Upgrade Projects

Detailed information on upgrading projects to newer versions of RapidWeaver.

All .rw8 projects will open and work the same in RapidWeaver Classic as they did in RapidWeaver 8. RapidWeaver Classic also shares the same addons folder.

ALL RapidWeaver 8 projects are 100% compatible with RapidWeaver Classic.

When you open an existing RapidWeaver 8 project it will be upgraded to a RapidWeaver Classic project and saved as a copy with the extension .rwc — your original project will not be modified.

Once you've upgraded a project you should remember to always edit and work on the newer ones with the .rwc file extension.

Plugin Compatibility with RapidWeaver Classic

All plugins are compatible with RapidWeaver Classic.

Running Multiple Versions of RapidWeaver

As each version of RapidWeaver is a standalone app, it can easily be installed side-by-side, and can even share the same addons folder. RapidWeaver 8, RapidWeaver Classic, and the forthcoming RapidWeaver Elements can all be installed alongside each other without issue.

Upgrading from RapidWeaver 8 or earlier

This section details how to upgrade your project from earlier versions of RapidWeaver to the latest. You can download older versions of RapidWeaver, along with license numbers in the RapidWeaver FAQ.

RapidWeaver Classic (.rwc)

RapidWeaver Classic Project files use the .rwc file extension.

RapidWeaver 8 (.rw8)

RapidWeaver 8 Project files use the .rw8 file extension.

RapidWeaver 7 (.rw)

Make sure you're running RapidWeaver 7.5.5 (the latest version) - all files must be saved in this version before attempting to upgrade further. If you're using a custom add-on folder location, simply go to RapidWeaver > Preferences > Addons and choose your dedicated add-ons folder.

• Make a copy of your RapidWeaver 7 project file (backup)

• Right-click on your project file and select Open With > RapidWeaver 8

• Your project file will be upgraded to the RapidWeaver 8 format

• Add-ons: You can copy over RapidWeaver 7 add-ons to RapidWeaver 8 by going to RapidWeaver > Copy Addons from RapidWeaver 7

RapidWeaver 6 (.rw6)

Make sure you're running RapidWeaver 6.4 (the latest version) - all files must be saved in this version before attempting to upgrade.

• Make a copy of your RapidWeaver 6 project file (backup)

• Right-click on your project file and select Open With > RapidWeaver 8

• Your project file will be upgraded to the RapidWeaver 8 format

• Refer to our guide on manually copying add-ons over from RapidWeaver 6 to 8

RapidWeaver 5 (.rwsw)

Make sure you're running RapidWeaver 5.4.1 (the latest version) - all files must be saved in this version before attempting to upgrade.

• Make a copy of your RapidWeaver 5 project file (backup)

• Right-click on your project file and select Open With > RapidWeaver 6

• Your project file will be upgraded to the RapidWeaver 6 format

RapidWeaver 4 and earlier

While this technically could be achieved, we'd recommend starting afresh in a modern version of RapidWeaver to take advantage of the 10+ years of enhancements. Take it as an excuse to revamp your site!