Altium Designer Version Numbering

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Modified by Admin on Sep 13, 2017

From Altium Designer 2013 onward, a simple version scheme is employed to visually indicate the version of Altium Designer currently installed and being used. This scheme reflects the main version of the software, as well as the current update. It replaces the older Platform Version build number displayed in earlier releases of the software, and eliminates having to juggle an update number with that build number (remember Update 24, Platform Version 10.1377.27009?!). Visible on the start-up splash-screen, the title bar, and in the Help » About screen, this simplified version numbering makes it easier to discuss versions in the AltiumLive Forums, and with Altium's Technical Support Teams.

The build number for the current software can still be found in the Help » About screen. Build numbers are also still used for revisions of plugins, but these will only be visible when browsing plugins at the detailed level.

Visual indication of the version of Altium Designer currently installed and being used.

Version Scheme - Explained

Considering Altium Designer version 13.0.12, the version numbering scheme can be broken down as follows:

Main version of the software: 13
Current update to the software: 0
Current Beta update: 12

Each time a new update is released publicly for the software, the middle digit will increment – so 13.1 (first update), 13.2 (second update), 13.3 (third update), and so on.

Where the middle digit is zero (0), this identifies the base version of the software – i.e. no updates have been made to the software yet.

The last digit in the scheme is solely for identifying the version of an update when it is undergoing Beta testing. This holds meaning only for Altium and its Beta Testers during such periods. In terms of talking about the publicly released version of software, and its subsequent updates, use the first two digits only (13.0, 13.1, 13.2, etc...). Reinforcing this, the title bar presents the version in this 2-digit form.