> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.speckle.systems/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Plan the connector upgrade window

> Update connectors from 1 September 2026, and no later than 1 November 2026.

<Note>
  This is 2026.9 preview documentation. Coverage here is incremental: a page exists only where
  2026.9 differs or is newly documented.
</Note>

2026.9 gives IT teams a dated window to bring connectors current. Update from **1 September
2026**, and complete the estate no later than **1 November 2026**.

For installation, baselines, host support, and the usual update cadence, see [Keep connectors
current across your estate](/it-admin/connector-updates). This page covers only the dated window.

<Warning>
  This window is not a freeze of desktop connectors. Existing connectors keep working for publish
  and load. Compatibility mode is a separate, temporary option for ACC sync and drag-and-drop only.
  See [Compatibility mode for ACC sync and uploads](/next/it-admin/compatibility-mode).
</Warning>

<Warning>
  The Navisworks desktop connector is not in this window. **2026.8** is the last installer. There is
  no 2026.9 package to roll out. Keep a **200 MB** publish on 2026.8. Move larger NWC and NWD files
  to upload (up to **2 GB**) or ACC sync (tested to **6 GB**). A 2026.8 publish uses the current
  data model; server-side conversion to the 2026.9 format is not guaranteed. See [Navisworks in
  2026.9](/next/connectors/navisworks/introduction).
</Warning>

## Why the dates exist

The window opens on **1 September 2026**. Use it to roll updates as routine maintenance rather
than a last-minute project. The backstop is **1 November 2026**, when compatibility mode for ACC
sync and drag-and-drop ends.

Updating in this period gets the performance improvements sooner. You can update earlier than
**1 September 2026** if your change process allows it. Do not plan to still be rolling out after
**1 November 2026**.

## How this differs from the current cadence

The current IT guidance still applies: stay on the current release, and treat quarterly as the
minimum cadence if you cannot approve every release. For 2026.9, **1 November 2026** is a hard
backstop for this window, not a replacement for that standing process.

After **1 November 2026**, return to the cadence in [Keep connectors current across your
estate](/it-admin/connector-updates).

## As an IT administrator

1. Inventory connector versions across the estate. You should have a single target version before
   the pilot starts.
2. Pilot from **1 September 2026** with a small group covering your main host applications. Publish
   and load a representative model, including a large or federated one.
3. Roll forward together so teams do not sit on mixed versions through October. You should see one
   connector generation across the estate.
4. Finish by **1 November 2026**. Record the baseline so the next update starts from a known
   position.

Use the deployment routes already documented: `.exe` for single-user installs, and ZIP for managed
all-user installs. See [Move to a new baseline](/it-admin/connector-updates#move-to-a-new-baseline).

## As a self-hosted server admin

<Note>
  Self-hosted servers are not required to adopt this data model on a fixed date. If your current
  connector and server versions work together, pin both, and keep downstream users on that same
  combination. See [Self-hosted
  servers](/developers/migration/data-model-migration#self-hosted-servers).
</Note>

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Do existing connectors stop working on 1 November 2026?">
    No. Existing connectors keep working for publish and load. The date is the end of the upgrade
    window, and the end of compatibility mode for ACC sync and drag-and-drop. Plan to be current by
    then so you are not rolling out under time pressure.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can we skip September and update everything in late October?">
    The deadline is **1 November 2026**. Starting from **1 September 2026** leaves time to pilot and
    roll forward together. Compressing the work into late October still meets the date, but it
    removes that buffer.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does the quarterly cadence still apply?">
    Yes, as the standing process. This window is a dated exception for 2026.9. After **1 November
    2026**, follow [Keep connectors current across your estate](/it-admin/connector-updates).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Should we deploy a 2026.9 Navisworks connector?">
    No. There is no 2026.9 Navisworks installer. **2026.8** is the last package. Keep a 200 MB
    publish on 2026.8. Move larger files to NWC and NWD upload or ACC sync. See [Navisworks in
    2026.9](/next/connectors/navisworks/introduction).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="We self-host. Does the same window apply?">
    Not as a fixed server-upgrade deadline. Pin the connector-and-server combination that already
    works, and keep downstream users on it. See [Self-hosted
    servers](/developers/migration/data-model-migration#self-hosted-servers).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>