Upgrading a CAD platform should feel like progress, not a reset. If your BricsCAD setup has grown over months or years, a rushed update can break work and frustrate users.
This BricsCAD upgrade guide shows how to upgrade BricsCAD V26 without losing settings, profiles, or custom files. If you plan a BricsCAD V25 to V26 move, do not trust the installer alone. Use a clear plan: audit first, back up, check your licence, install V26 in a controlled way, then test before rollout.
Many people think an upgrade is just a setup job. In a simple case, that may work. In a real CAD office, it often does not.
A BricsCAD setup can include:
If you miss any of these, users may see missing templates, broken commands, bad plots, lost menus, failed LISP loading, or weak office standards.
BricsCAD profiles can be exported and imported, so they are a key part of a controlled move. But a profile only stores settings and paths. It does not move the files behind those paths. You still need to migrate BricsCAD settings and the custom files those settings use.
Before you install V26, record the current V25 setup. This gives you a baseline and helps you see what must be moved, rebuilt, or left on purpose.
Open BricsCAD V25 and note:
This audit does not need to be complex. A spreadsheet, text file, or internal checklist is enough if it records the paths, file names, and links that matter.
A full backup is the most important step in any move to BricsCAD V26. The goal is simple: if something goes wrong, you can restore the old setup or copy missing files into the new one.
Back up at least these items:
For business-critical work, make two backup copies:
Do not back up drawings only. Drawings are your outputs, but your BricsCAD custom files are the base that keeps your production workflow moving.
Profiles are often the first thing users want to protect. A profile can hold many settings, paths, and interface choices. BricsCAD lets you export a profile to a file and import it later, which makes profile export a useful migration step.
Before you export, tidy the profile if you can:
When you transfer BricsCAD profile settings, remember this: a profile may point to files, but it does not bundle those files. If the profile points to a network support folder, that folder still has to exist and be open to V26. If it points to a local V25 folder, decide whether to copy the files, change the path, or move to a new V26 folder.
A good rule is to export the profile and also back up the folders it uses.
Before you install V26, make sure your licence lets you run it. This matters most for renewal and maintenance customers.
Check:
If your company uses BricsCAD for production work, solve licence questions before the install window. A perfect profile is no help if the user cannot open the software.
For teams, this is also a good time to review licence and Maintenance status. Active BricsCAD Maintenance includes major product upgrades and expert product support. An active BricsCAD subscription provides access to the latest version and includes Priority Support.
One of the biggest choices in a BricsCAD V25 to V26 move is whether to install V26 next to V25 or replace the old version right away.
A side-by-side install is often the safest choice for production teams. It lets users test V26 while V25 stays ready as a fallback.
Choose this option when:
A clean install can help if the old setup is messy, unstable, or full of old files.
Choose this option when:
A clean install does not mean giving up your standards. It means rebuilding the V26 setup on purpose, using only the settings and files you still need.
Once backups and licence checks are done, install V26 with your company’s normal software rollout process. For one PC, that may be a manual setup. For a larger team, it may use IT tools, standard settings, and a staged rollout.
During install:
BricsCAD uses version-specific user folders. For V26, official Octave docs refer to V26-specific root folders and startup folder behavior. That is one reason a planned move is safer than copying folders by hand without knowing what they hold.
After install, open V26 once with the default setup. This lets BricsCAD make its first user folders and default files.
Then import or rebuild your V25 profile in V26. If the profile points to V25 paths, review them at once. Some paths may still work, such as shared network standards folders. Others should be moved to V26-specific folders or company-controlled paths.
Check these items after you import a profile:
If the imported profile shows errors at startup, switch to a clean profile and fix the problem from there. Do not keep working in a profile that reports missing files, bad paths, or failed startup routines.
Support folders are often where upgrade problems hide. A drawing may open fine, but commands, hatches, fonts, plot styles, or routines may fail because V26 cannot find the needed files.
Common BricsCAD custom files to review include:
Octave notes that LISP files may live in more than one folder in the support path, often in a Support folder. So checking one folder is not enough. Use your V25 audit to find every folder involved.
When you move files, do not dump every old file into the new V26 support folder. Instead:
This makes later upgrades easier because your standards stay separate from app defaults.
LISP routines are often key to daily work, but they can also cause upgrade trouble. A routine may depend on a DCL file, a hard-coded folder, an old command name, a drawing variable, or a third-party app.
For each LISP routine, check:
If V26 opens slowly or behaves unexpectedly after the move, test with custom startup routines turned off. BricsCAD has a safe mode startup option that blocks third-party plugin code, enablers, and user LISP files in the current session. That can help isolate startup issues.
Do not approve the move for users until key LISP routines have been tested on real project drawings.
Templates and plotting have a direct effect on outputs. A missing template slows users down. A wrong plot style can affect issued drawings.
Test your standard DWT files by creating new drawings in V26. Confirm:
Then test plotting from existing project drawings. Use at least one simple drawing and one complex drawing with xrefs, multiple layouts, and normal office plot needs.
If your template path changed in the move, update the V26 setting. Do not ask users to browse for it each time.
Interface tweaks are highly visible to users. If a ribbon panel, toolbar, shortcut, alias, or tool palette is missing, users may think the upgrade failed even if the core app is fine.
After you migrate BricsCAD settings, check:
Where you can, keep personal preferences separate from company standards. A CAD manager may want to control shared menus and palettes, while users keep personal interface choices in their own profiles.
Testing should be more than opening one drawing and calling it done. Build a short acceptance test that matches real work.
A simple V26 test can include:
Record every issue, then group the problems by type: licence, paths, missing files, third-party works, profile settings, or user training.
Many BricsCAD V25 to V26 problems come from a few repeat mistakes.
Avoid these:
A good upgrade is not just about saving settings. It is about making sure users can keep working with confidence on day one.
For one user, a careful backup, profile import, and migration of any external custom files or folders referenced by that profile may be enough. For a team, standards matter more.
Think about building:
This is also a good time to clear old clutter. If a routine, template, or plot style has not been used in years, do not move it into V26 just because it is there. Upgrade projects are a good time to simplify the CAD setup.
If BricsCAD is business-critical, do not wait until users are blocked before you ask for help. Renewal and maintenance customers should use support early, especially when upgrading many seats, network licences, or heavily customized setups.
BricsCAD Maintenance includes access to expert product support, while BricsCAD subscriptions include Priority Support. For technical problems, users can submit a OctaveSupport Request. For questions about licence status or the appropriate upgrade path to V26, Octave also recommends checking your licence status and contacting your local reseller. If you are not sure whether to do a clean install, move an old profile, or rebuild custom paths, ask before rollout. A short support talk can save hours of downtime.
Before you move live work to V26, confirm that you have done the basics:
The safest way to upgrade BricsCAD V26 is to treat it as a managed migration, not just a software install. Back up first, check your licence, export your profiles, understand your support folders, move BricsCAD custom files with care, and test the setup before production users depend on it.
For renewal and maintenance customers, this is also a chance to modernize your CAD setup. With the right plan, a BricsCAD V25 to V26 move can keep the settings your users need and give your company a cleaner, more reliable base for future work.
If you are planning an upgrade and want less downtime, talk to your BricsCAD support or account team before you start. A planned move is always easier than an emergency recovery after missing profiles, broken paths, or lost custom files disrupt live projects.
Question: Do BricsCAD profiles include all my custom files, like LISP, CTB/STB, CUI, and templates, when exported?
Short answer: No. Profiles store settings and paths, not the files themselves. You must back up and move the folders those paths point to, such as LISP, plot styles, templates, and CUI files. Export the profile and also copy the custom folders it uses so V26 can reach them.
Question: Should I install BricsCAD V26 next to V25 or replace V25 at once?
Short answer: For most production sites, install V26 next to V25. Side by side installs let you test profiles, templates, plotting, LISP, and add-ons without risk of downtime. Use a clean replacement only if the old setup is messy or unstable and you plan a controlled rebuild.
Question: What should I back up first before upgrading?
Short answer: Back up exported profiles, support folders, app data, templates (DWT), plot styles (CTB/STB), plotter configs (PC3/PMP), LISP/DCL, custom hatches/linetypes/fonts (PAT/LIN/SHX), CUI and partial CUI, tool palettes, block libraries, startup scripts, company standards folders, and any IT-managed registry or rollout settings. Keep two copies: one local and one off-site or in secure cloud storage.
Question: How do I avoid startup errors and missing resources after I import my V25 profile into V26?
Short answer: First open V26 once with the default setup so it creates its user folders. Then import the profile and check the paths right away: support search order (SRCHPATH), template path, plot styles, printer configs, tool palettes, CUI links, trusted locations, and startup routines. If errors appear, switch to a clean profile and fix the missing files or paths before you go on.
Question: What is the best way to test that my moved setup is ready for live work?
Short answer: Run a short test that matches real work: check that the right profile loads, open current and archived drawings, create a new file from your DWT, run key LISP, insert standard blocks, verify hatches/linetypes/fonts, use palettes, plot or publish to the standard output, save and reopen, and restart to confirm the settings stay in place. Log any issues and keep V25 ready until V26 passes.
