Back to articles
Tutorial

Next.js 16 Migration Guide: Everything That Changed

Async params, Turbopack by default, cache components, and more. A complete guide to migrating your Next.js app to version 16.

Leanne ThuongDec 22, 202515 min read

Next.js 16 brings significant changes. Here's your complete migration guide.

Breaking Changes

The biggest change: params, searchParams, headers, and cookies in Server Components are now async. You must await them.

Turbopack Is Default

Turbopack is now the default bundler and is stable. Most projects will see faster builds out of the box.

Cache Components

The new 'use cache' directive makes caching explicit and flexible. Add it to pages, components, or functions.

React 19 Features

Next.js 16 ships with React 19, bringing useEffectEvent, Activity components, and improved Suspense.

Migration Steps

1. Update packages

2. Add await to async APIs

3. Test with Turbopack

4. Migrate to new caching patterns

5. Test thoroughly