Oracle APEX 26.2: What’s New and How to Install or Upgrade (Step-by-Step)

APEX 26.2 builds on 26.1, one of the biggest APEX releases in years. 26.1 introduced APEXlang, AI Agents and natural-language Interactive Reports; 26.2 makes them practical for real teams with file-level APEXlang imports, newer AI providers, a redesigned Interactive Report experience and database-level security integration. This guide covers what is new in both releases and how to install or upgrade, based on Oracle’s official release notes and installation guide.

What’s new in Oracle APEX 26.2

APEXlang file-level import

APEXlang (introduced in 26.1) describes applications as readable .apx text files. In 26.2 you can edit and import a single page or shared component instead of redeploying the whole application, from Oracle SQL Developer for VS Code or SQLcl. This makes source control, code review and CI/CD with Git far more realistic for APEX teams. APEXlang code can also be checked with SQLcl CodeScan static analysis.

AI Services and AI Agents

• Support for the latest OpenAI (Responses API and compatible APIs), Google Gemini and OCI Generative AI models.
• Reasoning Effort controls for AI Agents.
• Secure application navigation: an AI Agent can recommend a page, while APEX builds the target URL itself – so the model never constructs links on its own.

Redesigned Interactive Reports and AI Interactive Reports

The end-user Interactive Report dialogs are modernized, with multi-select filters, drag-and-drop column ordering and better number and date filtering. Users can create computed columns by simply describing them in natural language, and common commands can be triggered with configurable key phrases.

Oracle Deep Data Security integration

APEX can pass verified user and application identities to Oracle AI Database, which then enforces row-, column- and value-level access through Data Roles and Data Grants. It complements APEX authorization schemes by enforcing rules inside the database itself.

Managed identities for OCI services

Web Credentials can now reference DBMS_CLOUD credentials that use Resource Principal or Database Tools Identity, so you no longer need to store individual API private keys in APEX.

Workflow, theme, administration and security

• Workflow: custom task outcomes, in-flight migration of running workflows to newer versions, draft (placeholder) activities, human-task error handling and diagram export as PNG or SVG.
• Universal Theme: new Iris “Pillar” light and dark appearances, more Theme Roller control and clearer tree navigation.
• Administration: richer mail-queue reporting and simpler requests for web-service limit increases.
• Security: workspace-level network access control, restricting which external endpoints each workspace can call.

What APEX 26.1 added (if you are upgrading from 24.x)

If you are coming from APEX 24.2 or earlier, you also get everything from 26.1. The highlights:

Requirements before you install

• Database: Oracle Database 19c or Oracle AI Database 26ai. Apply a recent Release Update on 19c and check the release notes for any specific minimum patch level.
• Web listener: Oracle REST Data Services (ORDS) 26.3 or later.
• Space: plan at least 1 GB free in the tablespace that will hold APEX (often SYSAUX).
• Upgrade path: direct upgrade from APEX 18.1 or later. Older releases must first be upgraded to 24.2.
• Multitenant: install APEX into the pluggable database (PDB) that holds your applications.

Step-by-step: fresh installation

1. Download and unzip

Download apex_26.2.zip from the Oracle APEX downloads page and unzip it to a short path without spaces, for example C:\apex on Windows or /u01/apex on Linux. Also download the latest Patch Set Bundle to apply after installation.

2. Connect to the PDB as SYS

cd C:\apex
sqlplus sys@ORCLPDB as sysdba

If you connect to the root container first, switch with ALTER SESSION SET CONTAINER = ORCLPDB;. Oracle also recommends temporarily disabling password complexity rules on the default profile during installation.

3. Run the installer

-- Full development environment
@apexins.sql SYSAUX SYSAUX TEMP /i/

-- Or: runtime-only environment (apps run but cannot be edited)
@apxrtins.sql SYSAUX SYSAUX TEMP /i/

The parameters are the APEX tablespace, the files tablespace, the temporary tablespace and the image prefix. Keep /i/ as the image prefix to make future upgrades easier.

4. Create the instance administrator

@apxchpwd.sql

Enter the ADMIN username, email and a strong password. You will use it to sign in to Administration Services.

5. Configure the accounts used by ORDS

@apex_rest_config.sql

This sets the passwords for APEX_LISTENER and APEX_REST_PUBLIC_USER. Note them – ORDS needs them.

6. Install or configure ORDS 26.3+

Download ORDS, then run the interactive installer and point it to your PDB:

ords --config C:\ords\config install

Then tell ORDS where the APEX images are and start it:

ords --config C:\ords\config config set standalone.static.context.path /i
ords --config C:\ords\config config set standalone.static.path C:\apex\images
ords --config C:\ords\config serve

Open http://localhost:8080/ords/ for the APEX sign-in page, or http://localhost:8080/ords/apex_admin for Administration Services. In production, run ORDS behind HTTPS (for example with a reverse proxy or a certificate configured in ORDS).

7. Allow outbound network access

For APEX_MAIL, REST Data Sources and AI services, grant the APEX schema network access with an ACL. In 26.2 the schema is APEX_260200:

BEGIN
  DBMS_NETWORK_ACL_ADMIN.APPEND_HOST_ACE(
    host => 'smtp.yourmail.com',
    ace  => xs$ace_type(privilege_list => xs$name_list('connect'),
                        principal_name => 'APEX_260200',
                        principal_type => xs_acl.ptype_db));
END;
/

Grant only the hosts you need. With 26.2 you can also restrict endpoints per workspace.

Upgrading from an earlier APEX release

1. Back up the database (RMAN or Data Pump) and export your applications and workspaces.
2. Upgrade ORDS first to 26.3 or later.
3. Run apexins.sql from the 26.2 folder exactly as for a new installation. APEX creates the new APEX_260200 schema and migrates your applications’ metadata; the old schema stays until you remove it.
4. Copy the new images folder to the location ORDS serves as /i/.
5. Apply the latest Patch Set Bundle.
6. Re-grant ACLs to the new schema name, then test applications, emails, REST calls and printing.

Oracle recommends testing in stages – development, then test, then production. If you upgrade ORDS later or install ORDS after APEX, run sys.validate_apex as SYS. Never modify the APEX folder inside the database Oracle home; use a separate download folder.

Common problems

• SP2-0310: unable to open file “apexins.sql” – you are not in the unzipped folder. Change directory and connect again.
• Images or styles not loading – the ORDS static path does not point to the new images folder, or the browser cache holds old files.
• Emails stuck in the mail queue – missing ACL for the new schema, wrong SMTP settings, or a missing wallet for TLS.
• ORDS cannot connect – check the APEX_PUBLIC_USER, APEX_LISTENER and APEX_REST_PUBLIC_USER accounts are unlocked with the passwords you set.

Should you upgrade now?

For new projects, start on 26.2. For existing production systems, upgrade a copy first, run your regression tests, and plan the move during a quiet period. Teams using Git or AI coding assistants gain the most from APEXlang, and organizations with strict data rules benefit from Deep Data Security.

Setting up a complete server? See our guide to installing Oracle 19c with APEX, ORDS and JasperReports – the steps are the same with the 26.2 files. Preparing for interviews on the new release? Try the APEX interview questions and 100 APEX MCQs.