# Try new features early: the beta channel

> Switch Scalpel to the Beta channel to get new builds before everyone else, what to expect from a beta, and how to go back to Stable when you want to.

Source: https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/beta-channel
Guide 12.3, Licence, updates and account. Intermediate, 4 min read.
Checked with Scalpel 1.12.8 on 2026-10-15. By Scalpel Team.

**In short:**

Open **Settings** > **About**, set **Channel** to **Beta (early builds)** and click **Apply**. Scalpel then offers beta versions (named like 1.13.0-beta.1) as well as stable ones, through the same Update ready pill. To go back, set the channel to **Stable**: you move back onto stable as soon as a stable release passes the beta you are on, or right away with **Go back** while the stable copy is still kept.

The beta channel gets new versions first. In return you are the first to meet their rough edges. A beta becomes the next stable version once it has run on beta without order, position or price-display problems, so beta testers are the people who make stable safe.

**Before you start:**

- Updates working on your computer ([guide 12.2](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/updates)).
- A [Discord](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/discord-support) account, so you can report what you find.

## Should you use beta?

| Beta suits you if | Stay on stable if |
|---|---|
| You want new features days or weeks early | You trade LIVE size and want the fewest surprises |
| You test in SIM before you trade LIVE each morning | You do not have time to check a new build before the open |
| You are happy to report a bug with steps and a log | You run Scalpel on one computer with no fallback |

**This can cost you money.**

A beta can have a bug that affects orders or stops. That is what the beta channel is there to catch. If you trade real money on beta, check each new beta in SIM first, keep your size small until you trust it, and know how to go back a version (below).

A good habit: run beta on one computer and stable on the other. Your licence covers two ([guide 12.1](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/move-licence-new-computer)).

## Switch to beta

### 1. Open Settings > About

Press `Ctrl`+`,` (`Cmd`+`,` on a Mac) and pick **About**.

### 2. Pick the beta channel

Under **Updates**, open **Channel** (1) and choose **Beta (early builds)**. Click **Apply**.

*Screenshot: The Channel list (1): Stable, or Beta (early builds). Demo data.*

### 3. Check for a beta now

Click **Check for updates**. If a beta newer than your version is out, Scalpel downloads it and the status bar shows **Update ready: 1.13.0-beta.1**. Otherwise Scalpel keeps checking every 30 minutes while it runs, so the next beta reaches you without a restart.

*Screenshot: A beta offered through the normal pill. Demo data.*

### 4. Install it when you are flat

Click the pill, read **What's new**, and choose **Restart and update** or **Update when I quit**. The same trading guard as stable applies: no restart with a position, a working order or a live stop open.

## What you get on beta

- **Beta versions and stable ones.** The beta channel offers the newest of both. If a stable fix comes out above your beta, you get it too.
- **Version names with a beta number.** 1.13.0-beta.1, then 1.13.0-beta.2, then the final 1.13.0 on stable. Settings > About and the status bar show the exact build, for example **v1.13.0-beta.2 (c41f0a9)**.
- **Notes in the app.** Each beta's notes are in its What's new window and in the Discord announcement. The [changelog](https://scalpeltrade.com/changelog) on the site lists stable releases only.
- **Betas at any time.** Betas go out when they are ready, so a new one can appear mid-week. Install it after the close, never just before the open.

## Go back to stable

Set **Channel** to **Stable** and click **Apply**. What happens next depends on the version you are on:

| Your situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| You can wait for the final release | Nothing. When the stable version comes out (1.13.0 is newer than any 1.13.0 beta), Scalpel offers it, and from then on you only get stable. |
| You need stable today, and you updated straight from stable to this beta | Settings > About > **Go back to 1.12.6**. Scalpel restarts on the stable version it kept. |
| You need stable today, and the kept copy is another beta | Download the current stable version from your [account page](https://scalpeltrade.com/account) and replace Scalpel with it. Settings, presets and your journal carry over. |

Going back never loses settings: a newer version never changes your settings in a way an older one cannot read.

## Report what you find

Post in the [Discord](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/discord-support) with the exact build from Settings > About, what you did, what you expected and what happened, and the log file (`%APPDATA%\scalpel\data\logs\scalpel.log` on Windows, `~/Library/Application Support/scalpel/logs/scalpel.log` on a Mac). A report with steps gets a fix into the next beta.

## Questions

**Is the beta channel free?**

Yes. Every licence can switch between Stable and Beta at any time in Settings > About.

**Is beta safe for live trading?**

Less safe than stable: a beta can carry a bug that affects orders or stops, which is what the beta channel is for. Check each beta in SIM first and keep size small, or keep LIVE on a computer that stays on stable.

**How do I leave the beta channel?**

Set Channel to Stable in Settings > About and click Apply. You get the next stable release that is newer than your beta, or you can go back right away with Go back to (version) if the kept copy is stable.

**How often do betas come out?**

When they are ready, not on a fixed schedule. Install a new one after the close and check it in SIM before you trade.

**Will I get stable fixes while I am on beta?**

Yes. The beta channel is offered the newest version of either kind, so a stable release above your beta reaches you too.