Updating from 3.3.8 to current version 4.1.5

[Seed_Snitcher]

I've been using 3.3.8 for about 5 years and I've got some funds in the wallet although it's been a while since I last updated electrum
and now I'm wondering if with all these bech32 and lightning network implementations would be safe to jump straight from 3.3.8 to 4.1.5 ?

Thanks in advance for any sound advice.

[Charles-Tim]

It will give no issue, you can update. Better to download a new Electrum wallet from https://electrum.org (verify its signature) and import your seed phrase or make use of wallet file, but make sure you have your seed phrase offline with you in case.

[ranochigo]

Why wouldn't it be safe? They are just features being added throughout the different versions, there isn't anything wrong if you don't use them and they don't pose any security risks either.

[DireWolfM14]

I've been using 3.3.8 for about 5 years and I've got some funds in the wallet although it's been a while since I last updated electrum
and now I'm wondering if with all these bech32 and lightning network implementations would be safe to jump straight from 3.3.8 to 4.1.5 ?

Thanks in advance for any sound advice.

You won't have any issues upgrading to the new version.  It does have a couple of extra features, like you've noted, but they will have no affect on your current wallet files.  Electrum does steer users to create bech32 wallets when creating new wallets, but it'll open legacy wallets just fine.  Unless you specifically turn on the lightning feature, you won't see any effect on your wallet.

I suggest you refer to one of the many guides on verifying the integrity of the download, here's one that I wrote.

[BitMaxz]

Are you sure that you use 3.3.8 for almost 5 years? This version was released 2 years ago or according to GitHub Jul 11, 2019 so it's impossible that you use a 3.3.8 5 years ago.
Unless if it's a fake one.

I would suggest you backup everything first the wallet file or seed phrase before you uninstall the 3.3.8 and don't upgrade just install the latest version.

[pooya87]

The Lightning Network features are optional features that you can choose to not-use and they have no effects on the rest of the Electrum wallet's behavior. It is not only safe but also it is best to upgrade to the latest version since it has many improvements and some bug fixes that may affect you depending on your usage.
However make sure to always have a backup of your mnemonic so that you can always recover your funds in case something went wrong whether during the update or any other time.

[HCP]

...with all these bech32 and lightning network implementations would be safe to jump straight from 3.3.8 to 4.1.5 ?

The short answer is... Yes, it'll be fine.


Your wallet file won't be upgraded to use either bech32 or lightning... it will look and function identically to how it does now. The new features are mostly optional extras... except for bech32 being the only option for newly created Electrum seed wallets now.

But, as noted, pre-existing wallets will continue to use the address types they were originally created with.

[Pmalek]

It will give no issue, you can update. Better to download a new Electrum wallet from https://electrum.org (verify its signature) and import your seed phrase or make use of wallet file, but make sure you have your seed phrase offline with you in case.

He won't have to recover his wallet from seed. Even if he uninstalled Electrum and installed the newest version, his old wallet files wouldn't be deleted. As long as he uses the same Electrum source (if he used the Windows installer in the past, he should download the Windows installer for 4.1.5 as well), his wallet files will be found in the same directory as before. The next time he runs the app, he needs to simply enter his old password and that's it. 

[NotATether]

I made a jump from 3.3.x to some 4.0.x version and my wallet was just fine after I made the upgrade. Just make sure you have your seed phrase written down on paper in case something happens to the OS (the program itself should be fine) while you update that messes with your wallet files/folder.

[khaled0111]

He won't have to recover his wallet from seed. Even if he uninstalled Electrum and installed the newest version, his old wallet files wouldn't be deleted. As long as he uses the same Electrum source (if he used the Windows installer in the past, he should download the Windows installer for 4.1.5 as well)

But it is a good practice to always back up your wallet file and/or seed and store them in a different and safe location before updating the app to a newer version.
The reason is that some new versions will modify the wallet file and something might go wrong during the process and thus you want be able to recover your wallet if you didn't back it up properly.

[Pmalek]

But it is a good practice to always back up your wallet file and/or seed and store them in a different and safe location before updating the app to a newer version.

That goes without saying. You should back up your seed and wallet file (if you have to backup the wallet file as well) as soon as you set up a new wallet and before you make your first deposit to it. I didn't feel like mentioning that and expected that the OP had already taken care of that part since it's the most basic thing you should do when dealing with non-custodial wallets.