# Upgrading Carbon on existing projects

## Upgrading project in-place

Follow these steps to perform the in-place upgrade of your Carbon project:

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### Prerequisites

Prior to commencing the upgrade process, please ensure the following prerequisites are met:

* **Unreal Engine Installation:** Verify that the desired Unreal Engine version is\
  [installed via the Epic Games Launcher.](https://support.carbonforunreal.com/knowledgebase/getting-and-installing-unreal-engine?hsLang=en)
* **Carbon for Unreal Installer:** Obtain the latest Carbon for Unreal installer from the [Carbon Portal](https://portal.carbonforunreal.com/).
* **Custom Modifications (Optional):** If you have made any modifications to Carbon blueprints, it is highly recommended to document these changes (e.g., modifying fixture settings). 
  {% endhint %}

### **Step 1: Close Unreal Engine**

To avoid any issues, ensure that all instances of Unreal Engine are completely saved and closed on your machine. 

### **Step 2: Backup your Project**

Before proceeding with any modifications to your project, create a complete backup of your entire Unreal Engine project folder. **Copy the entire project directory** and paste to a secure and separate location, such as a dedicated "backups" directory.

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It is highly recommended to compress the backup project to a ZIP file to reduce file size and protect your project.
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### **Step 3: Delete the Existing Carbon Plugin**

Navigate to your project's **Plugins** folder, located at `<projectRoot>\Plugins`. Within this directory, locate and delete the **CarbonCore** folder.&#x20;

<figure><img src="https://support.carbonforunreal.com/hs-fs/hubfs/delete.png?width=670&#x26;height=519&#x26;name=delete.png" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

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### **Step 4: Associate Project with New Unreal Engine Version**

At the root of your project folder, locate your project's **.uproject** file. Right click on this file and select the **Switch Unreal Engine version...** option. From the drop-down list that appears, choose the new Unreal Engine version you wish to associate with and use for this project.

![switch Unreal version](https://support.carbonforunreal.com/hs-fs/hubfs/switch%20Unreal%20version.png?width=670\&height=407\&name=switch%20Unreal%20version.png)

![version](https://support.carbonforunreal.com/hs-fs/hubfs/version.png?width=670\&height=403\&name=version.png)

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### **Step 5: Install the New Carbon Plugin**

Execute the Carbon for Unreal installer package. During the installation wizard, it is crucial to select the newly associated Unreal Engine project as the target directory for the plugin installation. For a more thorough walk-through on the Carbon installation process, please follow the article on [Installing Carbon for Unreal.](https://knowledge.carbon.show/carbon-for-unreal/installation/installing-carbon-for-unreal)

### **Step 6: Open Your Upgraded Project**

Once the plugin installation is complete, open your project. You can do this either through the Epic Games Launcher or by double clicking the **.uproject** file. After the project has fully loaded, verify that Carbon for Unreal is installed in your project&#x20;