From e9461a333a9de9ac53ebe6e1cd09486be2343382 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: John Newbery Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2017 09:54:05 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] Add instructions for upgrading Bitcoin Core --- en/full-node.md | 21 +++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 21 insertions(+) diff --git a/en/full-node.md b/en/full-node.md index 0b54c165..3fbe3b12 100644 --- a/en/full-node.md +++ b/en/full-node.md @@ -1138,6 +1138,27 @@ The next time you login to your desktop, Bitcoin Core daemon will be automatical {{installFinished}} +## Upgrading Bitcoin Core + +If you are running an older version, shut it down. Wait until it has completely +shut down (which might take a few minutes for older versions), then run the +installer (on Windows) or just copy over /Applications/Bitcoin-Qt (on Mac) or +bitcoind/bitcoin-qt (on Linux). + +The blockchain and wallet files in the data directory are compatible between +versions so there is no requirement to make any changes to the data directory +when upgrading. Occasionally the format of those files changes, but the new +Bitcoin Core version will include code that automatically upgrades the files to +the new format so no manual intervention is required. + +Sometimes upgrade of the blockchain data files from very old versions to the new +versions is not supported. In those cases it may be necessary to redownload the +blockchain. Check the release notes of the new version if you are planning to +upgrade from a very old version. + +Sometimes downgrade is not possible because of changes to the data files. Again, +check the release notes for the new version if you are planning to downgrade. + ## Network Configuration If you want to support the Bitcoin network, you must allow inbound