An upgrade replaces the program, not your data
Subscriptions, profiles, themes and hotkeys live in the user data directory, and a new build installed over the old one leaves that directory alone. So when subscriptions vanish after an upgrade, the upgrade rarely ate them: a portable build and an installed build read different directories, and switching between them looks exactly like a wipe.
Two things before you start. Copy the whole config directory somewhere else, and write down the version you are running. A rollback is only easy when you know which build to return to.
Do not upgrade while the network is down
A new build fetches your subscription on first launch. Without a connection you cannot tell whether the upgrade broke or the link is unreachable.
Shut down, install over, roll back if needed
- 1
Order matters: TUN, system proxy, then quit
Turn TUN off first, then the system proxy, then quit. Closing the window quits nothing: the app drops into the tray and the core keeps running, so right click the tray icon and choose exit. Installing over a live TUN adapter leaves a dead virtual adapter behind and you end up with no internet at all.
- 2
Install on top, then match the service
You do not have to uninstall first; run the new installer against the same location. On Windows, TUN depends on Service Mode, a separate component with its own version. If the TUN switch flips straight back off after an upgrade, the service is still the old one. Reinstall it once from settings.
- 3
Going back: remove the new build first
Uninstall the new version, keep user data when offered the choice, then install the version you wrote down. Never delete the config directory while rolling back. If a profile throws a parse error afterwards, an old core is rejecting a key the new build wrote: restore your backup.
Check these before you trust the new build
Do not switch the proxy on yet. Open the profiles page: the cards should still be there with the same update timestamps, and the node count should match. If both look right, the app is reading the same user directory as before.
- Profile list and node count are unchanged from before the upgrade
- A latency test on the proxies page returns real numbers
- If you use TUN, the switch stays on instead of bouncing back
Common questions
Where did my subscriptions go after upgrading?
Open the config directory from inside the app and compare that path with the one you used before. Portable builds keep data next to the executable, installed builds keep it under your user profile, so swapping between them makes everything look deleted. Copy the old files across.
Can I jump several versions at once?
Yes, and you do not need to step through releases. The wider the gap, the more likely a config key changed, so activate your profile after the first launch and watch for a parse error.