# Release 25.05 {#sec-release-25.05}

The 25.05 release branch became stable in May, 2025.

## Highlights {#sec-release-25.05-highlights}

This release has the following notable changes:

- The [](#opt-systemd.user.startServices) option now defaults to
  `true`, meaning that services will automatically be restarted as
  needed when activating a configuration.

  Further, the `"legacy"` alternative has been removed and will now
  result in an evaluation error if used.

  The `"suggest"` alternative will remain for a while longer but may
  also be deprecated for removal in the future.

- The Home Manager test suite has been removed from the main Nix Flake
  since it caused unnecessary evaluations and downloads. Instead the
  tests are available through a Nix Flake file inside the `tests`
  directory. See [Tests](../contributing/tests.md#sec-tests) for example commands.

## State Version Changes {#sec-release-25.05-state-version-changes}

The state version in this release includes the changes below. These
changes are only active if the `home.stateVersion` option is set to
\"25.05\" or later.

- The [](#opt-programs.git.signing.format) option no longer defaults to
  `"openpgp"`. Users who use Git signing with GPG should explicitly set
  this option to `"openpgp"` to maintain the previous behavior. Users
  with `home.stateVersion` set to earlier versions will continue to get
  the `"openpgp"` default for backwards compatibility.
