---
name: "nix-env-switch-generation"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "nix-bin"
version: "2.26.3+dfsg-1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/nix-env-switch-generation"
---

# nix-env-switch-generation(1)

set user environment to given profile generation

## Name

`nix-env --switch-generation` - set user environment to given profile generation

## Synopsis

`nix-env` {`--switch-generation` \| `-G`} *generation*

## Description

This operation makes generation number *generation* the current generation of the active profile. That is, if the `profile` is the path to the active profile, then the symlink `profile` is made to point to `profile-generation-link`, which is in turn a symlink to the actual user environment in the Nix store.

Switching will fail if the specified generation does not exist.

{{#include ./opt-common.md}}

{{#include ../opt-common.md}}

{{#include ./env-common.md}}

{{#include ../env-common.md}}

## Examples

```
$ nix-env --switch-generation 42
switching from generation 50 to 42
```