Can I have 2 versions of Blender on one computer without buggering things up? I now have v2.82 and would like to try .91. I'm still learning it though, and older tutorials are often difficult with the newer programs until I get them all figured out (as if that ever really happens:). Thank you!

Yes. In fact, you can have dozens of versions of Blender running at the same time on your system if you wanted to. I wouldn't recommend that, of course, but it's possible. As long as you download the portable zip version, you can run concurrent instances of different versions on the same machine. You can even run them from external drives or thumb drives if you have a USB 3.1 connection.

The trick is to be sure you include a folder called "config" in the same location as your "datafiles", "python", and "scripts" folders. The path ./|BLENDER_VERSION|/ is relative to the Blender executable. Blender will look for a folder called "config" in that location first. If it doesn't find one there, it will create one in the local user profile location of your Windows system (assuming you are running Windows). macOS stores the Blender binary in ./blender.app/Contents/MacOS/blender.

If you installed the executable version, then your config for that is located in the local user profile location by default, so any new version you download needs to be the portable zip version, and you need to manually create a folder in the relative path I mentioned, or it will seek out the default config file from the executable location and screw you all up.

I think Lobo3433 has a tutorial in his store on running multiple versions of Blender if you prefer a detailed, thorough explanation on how to do it.

Thank you. I'll give this a try.

Here's a screencap to show exactly where to make the config file. Do this for every new portable instance of Blender, and you shouldn't have any problems.

Yes, I have older versions on my computer as well as the newer versions

Without doing anything special, I currently have 2.79 and 2.83 both running on my PC. It was not a problem. I don't recall multiple versions ever actually being a problem, but I guess the more versions the more trouble?

Each version of Blender will store the config file in different locations, so running 2.79 and 2.83 together shouldn't be an issue, even if you don't do anything special to set them up. However, if you want different iterations of the same version (like 2.83.3 and 2.83.6 and 2.83.1) then you'll need to add the new config file manually, or they will all share the same configurations, which could screw it up. Same goes for 2.9, 2.9.1, etc.

Three versions here. 2.49b cause that's probably what was current when I got this PC, I think its installed with the .exe. Then portables for 2.66 which is the last version I was using for sculpting [I was having lag issues with the sculpting engine in the 2.7x builds] and 2.79 I think, as I wasn't in any hurry to move the newer UI at the time.

Everything should come as portables, so much nicer to deal with, no borked installs to worry about, or partial uninstalls that leave files strewn all over the place, just unzip and go.

Yep, portable versions are the way to go. However, if you really want to maintain the clean install, creating the config folder as described above will help. You can read about the proper portable installation here, including the tip for the local config folder to keep all addons and custom info in the localized folder with that executable. If you don't create it in the local location, it will automatically create one in the user profile location for Windows install, which could conflict with previous versions and makes things a little messy to remove later.

https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/getting_started/installing/windows.html

LuxXeon posted at 4:52PM Wed, 13 January 2021 - #4410200

Each version of Blender will store the config file in different locations, so running 2.79 and 2.83 together shouldn't be an issue, even if you don't do anything special to set them up. However, if you want different iterations of the same version (like 2.83.3 and 2.83.6 and 2.83.1) then you'll need to add the new config file manually, or they will all share the same configurations, which could screw it up. Same goes for 2.9, 2.9.1, etc.

Thanks for the info! :)

This is One of the** many reasons** I dumped Maxon C4D for Blender

I am about to purchase Decal machine to compliment my Hardops/boxcutter tool set.

Even if ,by chance some future, super nodes only, version of blender Breaks these plugins, or the Devs Stop supporting (or Die).

I can still fire up my older versions and use my plugins in production and even re-download older version installers if /when I buy a new PC.

long live Blender.?

Duplicate deleted

I am currently running 20 versions of Blender on their own dedicated SSD based on LuxXeon info and the Tutorial I wrote that is available in my Renderosity (thanks for the plug LuxXeon) it is perhaps the extremist Blender set up but it is the best way for not only still use things I created in previous versions but the best way I found to be able to answer questions that sometimes come up in the forum. One recommendation is if building this type of Blender flow use major releases and I also use a free launcher application I personally use Launch Bar Commander that is also Freeware available at Donation Coder

@Lobo3433 Wow, Jose. That's a unique and interesting setup. I typically keep two or 3 versions handy, but I like how you managed this. Very clever. If anyone ever wanted to do benchmark tests comparing old render engines in Blender to recent ones on the same hardware, you have the ideal system for that ready to go.

LuxXeon posted at 8:37PM Thu, 14 January 2021 - #4410323

@Lobo3433 Wow, Jose. That's a unique and interesting setup. I typically keep two or 3 versions handy, but I like how you managed this. Very clever. If anyone ever wanted to do benchmark tests comparing old render engines in Blender to recent ones on the same hardware, you have the ideal system for that ready to go.

I think sometimes I am a gluten for punishment but with the newer versions of Blender updating has been a little easier I do not create a new folder if it is with in the same series like 2.83 is the LTS series so anything new for that series I just copy and paste the files into the existing folder so I do not have to re-add all my extra addons same goes for 2.90 and 2.91 Plus it really has come in handy with files created in previous version like there were some major UI changes between 2.63 and and 2.7 things were moved around tools were in different places never thought about setting up benchmark test maybe I might currently playing with side project with Raspberry PI and might do a cluster just to keep me mentally busy lol