Installing Multiple Versions of FileMaker Pro on Windows

Resources Tips and Techniques
,
1

If you work with different FileMaker solutions, testing environments, or customer deployments, there may be situations where you need multiple versions of FileMaker Pro installed on the same Windows machine.

Unfortunately, the FileMaker Pro installer is designed to prevent this. When it detects an existing installation, it typically refuses to install another version alongside it.

Fortunately, there is a workaround.

The Installer Check

Windows Installer stores information about installed applications in the registry. One of the registry entries used by FileMaker Pro can cause the installer to believe that a conflicting version is already present.

The following registry key is involved:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Installer\Products\5506C20B206A6CB4D9F4FDBDE0CED029

By renaming this registry key before starting the installation, you can bypass the installer check and allow another version of FileMaker Pro to be installed. The installer will then recreate this registry entry.

Important: Always back up your registry before making changes. Editing the Windows registry incorrectly can cause system issues.

Installation Steps

  1. Close FileMaker Pro if it is running.

  2. Open the Windows Registry Editor (regedit).

  3. Navigate to:

  4. HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Installer\Products\5506C20B206A6CB4D9F4FDBDE0CED029

  5. Rename the registry key. For example, append _backup to the end of the name.

  6. Start the FileMaker Pro installer.

  7. When prompted for the installation location, choose a different program folder, such as:

  8. C:\Program Files\FileMaker Pro 26

  9. Complete the installation.

Why Use a Separate Program Folder?

Installing into a unique folder helps keep the application files for each version separate. This reduces the risk of files being overwritten and makes it easier to identify which version you are launching.

Examples:

  • C:\Program Files\FileMaker Pro 21
  • C:\Program Files\FileMaker Pro 22
  • C:\Program Files\FileMaker Pro 26

When Is This Useful?

Running multiple versions side-by-side can be valuable for:

  • Compatibility testing
  • Development and QA environments
  • Supporting customers on different FileMaker releases
  • Verifying behavior before upgrading production systems

Final Notes

This is an unofficial workaround and is not part of the standard FileMaker installation process. Test carefully in non-production environments before relying on this approach, and keep backups of your system and registry settings.

If you frequently work across multiple FileMaker versions, this simple registry tweak can save time and make side-by-side testing much easier.

4 Likes
2

Additional while not being supported, FileMaker Pro 2026 does install and run on Windows 10.

Since Windows 10 is end of live, I doubt anyone is still using this.

3

Christian, is that a new behaviour for the installer ?

That may explain a problem I had a few years ago.

I brought my computer from Windows 7 to Windows 10. On Windows 7, I had many version of Filmmaker installed, each in their own directory, happily living side by side. Once on Window 10, I could not install old versions like 12 or 13, even using the Windows compatibility mode.

4

See this article:

FileMaker Pro 2025 and Later: Upgrade & Installation Changes on Windows

As you read there, the full installer doesn't allow multiple versions, while the in-product updater may offer that.

I personally always use the full installer as in-app updates broke several installations in the past.

5

I don't see the problem. All you have to do is to use the updater to install a new version, or the installer to install a new version. I mean, replacing a proven piece of software with a new release that is untested, what could possibly go wrong?

Seriously, this cludge of installation methods is bad enough, but in a Remote Desktop or Workspace environment, which we run, it is a complete nightmare. 40-years on and we're discussing editing the registry in Windows!

I hasten to add, great post Christian, but I hope we don't have to refer to this in the future. For anyone who wants to know my actual views on this, pop over to Claris Community (English)

6

Thanks for sharing this @MonkeybreadSoftware - I had tried similar instructions in Claris FileMaker 2025, with good results, and I look forward to seeing how it goes with Claris FileMaker 2026!

7

I'm delighted to say that Christian's registry change (hack?) works for Remote Desktop environments, including our RemoteApp workspaces. No messing around with updaters; make the registry change, run the full installer, select or create a dedicated folder in c:\Program Files\FileMaker\ and install as should be standard practice.

Many thanks @MonkeybreadSoftware for this post, it has overcome the problems caused by the official get arounds.

1 Like
8

I have now seen 2 Windows PCs present a dialogue window that FileMaker Pro needs to do some updates before launching and then overwrite the copy of FileMaker Pro 2025 with FileMaker Pro 2026, so that despite these being located in 'FileMaker Pro 22' and 'FileMaker Pro 26' folders, both are now FileMaker Pro 2026.

I found one of our development PCs in this state, so I couldn't do some problem solving we have with an existing 2025 installation, so I reverted to Parallels and watched this happen.

I believe I used the registry trick to install on both, but cannot be 100% sure.

What is more worrying, is that we have 200 users on Remote Desktop servers and, should this happen we will have a major problem.

Has anyone else seen this?

9

This sounds very worrying. I don't have multiple versions of FileMaker on Windows so can't help on that side. Are you looking at having siloed systems for each version of FileMaker needed?

10

Sounds like someone forgot to deactivate update search for the older versions.

And I assume you remote clients don't have multiple versions, or do they?

11

Malcolm, we support people who have perpetual licenses with expired subscriptions and have not yet been convinced to upgrade from v19, the majority of clients are on 2024, 2025 and as yet nobody on 2026. The vast majority are running Filemaker Pro in Windows, hence the urgency to upgrade is not the same as for macOS.

We even have one customer who informed us 6-years ago that they were replacing our system with an in-house written system that has never worked, so their international offices are still using FileMaker while the head office has reverted to using Word and Excel again. The problem is that the FileMaker system was written many years ago in v15 and continues to run in v15 due to the window handling that changed from MDI to SDI with the release of v16. Any suggestion to modernise this would reveal files that the users have never seen as v15 keeps all files in a single parent window, and this would break all sorts of navigation and modal type windows, let alone dealing with Classic theme. There is no budget to invest in this very complex system, so we just keep supporting them when needed.

So the answer is yes, we need to be able to run entirely separate versions of FileMaker, until we either lose the clients on the older versions, or preferably convince them to modernise.

Regards

Andy

12

Christian, the majority of our clients run FileMaker Pro in Windows workspaces from our cloud RemoteApp servers. Each client uses the same version, but not all clients are using the same versions. Even if every customer was running v2025, we'd need to do a restricted v2026 release to test pilots (guinea pigs​:thinking:) before rolling it out across each company.

Either way, there is no way we will release a new FileMaker version into a production environment without controlled testing. Of course, this also applies to on premises installations.