# Updates: how Scalpel updates itself > Scalpel downloads updates in the background and installs only when you choose: Update ready, What's new, restart or install on quit, and going back. Source: https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/updates Guide 12.2, Licence, updates and account. Beginner, 6 min read. Checked with Scalpel 1.12.8 on 2026-10-15. By Scalpel Team. **In short:** Scalpel checks scalpeltrade.com for a new version when it starts and every 30 minutes while it runs, downloads it in the background, and shows **Update ready** in the status bar. Click it to read what is new, then choose **Restart and update** or **Update when I quit**. It never installs on its own, and it will not restart while you have a position, a working order or a live stop. Updates are built around one rule: nothing changes under you during a session. There is no pop-up, no forced restart and no install in the middle of a trade. You see one quiet pill and one toast, and you decide when. Every update is included in your licence. **Before you start:** - A licensed copy of Scalpel ([guide 1.3](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/activate-licence)). - On Windows, Scalpel in a folder you own, such as your desktop or Documents (not Program Files). On a Mac, Scalpel in **Applications**. ## What happens, step by step | When | What Scalpel does | What you see | |---|---|---| | About 20 seconds after it starts, then every 30 minutes | Asks scalpeltrade.com whether there is a newer version on your channel | Nothing, unless there is one | | A newer version exists | Downloads it in the background and checks its signature and checksum | The pill counts **Downloading 1.13.0: 42%** | | Download checked | Places the new version next to the running one, untouched until you choose | **Update ready: 1.13.0** in the status bar, and one toast | | You choose to install | Swaps the versions and restarts, or waits until you quit | **Scalpel updated from 1.12.6 to 1.13.0** after the restart | You never need to restart Scalpel to find an update: a running copy hears about a new version within half an hour, and **Check for updates** in Settings > About checks at once. Each release is signed with Scalpel's own release key. Scalpel refuses a download whose signature or checksum does not match, so a damaged or tampered file is never installed. ## Install an update ### 1. Spot the pill When the download is ready, the status bar along the bottom shows **Update ready: 1.13.0** in blue (1), and a toast says "Scalpel 1.13.0 is ready. It installs when you restart." Keep trading: nothing has changed yet. *Screenshot: The pill sits on the right of the status bar, next to your version (1). Demo data.* ### 2. Read what is new Click the pill. **What's new in 1.13.0** lists the changes in plain words. If you skipped some versions, it shows the notes of each one in between, newest first. Long notes scroll inside the card, so the buttons always stay in view. *Screenshot: What's new, flat and ready to restart: Restart and update, Update when I quit, and Skip this version. Example release notes.* ### 3. Choose when to install - **Restart and update**: Scalpel saves everything, closes, swaps in the new version and starts again in a few seconds. It reconnects to TWS or IB Gateway by itself. - **Update when I quit**: the pill changes to **Update 1.13.0 installs when you quit**. The update goes in when you close Scalpel, and the next start is the new version. Use this mid-session. - **Skip this version**: the pill goes away until a newer version comes out. **Check for updates** in Settings > About still offers it if you change your mind. ### 4. Confirm the new version After the restart a toast reads **Scalpel updated from 1.12.6 to 1.13.0**. The status bar and **Settings** > **About** show the new version and build, for example **v1.13.0 (8b1e2d4)**. ## The trading guard **Restart and update** is greyed out while Scalpel has an open position (in either mode, or anything open on your IBKR account), a working order, or a live stop. Your stops are watched by Scalpel itself, not held at Interactive Brokers, so they stop being watched while it restarts ([guide 5.1](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/how-stops-work)). The window says why: *Screenshot: With a position open, Restart and update is disabled and the reason is shown. Update when I quit is always available. Example release notes.* Flatten and cancel, then restart, or pick **Update when I quit** and carry on. ## Updates in Settings > About Open **Settings** (`Ctrl`+`,`) > **About**. The **Updates** block has everything: *Screenshot: Settings > About, Updates outlined: the channel, automatic download, the status line, Check for updates and Go back. Demo data.* | Control | What it does | Default | |---|---|---| | **Channel** | **Stable** for everyone, or **Beta (early builds)** for new versions first ([guide 12.3](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/beta-channel)) | Stable | | **Download updates automatically** | Off: the pill says **Update available: 1.13.0**, and the download starts when you click **Download** in What's new | On | | Status line | "Scalpel 1.12.6 is up to date (checked 12 minutes ago).", "Downloading version 1.13.0 (42%).", "Version 1.13.0 is ready. It installs when you restart Scalpel." or why the last update failed | | | **Check for updates** | Checks now; a toast says "Scalpel 1.12.6 is up to date" if there is nothing new | | | **Go back to 1.12.5** | Restores the version you had before the last update, then restarts. Shown only while that copy is kept | | Channel and automatic download are saved when you click **Apply**. ## Going back a version After an update, Scalpel keeps the previous version until the next one. If something about the new version gets in your way, click **Go back to 1.12.5** in Settings > About. The same trading guard applies: flatten first. Scalpel restarts on the old version and skips the one you left, so it is not offered again automatically. Your settings carry over both ways. Scalpel also protects you from a version that will not start: if a new version fails to come up twice, the third start puts the previous version back by itself and says "Version 1.13.0 did not start, so Scalpel went back to 1.12.6". The failure is reported so it gets fixed. ## Urgent updates A release that fixes a bug that can affect your orders is marked critical. Its pill turns amber with an alert icon, the toast is amber, and the notes open with "This update fixes a problem that can affect your orders. Install it before your next session." If your version is ever below the minimum supported one, a banner under the header says "This version of Scalpel has a problem that affects your orders. Update before you trade." with **See the update**. Neither blocks a session in progress. *Screenshot: A critical update: the pill turns amber. Demo data.* ## What can go wrong - **The update fails or keeps waiting.** Usually Scalpel cannot write to its own folder (Program Files, a read-only drive) or, on a Mac, is running from the disk image or Downloads. The status line says so. Move Scalpel and start it from there, or download the new version from your account page. See [guide 13.11](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/fix-update-failed). - **Restart and update is grey.** The trading guard: something is open. Close it, or use **Update when I quit**. - **"Could not check for updates. Try again later."** scalpeltrade.com could not be reached. Scalpel keeps working; it tries again at the next check. Release notes for every stable version are on the [changelog](https://scalpeltrade.com/changelog). New releases are also announced in the [Discord](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/discord-support). ## Questions **Does Scalpel update itself while I am trading?** No. It downloads in the background but only installs when you click Restart and update, or when you quit after choosing Update when I quit. Restart and update is blocked while you have a position, a working order or a live stop. **Are updates free?** Yes. Every update is included in the one-off licence. **How often does Scalpel check for updates?** About 20 seconds after it starts, then every 30 minutes while it runs, and at once whenever you click Check for updates in Settings > About. You never need to restart it to find an update. **Can I go back to the previous version?** Yes, while it is kept: Settings > About > Go back to (version). Scalpel keeps the version you had before the last update until the next one installs. **Do I lose my settings when I update?** No. Settings, presets, hotkeys, layouts, the SIM account and your journal all carry over, and an older version can still read them if you go back. **Can I turn updates off?** You can turn off automatic downloads in Settings > About, so nothing downloads until you click Download. Scalpel still checks, so you hear about urgent fixes.