Elasticsearch Upgrade (Windows)

This article provides detailed instructions to upgrade Elasticsearch on a Windows environment. It includes all necessary preconditions, step-by-step upgrade actions, and post-upgrade validation procedures to ensure a reliable transition with minimal downtime and no data loss.

Prerequisites

• Administrative access to the Windows system.

• A stable internet connection for downloading the upgrade package.

• Sufficient disk space to hold both the current and new Elasticsearch installations and their data.

• Backup of the following directories from the existing Elasticsearch installation:

  • config

  • data

  • logs

Upgrade Steps

Target Example: Upgrade from version 7.17.26 to 7.17.28. The same steps apply for similar version upgrades.

• Stop the Existing Elasticsearch Service

  • Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.

  • Locate the Elasticsearch service.

  • Right-click the service and select Stop.

    
• Download the New Elasticsearch Version

  • Download the .zip package for the new version: Elasticsearch 7.17.28 Windows x86_64

    

• Extract the New Version

  • Extract the .zip file to a new directory, for example:

    Copy

    C:\elasticsearch-7.17.28

    
• Migrate Configuration and Data

  • Copy the following from the old installation (e.g., C:\elasticsearch-7.17.26) :

    • config\elasticsearch.yml

    • config\jvm.options

    • Entire data directory

    

    
• Paste them to the new installation (C:\elasticsearch-7.17.28)

  

  
• Remove the Old Elasticsearch Windows Service

  • Open Command Prompt as Administrator.

  • Navigate to the old installation’s bin directory and remove the service:

    Copy

    cd C:\elasticsearch-7.17.26\bin
    elasticsearch-service.bat remove

    

    
• Install the New Version as a Windows Service

  • From the same Command Prompt, navigate to the new installation’s bin directory and install the service:

    Copy

    cd C:\elasticsearch-7.17.28\bin
    elasticsearch-service.bat install

    

    
• Start the New Elasticsearch Service

  • Open services.msc.

  • Locate the Elasticsearch service (now pointing to the new path).

  • Right-click the service and select Start.

    
• Verify the Upgrade

  • Access the Elasticsearch API using a browser, curl, or Postman:

    Copy

    http://localhost:9200

    
  • The response should include the upgraded version:

    Copy

    {
      "name" : "YOUR-NODE-NAME",
      "cluster_name" : "elasticsearch",
      "cluster_uuid" : "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
      "version" : {
        "number" : "7.17.28"
      }
    }article 

    

Copyright © 2025, OvalEdge LLC, Peachtree Corners, GA, USA.