diff --git a/classes/plugin/SafeUpgradeManager.php b/classes/plugin/SafeUpgradeManager.php
index 5131618a..1cb3f373 100644
--- a/classes/plugin/SafeUpgradeManager.php
+++ b/classes/plugin/SafeUpgradeManager.php
@@ -606,9 +606,8 @@ class SafeUpgradeManager
 
         try {
             $file = $this->download($package, $timeout);
-            $this->setProgress('installing', 'Installing update...', 80);
             $this->performInstall($file);
-            $this->setProgress('installing', 'Preparing promotion...', 92);
+            $this->setProgress('installing', 'Preparing promotion...', null);
         } catch (Throwable $e) {
             $this->setProgress('error', $e->getMessage(), null);
 
@@ -620,14 +619,14 @@ class SafeUpgradeManager
             $this->tmp = null;
         }
 
-        $this->setProgress('finalizing', 'Finalizing upgrade...', 95);
+        $this->setProgress('finalizing', 'Finalizing upgrade...', null);
         $safeUpgrade->clearRecoveryFlag();
         if ($this->recovery && method_exists($this->recovery, 'closeUpgradeWindow')) {
             $this->recovery->closeUpgradeWindow();
         }
 
         $this->ensureExecutablePermissions();
-        $this->setProgress('finalizing', 'Finalizing upgrade...', 98);
+        $this->setProgress('finalizing', 'Finalizing upgrade...', null);
 
         $manifest = $this->resolveLatestManifest();
 
@@ -853,7 +852,7 @@ class SafeUpgradeManager
      */
     protected function performInstall(string $zip): void
     {
-        $this->setProgress('installing', 'Unpacking archive...', 82);
+        $this->setProgress('installing', 'Unpacking update...', null);
         $folder = Installer::unZip($zip, $this->tmp . '/zip');
         if ($folder === false) {
             throw new RuntimeException(Installer::lastErrorMsg());
@@ -870,9 +869,9 @@ class SafeUpgradeManager
         }
 
         try {
-            $this->setProgress('installing', 'Running installer...', 85);
+            $this->setProgress('installing', 'Running installer...', null);
             $install($zip);
-            $this->setProgress('installing', 'Verifying files...', 88);
+            $this->setProgress('installing', 'Verifying files...', null);
         } catch (Throwable $e) {
             throw new RuntimeException($e->getMessage(), 0, $e);
         }
diff --git a/themes/grav/app/updates/safe-upgrade.js b/themes/grav/app/updates/safe-upgrade.js
index 646e6eb0..4aa01544 100644
--- a/themes/grav/app/updates/safe-upgrade.js
+++ b/themes/grav/app/updates/safe-upgrade.js
@@ -56,6 +56,8 @@ export default class SafeUpgrade {
         this.statusFailures = 0;
         this.statusContext = null;
         this.statusIdleCount = 0;
+        this.currentStage = null;
+        this.stageEnteredAt = 0;
         this.directStatusUrl = this.resolveDirectStatusUrl();
         this.preferDirectStatus = !!this.directStatusUrl;
 
@@ -124,6 +126,8 @@ export default class SafeUpgrade {
         this.preferDirectStatus = !!this.directStatusUrl;
         this.statusContext = null;
         this.statusIdleCount = 0;
+        this.currentStage = null;
+        this.stageEnteredAt = 0;
         this.renderLoading();
         this.modal.open();
         this.fetchPreflight();
@@ -639,6 +643,11 @@ export default class SafeUpgrade {
         }
 
         const stage = data.stage || 'initializing';
+        if (stage !== this.currentStage) {
+            this.currentStage = stage;
+            this.stageEnteredAt = Date.now();
+        }
+
         const titleResolver = STAGE_TITLES[stage] || STAGE_TITLES.initializing;
         const title = titleResolver();
         let percent = typeof data.percent === 'number' ? data.percent : null;
@@ -648,12 +657,16 @@ export default class SafeUpgrade {
             if (stage === 'initializing') { return percent !== null ? Math.min(percent, 5) : 5; }
             if (stage === 'downloading') {
                 if (percent !== null) {
-                    return Math.min(60, Math.round(10 + (percent * 0.5)));
+                    return Math.min(20, Math.max(5, Math.round(percent * 0.2)));
                 }
-                return 25;
+                return 12;
+            }
+            if (stage === 'installing') {
+                return this.computeSmoothPercent(20, 90, 28, percent);
+            }
+            if (stage === 'finalizing') {
+                return this.computeSmoothPercent(90, 99, 6, percent);
             }
-            if (stage === 'installing') { return percent !== null ? Math.min(Math.max(percent, 80), 94) : 80; }
-            if (stage === 'finalizing') { return percent !== null ? Math.min(Math.max(percent, 95), 99) : 95; }
             if (stage === 'complete') { return 100; }
             if (stage === 'error') { return null; }
             return percent;
@@ -665,11 +678,14 @@ export default class SafeUpgrade {
         const statusLine = job && job.status ? `<p class="safe-upgrade-status">${t('SAFE_UPGRADE_JOB_STATUS', 'Status')}: <strong>${job.status.toUpperCase()}</strong>${job.error ? ` &mdash; ${job.error}` : ''}</p>` : '';
         const animateBar = stage !== 'complete' && stage !== 'error' && percent !== null;
         const barClass = `safe-upgrade-progress-bar${animateBar ? ' is-active' : ''}`;
+        const detailMessage = stage === 'error'
+            ? `<p>${data.message || ''}</p>`
+            : (data.message && stage !== 'installing' && stage !== 'finalizing' ? `<p>${data.message}</p>` : '');
 
         this.steps.progress.html(`
             <div class="safe-upgrade-progress">
                 <h3>${title}</h3>
-                <p>${data.message || ''}</p>
+                ${detailMessage}
                 ${statusLine}
                 ${percentLabel ? `<div class="${barClass}"><span style="width:${percent}%"></span></div><div class="progress-value">${percentLabel}</div>` : ''}
             </div>
@@ -746,6 +762,23 @@ export default class SafeUpgrade {
         this.isPolling = false;
         this.clearPollTimer();
     }
+
+    computeSmoothPercent(base, target, durationSeconds, actualPercent) {
+        const span = target - base;
+        if (span <= 0) {
+            return actualPercent !== null ? Math.min(Math.max(actualPercent, base), target) : base;
+        }
+
+        const elapsed = Math.max(0, (Date.now() - this.stageEnteredAt) / 1000);
+        const progressRatio = Math.min(1, elapsed / Math.max(durationSeconds, 1));
+        let smooth = base + (progressRatio * span);
+
+        if (actualPercent !== null && !Number.isNaN(actualPercent)) {
+            smooth = Math.max(smooth, Math.min(actualPercent, target));
+        }
+
+        return Math.min(smooth, target);
+    }
 }
 
 function basename(path) {
diff --git a/themes/grav/js/admin.min.js b/themes/grav/js/admin.min.js
index 8d48f787..a9cb77b0 100644
--- a/themes/grav/js/admin.min.js
+++ b/themes/grav/js/admin.min.js
@@ -4612,6 +4612,8 @@ var SafeUpgrade = /*#__PURE__*/function () {
     this.statusFailures = 0;
     this.statusContext = null;
     this.statusIdleCount = 0;
+    this.currentStage = null;
+    this.stageEnteredAt = 0;
     this.directStatusUrl = this.resolveDirectStatusUrl();
     this.preferDirectStatus = !!this.directStatusUrl;
     this.registerEvents();
@@ -4680,6 +4682,8 @@ var SafeUpgrade = /*#__PURE__*/function () {
       this.preferDirectStatus = !!this.directStatusUrl;
       this.statusContext = null;
       this.statusIdleCount = 0;
+      this.currentStage = null;
+      this.stageEnteredAt = 0;
       this.renderLoading();
       this.modal.open();
       this.fetchPreflight();
@@ -5101,9 +5105,14 @@ var SafeUpgrade = /*#__PURE__*/function () {
         return;
       }
       var stage = data.stage || 'initializing';
+      if (stage !== this.currentStage) {
+        this.currentStage = stage;
+        this.stageEnteredAt = Date.now();
+      }
       var titleResolver = STAGE_TITLES[stage] || STAGE_TITLES.initializing;
       var title = titleResolver();
       var percent = typeof data.percent === 'number' ? data.percent : null;
+      var self = this;
       var scaledPercent = function scaledPercent() {
         if (stage === 'queued') {
           return 0;
@@ -5113,15 +5122,15 @@ var SafeUpgrade = /*#__PURE__*/function () {
         }
         if (stage === 'downloading') {
           if (percent !== null) {
-            return Math.min(60, Math.round(10 + percent * 0.5));
+            return Math.min(20, Math.max(5, Math.round(percent * 0.2)));
           }
-          return 25;
+          return 12;
         }
         if (stage === 'installing') {
-          return percent !== null ? Math.min(Math.max(percent, 80), 94) : 80;
+          return self.computeSmoothPercent(20, 90, 28, percent);
         }
         if (stage === 'finalizing') {
-          return percent !== null ? Math.min(Math.max(percent, 95), 99) : 95;
+          return self.computeSmoothPercent(90, 99, 6, percent);
         }
         if (stage === 'complete') {
           return 100;
@@ -5136,7 +5145,8 @@ var SafeUpgrade = /*#__PURE__*/function () {
       var statusLine = job && job.status ? "<p class=\"safe-upgrade-status\">".concat(t('SAFE_UPGRADE_JOB_STATUS', 'Status'), ": <strong>").concat(job.status.toUpperCase(), "</strong>").concat(job.error ? " &mdash; ".concat(job.error) : '', "</p>") : '';
       var animateBar = stage !== 'complete' && stage !== 'error' && percent !== null;
       var barClass = "safe-upgrade-progress-bar".concat(animateBar ? ' is-active' : '');
-      this.steps.progress.html("\n            <div class=\"safe-upgrade-progress\">\n                <h3>".concat(title, "</h3>\n                <p>").concat(data.message || '', "</p>\n                ").concat(statusLine, "\n                ").concat(percentLabel ? "<div class=\"".concat(barClass, "\"><span style=\"width:").concat(percent, "%\"></span></div><div class=\"progress-value\">").concat(percentLabel, "</div>") : '', "\n            </div>\n        "));
+      var detailMessage = stage === 'error' ? "<p>".concat(data.message || '', "</p>") : data.message && stage !== 'installing' && stage !== 'finalizing' ? "<p>".concat(data.message, "</p>") : '';
+      this.steps.progress.html("\n            <div class=\"safe-upgrade-progress\">\n                <h3>".concat(title, "</h3>\n                ").concat(detailMessage, "\n                ").concat(statusLine, "\n                ").concat(percentLabel ? "<div class=\"".concat(barClass, "\"><span style=\"width:").concat(percent, "%\"></span></div><div class=\"progress-value\">").concat(percentLabel, "</div>") : '', "\n            </div>\n        "));
       this.switchStep('progress');
       if (stage === 'complete') {
         this.renderResult({
@@ -5187,6 +5197,24 @@ var SafeUpgrade = /*#__PURE__*/function () {
         _this7.steps[handle].toggleClass('hidden', !isActive);
       });
     }
+  }, {
+    key: "computeSmoothPercent",
+    value: function computeSmoothPercent(base, target, durationSeconds, actualPercent) {
+      var span = target - base;
+      if (span <= 0) {
+        if (actualPercent !== null && !Number.isNaN(actualPercent)) {
+          return Math.min(Math.max(actualPercent, base), target);
+        }
+        return base;
+      }
+      var elapsed = Math.max(0, (Date.now() - this.stageEnteredAt) / 1000);
+      var ratio = Math.min(1, elapsed / Math.max(durationSeconds, 1));
+      var smooth = base + ratio * span;
+      if (actualPercent !== null && !Number.isNaN(actualPercent)) {
+        smooth = Math.max(smooth, Math.min(actualPercent, target));
+      }
+      return Math.min(smooth, target);
+    }
   }, {
     key: "stopPolling",
     value: function stopPolling() {