--- title: Upgrade InfluxDB 3 Explorer description: Upgrade InfluxDB 3 Explorer to v1.11 or later without losing dashboards or saved queries, bring earlier work onto a signed-in account, and re-enter saved keys. url: https://docs.influxdata.com/influxdb3/explorer/install/upgrade/ estimated_tokens: 1545 product: InfluxDB 3 Explorer version: explorer publisher: InfluxData canonical: https://docs.influxdata.com/influxdb3/explorer/install/upgrade/ date: '2026-11-12T08:58:16-06:00' lastmod: '2026-11-12T08:58:16-06:00' --- * Explorer v1.11+ > [!Important] > #### How you install Explorer depends on your InfluxDB 3 server > > Starting with InfluxDB 3 Enterprise v3.11, Explorer is included with > the server and runs as WebAssembly (WASM)–there’s no separate > container to install. Docker is required for InfluxDB 3 Core and > Enterprise earlier than v3.11, and remains an option for later > Enterprise releases. See[Install Explorer](/influxdb3/explorer/install/) to find the > instructions for your server. InfluxDB 3 Explorer v1.11 adds[user authentication](/influxdb3/explorer/authentication/). When you upgrade from an earlier version, Explorer keeps your existing data. If the InfluxDB 3 server requires users to sign in, each browser can move its earlier work onto the account that signs in from it. * [Before you upgrade](#before-you-upgrade) * [What happens to existing data](#what-happens-to-existing-data) * [Bring your earlier work across](#bring-your-earlier-work-across) * [Re-enter saved keys](#re-enter-saved-keys) * [Resolve “Explorer’s data belongs to another deployment”](#resolve-explorers-data-belongs-to-another-deployment) * [Servers that don’t require sign-in](#servers-that-dont-require-sign-in) For the integrated Explorer UI in InfluxDB 3 Enterprise, see[Migrate data from the 3.11 UI](/influxdb3/enterprise/admin/explorer-ui/#migrate-data-from-the-311-ui)in the InfluxDB 3 Enterprise documentation. ## Before you upgrade If you run the [Explorer Docker container](/influxdb3/explorer/install/docker/): * **Keep the same `SESSION_SECRET_KEY`.**Explorer uses the session secret to recognize each browser and match it to the work saved from that browser before the upgrade. If the session secret changes, or if you didn’t set one, Explorer can’t match a browser to its earlier work. See [Environment variables](/influxdb3/explorer/install/docker/#environment-variables). * **Keep the mounted `/db` directory.**See [Persist data across restarts](/influxdb3/explorer/install/docker/#persist-data-across-restarts). * **Check file ownership** if you upgrade from v1.6 or earlier. See [Set file permissions for upgrades](/influxdb3/explorer/install/docker/#set-file-permissions-for-upgrades). ## What happens to existing data When Explorer v1.11 or later starts for the first time, it copies the existing data to a backup inside its database before it changes the database for user accounts. Earlier work stays in that backup until a browser brings it across. ## Bring your earlier work across The first time someone signs in from a browser that used Explorer before the upgrade, Explorer displays **Bring your earlier work across?**The dialog lists what the browser holds, such as dashboards, saved queries, query history, and connections. * Click **Bring it across** to move the work onto your account. Explorer then displays **Your earlier work is here**. * Click **Leave it** to keep your account empty. Nothing is deleted either way, and Explorer asks only once in each browser. If some dashboards were built against a different server than the one you signed in to, the dialog says so. Those dashboards keep their cells and queries, but the queries might name databases that don’t exist on the current server. ## Re-enter saved keys Explorer never brings saved keys and tokens across. After you bring your work across, re-enter the keys that the dialog lists: | Key | Where to enter it | |------------------------|---------------------------------| | AI API key |**Configure** \> **Integrations**| | Grafana API token |**Configure** \> **Integrations**| | Database token | **Configure** \> **Servers** | |Object store credentials| **Configure** \> **CL Builder** | When the server requires sign-in, Explorer connects with each user’s own credentials, so users don’t need a database token to query the server they signed in to. ## Resolve “Explorer’s data belongs to another deployment” If Explorer’s stored data was created on a different InfluxDB 3 cluster than the one it’s connected to now, Explorer displays**Explorer’s data belongs to another deployment** instead of the **Sign in**page. Nobody can sign in until a user with the **Admin** role decides what happens to the data. If the current cluster doesn’t have any users yet, Explorer opens the setup page instead, and creating the first user there resets the data without asking. For a restored cluster whose user IDs identify the same people, create the first user with the `influxdb3` CLI to keep the data. See [Set up the first user](/influxdb3/explorer/authentication/set-up-first-user/). > [!Warning] > #### Reset deletes every user’s Explorer data > > **Reset the data** deletes the query history, dashboards, connections, > AI and Grafana settings, and chat history of every user. > You can’t undo a reset. To resolve the deployment mismatch: 1. Select one of the following: * **Keep the data**: the current cluster was restored from the previous one, and its user IDs identify the same people. * **Reset the data**: this is a different cluster. Explorer starts empty for everyone. 2. Enter the **Username** and **Password** of a user with the **Admin** role. 3. Click **Continue**. If you selected **Reset the data**, click **Reset data** to confirm. The decision requires a username and password. A server that signs users in only through an identity provider can’t complete it in Explorer. ## Servers that don’t require sign-in If the InfluxDB 3 server doesn’t require sign-in, Explorer restores each browser’s earlier work automatically and doesn’t display**Bring your earlier work across?** #### Related * [Authentication](/influxdb3/explorer/authentication/) * [Migrate data from the 3.11 UI](/influxdb3/enterprise/admin/explorer-ui/#migrate-data-from-the-311-ui) | Key | Where to enter it | | --- | --- | | Key | Where to enter it | | AI API key | Configure > Integrations | | Grafana API token | Configure > Integrations | | Database token | Configure > Servers | | Object store credentials | Configure > CL Builder |