How to Update Drake Software? A Complete Step-by-step Guide

You’re mid-season, a client is sitting across from you, and Drake throws up an update prompt you’ve never seen before. Do you click yes and risk losing your session, or dismiss it and keep filing on a stale version? Knowing exactly what Drake’s update process does — and when to trigger it — means that moment never catches you off guard.

This guide covers both the manual and automatic update paths for Drake Tax, touches on Drake Accounting’s slightly different workflow, and explains when outsourcing update management entirely makes more sense than doing it yourself.

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Why Skipping Updates Costs More Than the Two Minutes They Take

Drake releases mid-year patches when the IRS revises forms, adjusts e-file schemas, or updates processing rules. Filing on an outdated build isn’t just a workflow inconvenience — it can produce rejected returns. The IRS doesn’t care that your update was pending. Beyond form changes, updates fix calculation bugs that, if you’re unlucky, you won’t catch until a client calls.

For a firm filing hundreds of returns, one corrupt e-file rejection tied to an unpatched form can cost more time than a full tax season’s worth of update windows.

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Manual Update: Drake Tax (Tools > Update Manager)

This is the path to use when you want to control exactly when Drake updates — useful during crunch periods when you don’t want an automatic update interrupting active return work.

Step 1. From the Drake Tax Home window, go to Tools > Update Manager.

Step 2. Click Check For Available Updates (labeled Get Updates in some versions). Drake connects to its update server and checks your installed build against the current release.

Step 3. If updates are found, Drake displays a prompt. Click Yes to proceed. This closes the Drake application so the installer can run cleanly — save any open return work before you click.

Step 4. Once the update files finish downloading, the installer presents an Install or Install Updates button. Click it.

Step 5. When installation completes, Drake instructs you to click Exit. That returns you to the login or Home window on the updated build.

Total elapsed time is typically under five minutes on a decent connection. The Update Manager window also shows release notes — click any listed update line to read the change detail in the lower panel, or find the same notes under Reports > Report Viewer > Release Notes.

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Automatic Updates: Let Drake Check on Its Own Schedule

If you’d rather not think about updates at all, Drake’s scheduled update option handles it in the background during off-hours.

Step 1. Go to Tools > Update Manager, then open Auto Update Settings.

Step 2. Enable the option to schedule software updates and set a run time — pick a window when no one is actively filing returns. Early morning before staff arrives is the standard choice.

Step 3. With the schedule saved, exit the Update Manager. Drake will check for updates at the designated time, download them silently, and apply the patch.

To turn off automatic updates, clear the Schedule software updates to occur at check box in the same Auto Update Settings panel. You’d do this, for example, during the final days before an extension deadline when you don’t want any unplanned interruptions.

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Drake Accounting Updates: A Slightly Different Path

Drake Accounting (the payroll and bookkeeping module, separate from Drake Tax) uses Tools > Program Updates rather than the Tax Update Manager. The workflow is similar: if a patch is available, the program closes itself, installs the update, and restarts automatically. No manual install click required on that path — the process is more self-contained.

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First Launch After a New Tax Year Installation

If you’re setting up Drake Tax 2025 for the first time rather than patching an existing install, expect the first launch to prompt you through a license agreement acceptance and administrator login setup before you reach the Home window. That’s normal — work through those screens once and you’re into the standard workflow.

For downloading a fresh installer (for a new tax year or a fresh workstation), log into Drake’s support portal, choose your tax year, and run or save the installer.

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How Sagenext Helps

For firms where update timing is genuinely disruptive — multi-preparer offices, high-volume practices during peak season, or shops without a dedicated IT person — the manual update process is one more thing that falls through the cracks.

Sagenext hosts Drake Tax on a managed cloud environment where software maintenance, including updates, is handled on the infrastructure side. Your team accesses Drake through a remote desktop session; the underlying platform stays current without anyone on your staff navigating update prompts mid-return. Data backups, security patches, and multi-user access are also managed, so a firm of any size gets the same reliability without internal IT overhead.

If you want to see how that compares to your current desktop setup, Sagenext offers a free trial with no credit card required.

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What to Do When an Update Fails

If the update stalls or Drake won’t reopen after a patch:

• Check your internet connection first. Drake’s update server pull is straightforward, but a dropped connection mid-download leaves a corrupt partial install.
• Run Drake as Administrator. Right-click the Drake icon and choose Run as Administrator. Permission issues on Windows are a common cause of failed updates.
• Verify antivirus isn’t blocking the installer. Some endpoint protection tools flag Drake’s update executable. Temporarily whitelist the Drake folder during the update, then re-enable protection.
• Check Drake’s knowledge base. Drake maintains a support video library and step-by-step knowledge base under its Getting Started and Drake Support sections — the specific error message you’re seeing likely has a documented fix there.

For firms on a server-based setup with multiple workstations, update the server instance first. Workstations pulling from a shared network install will reflect the update without needing individual attention. Sage Master Builder Setup Key Modules Cloud Hosting

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Key Takeaways

• Manual update path: Tools > Update Manager > Check For Available Updates > Yes > Install > Exit. Close any open returns before starting.
• Automatic updates: Set a scheduled run time in Auto Update Settings during off-hours; clear the check box to pause automation during critical filing windows.
• Drake Accounting updates through Tools > Program Updates and self-restarts — no separate install step.
• First-time installs of a new tax year require a one-time license agreement and admin setup on first launch.
• Failed updates are usually a permissions or antivirus issue — run as Administrator and whitelist Drake’s install folder.
• Managed hosting eliminates update management entirely for firms where manual maintenance creates scheduling risk.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to close Drake before running an update?

Yes, and Drake handles this automatically. When you click Yes on the update prompt, Drake closes itself before the installer runs. If you have an open return with unsaved changes, save first. Forcing the application closed mid-update — by killing the process manually — can corrupt the installation and require a clean reinstall.

Can I update Drake Tax on multiple workstations at once?

If your firm uses a shared server installation, update the server copy first. Workstations accessing Drake from that shared path will pick up the updated files without needing separate update runs on each machine. For standalone desktop installs, each workstation needs its own update, so the scheduled auto-update option is especially useful in those environments.

Where do I find Drake’s release notes after an update?

Release notes are accessible directly in the Update Manager — click any listed update in the manager window and read the detail in the lower panel. You can also find them under Reports > Report Viewer > Release Notes. Reviewing these after each patch takes two minutes and tells you exactly which forms or calculations changed, which matters before you file the first return on the new build.

What’s the difference between updating Drake Tax and Drake Accounting?

Drake Tax updates through Tools > Update Manager, and you confirm the install manually. Drake Accounting uses Tools > Program Updates and handles the install and restart automatically without a separate confirmation step. The two products are maintained separately, so an update to one doesn’t update the other.

Is it safe to let Drake update automatically overnight?

Generally yes, with one caveat: verify the next morning that the update completed before filing. Check the build number in Help > About and compare it to the current release listed in Drake’s knowledge base. An interrupted overnight update — due to a power cycle or network drop — won’t always throw a visible error, so a quick confirmation check before client work starts is good practice.