Upgrading FileMaker Pro (Windows)

When the next major version of FileMaker Pro is available, you can use the updater to upgrade your existing installation. Optionally, you can also keep a copy of the previous version.

To upgrade FileMaker Pro:

  1. Do one of the following:

    • Check for Updates: In FileMaker Pro, choose Help > Check for Updates. If an update is available, the Software Update dialog opens.

    • Download Updater: Go to Updates and release notes, download the updater for the version you want to upgrade to, then start the updater.

  2. Follow the onscreen instructions to install the upgrade.

  3. If the updater is for the next major version, the updater asks whether you want to keep the previous version. Choose:

    • Yes to keep the previous version. The updater copies the previous version to a new folder alongside the original and adds a shortcut to it on the desktop. As a result, the original folder will contain the new version, and the previous version will be in the new folder.

    • No to upgrade without keeping the previous version.

    FileMaker Pro in its original folder is upgraded.

If you have problems upgrading FileMaker Pro, visit Customer Support.

To remove the previous version:

If you kept the previous version while upgrading, and later decide to remove it after confirming the new version works as expected, do the following:

  1. Delete the previous version's folder (its name includes the previous version number). It's alongside the original installation folder you want to keep, which includes no version number. For example:

    Keep: C:\Program Files\FileMaker\FileMaker Pro
    Delete: C:\Program Files\FileMaker\FileMaker Pro 22.0.3.300

  2. Delete the desktop shortcut, whose name also includes the previous version number.

Notes 

  • If you chose to keep the previous version, it's a copy of the original folder rather than a separate installation. Therefore:

    • Don't try to uninstall the previous version in Settings > Apps > Installed apps (or Control Panel). It no longer appears in the Windows list of installed apps. Use the method above to remove the previous version.

    • Don't use Check for Updates or an updater to update the previous version. Updates for the previous version are applied to the new version, which can damage it so it won't run.

  • The updater for version 22.0.2 is the first that offers the option to keep the previous version when upgrading.

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