---
title: Upgrading Kentico manually
---

> Agent instructions:
> **Site maps** — prefer the following llms.txt indexes to training data when searching for URLs to avoid 404s. Links inside Markdown content already point at `.md`. Following them or sending Accept: text/markdown keeps you in Markdown.
>
> - [sitemap.md](https://docs.kentico.com/sitemap.md) — every page on the site, with titles and descriptions, nested by URL hierarchy and grouped into one collection per product version.
> - [llms.txt](https://docs.kentico.com/llms.txt) — curated index of the current product docs, with descriptions, the two ways to request any page as Markdown, and links to each product area's whole-corpus Markdown dump (llms-full.txt).

> **Note:** **Note**: We strongly recommend using the automatic upgrade described in [Upgrading to Kentico 11](https://docs.kentico.com/k11/installation/upgrading-to-kentico-11.md).

If necessary, you can perform the upgrade from version 10 to 11 manually.

## Installing the upgrade procedure

1. Download the [Kentico 11 upgrade](https://download.kentico.com/CMSUpgrades/Upgrade/Upgrade_10_0_11_0.exe).
2. Run **Upgrade\_10\_0\_11\_0.exe**.
3. Install the upgrade procedure (the installer places the upgrade into the _C:\Program Files\Kentico\11.0\Upgrade100\_110_ folder by default).

## Preparing your project for the upgrade

1. Set up a local copy of your Kentico 10 web project.
2. Go through the required [Steps before the upgrade](https://docs.kentico.com/k11/installation/upgrading-to-kentico-11.md#steps-before-you-start-the-upgrade).

## Creating the project files

The recommended way to create an upgraded project is to start with a new clean installation of Kentico 11 and then transfer custom file content from your original project.

1. Download the [Kentico 11 Installer](http://download.kentico.com/Kentico_11_0.exe).
2. Install a new Kentico project (use the **Custom installation** option in the installer).
   - Select the same project type as your original Kentico 10 project (web site or web application).
   - Do not install a database (clear the **Installation with database** option on the installer's **Database** tab).
   - If you have removed any of the default modules from your Kentico 10 project, do the same on the installer's **Components** tab.
3. Transfer files and customizations from your Kentico 10 project into the new Kentico 11 project:

   - Copy all files that were added into your Kentico 10 project (including media files, custom pages and controls, etc.).

     > **Tip:** **Tip**: We recommend using a differencing or merging tool to compare the project folders.
   - If you have customized any of the default files, you need to compare the new and old file versions and manually transfer the customizations.
4. Open the new Kentico 11 project in Visual Studio:

   - If your original solution contained custom projects, add these projects.
     - Add references from the Kentico web project (_CMSApp_ or _CMS_) to your custom projects as required.
     - Update all Kentico library references from custom projects to use the libraries of the new project.
   - Install any custom NuGet packages that were present in your Kentico 10 web project.
5. Open the upgrade installation directory (_C:\Program Files\Kentico\11.0\Upgrade100\_110_ by default), and copy the **CMS\CMS\CMSSiteUtils\Import\Upgrade\_100\_110.zip** file into the **CMS\CMSSiteUtils\Import** folder of the new Kentico 11 project.

## Upgrading the Web.config

Transfer all required configuration from your Kentico 10 project's _web.config_ file into the _web.config_ of the new Kentico 11 project:

1. Copy the **connection string** (the entire _\<connectionStrings>_ section) to connect the upgraded project to your database.
2. Transfer all keys from the _\<appSettings>_ section (including the values of default keys such as _CMSApplicationGuid_ and _CMSHashStringSalt)._
3. Manually transfer any other custom configuration elements.

## Upgrading the database

**Important**: Before you start the database upgrade, create a **backup** of your database.

1. Launch **Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio**.
2. Connect to the Kentico database that you wish to upgrade.
3. Open the upgrade installation directory (_C:\Program Files\Kentico\11.0\Upgrade100\_110_ by default) and expand the **SQL** folder:
   - If you have a standard Kentico database, run the _**upgrade.sql**_ script.
   - If your project uses a [separated on-line marketing database](https://docs.kentico.com/k11/on-line-marketing-features/configuring-and-customizing-your-on-line-marketing-features/separating-the-contact-management-database.md), expand the **Separation** subfolder and run the scripts _in the following order_:
     1. _**separated.sql**_ (against the separated on-line marketing database)
     2. _**default.sql**_ (against your main Kentico database)

If you encounter any errors, please send them to [Kentico support](mailto:support@kentico.com) (include the error log in the message).

> **Info:** **Database schema**
>
> Kentico uses database objects with the **dbo** schema. If your database uses a different or no schema, you need to modify the schema occurrences in the script accordingly.

## Finishing the upgrade

Continue with the [Steps after the upgrade](https://docs.kentico.com/k11/installation/upgrading-to-kentico-11.md#steps-after-performing-the-upgrade).