Upgrade Tableau Server Overview

The topics in this section help you upgrade an existing installation of Tableau Server on Windows. They describe the recommended steps of planning and testing before actually performing the upgrade. There's information about best practices, and when you're ready to actually perform your upgrade, steps for upgrading a single node server and a multi-node installation. Where possible, we call out possible pitfalls and help you to avoid these.

Note: Use Tableau Release Navigator to search for features in Tableau Desktop, Server and Prep or to see a full list of features when comparing your current version of Tableau to a later one.

Looking for Tableau Server on Linux? See Upgrade Tableau Server on Linux(Link opens in a new window).

Choose your upgrade path

Blue/Green upgrades

Blue/green upgrades are a special type of upgrade approach that provides minimal downtime, but requires a knowledgeable IT team and resources to implement. These are not for every organisation, but for those who are equipped to handle them, they can be the right upgrade solution. For more information, see Using a Blue/Green approach for upgrading Tableau Server.

Upgrading in place

Your upgrade steps depend on the version of Tableau Server on Windows you are upgrading from, the version you are upgrading to, and the install location of your existing version. Use the table below to find a link to the steps that apply to your upgrade situation.

Upgrade Type

Current version	Upgrading to version	Install location	Upgrade procedure
What version are you upgrading from?	If you aren't sure how to find your version, see Determine your Tableau Server version below.	If you do not know where Tableau Server is installed, see Determine your Tableau Server install location below.	Upgrade steps to use
2018.2.x or later	2018.2.x or later	default or non-default location	Upgrading from 2018.2 and Later (Windows)
2018.1.x or earlier	2018.2.x or later	default or non-default location	Upgrade from Tableau Server 2018.1.x or Earlier(Link opens in a new window) in the 2021.4 Server Help.

Current version

Upgrading to version

Install location

Upgrade procedure

What version are you upgrading from?

If you aren't sure how to find your version, see Determine your Tableau Server version below.

If you do not know where Tableau Server is installed, see Determine your Tableau Server install location below.

Upgrade steps to use

2018.2.x or later

default or non-default location

Upgrading from 2018.2 and Later (Windows)

2018.1.x or earlier

2018.2.x or later

default or non-default location

Upgrade from Tableau Server 2018.1.x or Earlier in the 2021.4 Server Help.

Determine your Tableau Server version

To see what version of Tableau Server you are running, sign in to Tableau Server and click the information icon ( or ) at the upper right of the Tableau Server window, then click About Tableau Server. Your server version is listed in the About Tableau Server dialog.

Determine your Tableau Server install location

Knowing where your current version of Tableau Server is installed is a key aspect of choosing the right upgrade path. By default Tableau Server version 2018.2 or later is installed to C:\Program Files\Tableau Server\packages\.

Versions before 2018.2 install to C:\Program Files\Tableau\Tableau Server\<version>. For more details about these versions, see Upgrade Tableau Server Overview(Link opens in a new window) in the 2021.4 Server Help.