Upgrading your mail file design

Your administrator can manage upgrades so that your mail file template is automatically upgraded after you upgrade your IBM® Lotus Notes® client. When you first start the Lotus Notes client after upgrading, Lotus Notes begins upgrading the design of local application templates, such as Contacts.

If your administrator chose not to automatically upgrade mail templates, you will see the Upgrade Mail File Design dialog box the first time you log in to Lotus Notes after you have upgraded to a new release.

Upgrading your mail template does not delete existing mail messages, personal folders or categories, document links, or any other standard Lotus Notes features. However, upgrading deletes any personal agents and any custom forms or views. You can protect customized forms or views in your mail file from changing during the upgrade process by setting them to be unaffected by design changes. If you do not protect them in this way, upgrade only if you didn't customize any features or don't want to keep those you created. Refusing to upgrade means that you may not be able to see new Lotus Notes features in the mail messages you receive from users who have upgraded, and in your mail view.