Whonix 17 templates available for Qubes OS 4.1

[Andrew David Wong]

Dear Qubes Community,

Until now, Whonix 17 has been available only on Qubes OS 4.2. Since [Whonix 16 reached EOL (end-of-life) on 2024-01-18](https://www.qubes-os.org/news/2023/12/22/whonix-16-approaching-eol/), this left users still on Qubes OS 4.1 without a supported way to use Whonix. In an effort to accommodate this group of users, the Whonix and Qubes teams have now made Whonix 17 available for Qubes OS 4.1.

There are two ways to upgrade to Whonix 17 on Qubes OS 4.1:

- *Recommended*: [Install fresh Whonix templates to replace the existing ones.](https://www.whonix.org/wiki/Qubes/Install) After you install the new templates, redo all desired template modifications and [switch everything that was set to the old templates to the new templates](https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/templates/#switching).

- *Advanced*: Perform an [in-place upgrade from Whonix 16 to Whonix 17](https://www.whonix.org/wiki/Release_Upgrade_16_to_17). This option will preserve any modifications you've made to the templates, *but it may be more complicated for less experienced users.*

If you wish, you also still have the option of performing a [clean installation](https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/installation-guide/) of [Qubes OS 4.2.0](https://www.qubes-os.org/news/2023/12/18/qubes-os-4-2-0-has-been-released/), which comes with Whonix 17 templates preinstalled (if selected during installation).


This announcement is also available on the Qubes website:
https://www.qubes-os.org/news/2024/02/05/whonix-17-templates-available-for-qubes-os-4-1/