Installing FileMaker Pro updates or upgrades (macOS)

Within FileMaker Pro, users can check for updates to the current version or for upgrades to the next major version and install them by choosing Help > Check for Updates. To disable this feature when you first install, see Setting personalization properties in Assisted Install.txt. Users must have an internet connection to update FileMaker Pro.

If you'd rather control when users receive an update or upgrade, you can install it manually on individual computers or deploy it to multiple computers. You can use either of the following:

  • The updater: a smaller download that updates or upgrades an existing FileMaker Pro installation in place. Use the updater to move users to the later version when you don't need to keep the previous version. To keep the previous version, make a copy of it before you run the updater.

  • The full application: a larger download that installs FileMaker Pro whether or not it's already installed. Use the full application to install FileMaker Pro on a computer that doesn't already have it, or to keep the previous version by installing the later version as a separate copy.

For more on how upgrading works, see the following in FileMaker Pro Installation Guide:

To install an update or upgrade manually:

  1. Download the updater (ProductUpdaterName.zip) from Updates and release notes.

  2. Quit FileMaker Pro.

  3. Double-click the ProductUpdaterName.zip file.

    The files are extracted to the ProductUpdaterName folder in the same location as the .zip file.

  4. In the ProductUpdaterName folder, double-click the .pkg file.

  5. Follow the onscreen instructions.

  6. To verify that the update or upgrade was successful, open FileMaker Pro, choose FileMaker Pro > About FileMaker Pro, and check the version number.

To prepare a full application package for upgrading multiple computers:

Create a customized package that contains the full application. It installs on computers with or without an existing version of FileMaker Pro.

  1. Follow steps 1 through 3 of Creating a customized FileMaker Pro .pkg file (macOS) to copy the files to the working folder.

  2. (Optional) To keep the previous version on each computer, rename the FileMaker Pro.app bundle to include the version number—for example, FileMaker Pro 26.app. The package then installs the later version as a separate app bundle (for example, /Applications/FileMaker Pro 26.app), leaving the previous version in place.

  3. Return to step 4, then complete the remaining steps to create the package.

    If you renamed the app bundle as in the example in step 2 above, the script creates a customized FileMaker Pro 26ARD.pkg file in the working folder.

The package is ready to deploy to your users' computers. See Deploying a FileMaker Pro .pkg file (macOS).

To prepare the updater package for updating or upgrading multiple computers:

The updater package is a smaller download, but it updates or upgrades FileMaker Pro in place and doesn't keep the previous version.

  1. Download the updater (ProductUpdaterName.zip) from Updates and release notes.

  2. Double-click the .zip file to extract the .pkg file.

The package is ready to deploy to your users' computers. See Deploying a FileMaker Pro .pkg file (macOS).

Notes 

  • On each computer, the updater installs only if an eligible version of FileMaker Pro is already installed, FileMaker Pro isn't running, and the computer meets the minimum macOS requirement.