Wednesday, November 26, 2025

Quick and Safe Upgrade to the New MAXQDA

The new MAXQDA is here! To switch to the latest version, simply download and install the update as you would new software. Don’t worry: the new MAXQDA application will automatically recognize your subscription or organizational license and display all projects you recently worked on in “MAXQDA 24” in the start dialog.

This upgrade is free for all MAXQDA 24 license holders, including 3- and 5-year subscriptions.

 

Easy Installation of the New MAXQDA

To use MAXQDA 26.0 or a newer version, download the appropriate installation file for your operating system (macOS or Windows). The installer is available on the Download Page. For detailed installation steps, please refer to the help article Install MAXQDA.

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For an overview of the current MAXQDA features, please visit the New Features page.

Your Project Files Will Be Automatically Converted

MAXQDA project files use the file extension .mqda. When you open a project created with MAXQDA 24 (.mx24 – or earlier versions up to .mx12), MAXQDA will automatically convert it to the .mqda format upon opening.

When opening a project from one of these versions, MAXQDA reads the data from the original project file and creates a new project in the .mqda format in the same folder. The old project file remains unchanged, ensuring you always have a backup copy in the previous format if needed.

After a project from MAXQDA 24 has been successfully opened and converted, the original entry disappears from the “Recently Opened Projects” list and is replaced by the new .mqda version. This ensures you always access the current project version.

For information on how MAXQDA handles external files, please refer to the help article External Files.

How to Start the New MAXQDA

When you launch MAXQDA 26.0 or later for the first time after upgrading from MAXQDA 24.0 or an earlier version, MAXQDA will automatically transfer your previous settings and recognize your license information. You do not need to reconfigure settings or reactivate your license.

You can use both MAXQDA 24 and MAXQDA 26 versions in parallel. However, we recommend uninstalling MAXQDA 24 after a successful upgrade. No project data will be deleted in this process.

Automatically Transferred Content

MAXQDA transfers the following elements from your previous installation:

  • Program Settings – Your preferences, display options, and general settings are retained. Settings that refer to MAXQDA’s default folders are adjusted to point to the new folders. Custom, user-defined paths remain unchanged.
  • Window Settings – Individually customized window layouts and sizes are preserved.
  • License Information – All license types (single-user, student, or network licenses) are automatically recognized. Manual reactivation is not necessary.
  • Project History – The list of recently used projects appears as usual on the welcome screen.

For more details on upgrading from MAXQDA 24 or older versions, please refer to the MAXQDA Manual Upgrade from Older MAXQDA Versions.

Need more information?

How do I migrate MAXQDA TeamCloud? How do I open projects from previous versions? We answer these and other questions in the FAQs for the New MAXQDA Version (Release 26.0).

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