Updating

Updates are free for the lifetime of the product. When a new version is available, download it and follow the steps below.

Checking your current version

Your current version is shown at the bottom-right of the Studio screen in the status bar. You can also find it in the VERSION file in your installation root.

In-App Update (recommended)

1. Download the latest .zip release
2. Log in to VoxelSite Studio at yourdomain.com/_studio/
3. Go to Settings
4. Scroll to the Update section
5. Click Choose File and select the .zip you downloaded
6. Click Upload & Update
7. Wait for the confirmation message — it will show how many files were updated
8. Click Reload Studio to load the new version

That's it. VoxelSite overwrites its own system files while preserving everything you've created.

Upload too large? If your hosting limits the upload size and the zip is rejected, use the FTP Upload method below instead.

FTP Upload + In-App Apply

If your hosting's PHP upload limit is too low for the zip file, you can upload it via FTP and apply it from the Studio:

1. Download the latest .zip release
2. Connect to your server via FTP/SFTP
3. Upload the .zip file (don't extract it) to the /dist/ folder in your VoxelSite installation root. Create the folder if it doesn't exist.
4. Log in to VoxelSite Studio at yourdomain.com/_studio/
5. Go to Settings and scroll to the Update section
6. The uploaded zip will appear automatically with its version number and an Apply Update button
7. Click Apply Update and confirm
8. Wait for the confirmation message, then click Reload Studio

This method bypasses the PHP upload limit entirely since the file is already on the server. After the update completes, you can delete the .zip from /dist/ to save disk space.

What is preserved

All update methods preserve your content and data:

Manual Update (FTP)

Use this method as a last resort — for example, if neither of the methods above work for your hosting setup.

1. Download the latest .zip release
2. Extract it on your computer
3. Upload the following directories to your server via FTP/SFTP, overwriting the existing ones:
   • _studio/engine/
   • _studio/ui/
   • _studio/api/
   • _studio/static/
   • _studio/prompts/
   • _studio/templates/
   • vendor/
4. Upload the following root files, overwriting the existing ones:
   • _studio/index.php
   • _studio/install.php
   • _studio/.htaccess
   • submit.php
   • mcp.php
   • VERSION
5. Do NOT overwrite these directories:
   • _studio/data/ — your database and settings
   • _studio/preview/ — your website pages
   • _studio/revisions/ — your undo history
   • _studio/snapshots/ — your snapshots
   • assets/ (except assets/icons/) — your uploaded content
   • _data/ — your form submissions
6. Visit yourdomain.com/_studio/ to verify

Backup first

While the updater is designed to be safe, it's good practice to back up before major updates:

• _studio/data/ — database and configuration
• _studio/preview/ — your website pages
• assets/ — uploaded images, files, and fonts
• _data/ — form submissions

Most hosting control panels have a one-click backup option, or you can download these directories via FTP.

Troubleshooting

Upload fails or times out — Your hosting may limit upload size or execution time. Try the FTP Upload + In-App Apply method above — upload the zip to /dist/ via FTP and apply it from the Studio. Alternatively, ask your hosting provider to increase upload_max_filesize and max_execution_time in PHP settings.

"This doesn't look like a VoxelSite update package" — Make sure you're uploading the original .zip release, not a file you re-zipped yourself. The updater looks for a VERSION file inside the zip to verify it's genuine.

ZipArchive error — The ZipArchive PHP extension is required and checked during installation. If you see this error after a server migration or PHP upgrade, ask your hosting provider to re-enable it.

White screen after update — Clear your browser cache (Ctrl+Shift+R or Cmd+Shift+R) and reload. If the issue persists, check your hosting error log for PHP errors.