connect GitHub through its authorization process.
An important exception: a custom repository without hacs.json can remain installed, but Marketplace cannot update it until it meets the requirements. Check the project instructions before changing files or reinstalling.
AppDaemon, Python scripts and retired repositories
Marketplace does not manage AppDaemon apps or Python scripts previously managed through HACS. That does not automatically mean their existing files stop working; review their maintenance and update method separately.
A warning about a retired or archived repository needs context. It may mean a project is no longer maintained or has left the catalog; it does not by itself prove your installed copy is broken. Identify dependencies before removing anything.
How to check the migration without installing a tool
- Open Settings → Marketplace and check the catalog and installed items.
- Review custom repositories and updates. A pending update is not automatically an error.
- Under Settings → Devices & services, check important integrations for warnings.
- Open important dashboards and inspect custom cards. Record any exact error and review dashboard resources.
- Check Settings → System → Repairs and logs. A warning may predate migration or belong to another integration.
- Review important automation states and traces. Avoid test actions that could operate alarms, motors or heating unexpectedly.
If things look correct, there is no general need to reinstall every integration. Keep your backup and investigate individual problems rather than deleting folders or internal records to clear a warning.
In this Spanish-language video, I show how I check my migration and use the audit tool.
Free Windows tool: HACS to Marketplace Audit
Auditoría HACS → Marketplace · Tecnoyfoto Hub is our independent Windows application, currently available in Spanish, for readers who want an additional check. It reads accessible configuration files and produces an HTML report with findings and optional checks. It does not modify Home Assistant configuration and does not require an administrator token.
The tool can save a before-update inventory and compare it with the later state. Without an earlier inventory, it can inspect current files but cannot prove what existed before. If an old inventory cannot identify its installation automatically, the application asks for confirmation and marks the comparison as unverified.
Download the Windows application
The ZIP contains the portable executable for 64-bit Windows; Python installation is not required. The application is free, independent and unofficial. It has been checked against a real Home Assistant 2026.11 installation; keep a proper backup before updating.
Download security: the executable is not digitally signed. Windows or your browser may display a warning when you download or run it. Download only from this page and do not disable antivirus or other protections. ZIP SHA-256: 1e4976fc6bd99f47872911a1cca1007cc4668fd03afd33f7fa10f5cf592fc47d.
Using the application before and after the update
- Download and extract the ZIP, then run the application on your Windows computer.
- If you have not updated to 2026.11 yet, choose NO · Todavía no. Select the accessible Home Assistant configuration folder, including hidden
.storage, and save the before inventory. - Make a separate Home Assistant backup and update using your usual process.
- Once Home Assistant is available again, open the tool, choose SÍ · Ya he actualizado, and select the current configuration and the earlier inventory.
- If the older inventory has no installation fingerprint, confirm that it belongs to the same Home Assistant before comparing.
- Generate the report and choose a local Windows folder outside the Home Assistant configuration. Open the HTML and start with important warnings.
The configuration folder must already be accessible from Windows, for example through an existing network share or a local copy. If .storage cannot be read, the analysis is limited. The application does not require exposing Home Assistant to the Internet.
How to read the report
Findings, warnings and optional guides have different meanings. A reference to an old service is worth checking but does not prove an automation failed. A JavaScript file on disk does not prove that its dashboard card renders.
“Zero errors detected by the auditor” means its checks did not identify errors in that category. It does not certify your whole home. The tool does not operate devices or run automations and may not see all browser or system errors.
Inventories and reports may contain entity names, paths and details of your installation. Review them before sharing screenshots or sending files to anyone.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to reinstall my integrations?
Not as a general step. The migration is designed to preserve them. If a particular component fails, check its message, compatibility and documentation first.
Does Marketplace replace Home Assistant OS apps?
Marketplace focuses on community integrations, cards, themes and templates. Home Assistant OS apps are managed in their own area.
Do I need GitHub?
Not necessarily for the general catalog. Marketplace may ask for a GitHub connection for particular operations, including adding custom repositories.
Can I use the tool after updating?
Yes. You can inspect current files without an earlier inventory; you cannot make a reliable before-and-after comparison without one.
My recommendation
Update with a reliable backup, let Home Assistant migrate HACS and check your important features. The Tecnoyfoto Hub application can help organize the review, while the final check is whether your installation and devices do what you need.
For a direct shortcut to the catalog, follow our guide to add Marketplace to the Home Assistant sidebar.
Once you’ve checked your setup, see what you can do with the new catalog in our Marketplace vs. HACS comparison.
Continue reading
Next related guide · 8 min read
Home Assistant Marketplace vs. HACS: What’s New and What’s Worth Trying
Home Assistant 2026.11 replaces HACS with Marketplace, built into Settings → Marketplace. It carries forward the community catalog, but the steps between finding a…
Continue with this article