Installation & Updates

This page covers fresh installation, updates, and migration from PME1.

Important

1.19.2 supports Blender 3.2 through 4.5.

2.0.0 and later require Blender 5.0 or newer.

Which procedure should I follow?

First time installing PME

Go to Fresh Install.

Already using PME2

Go to Updates.

Migrating from PME1

Complete Pre-Migration Backup first, then go to Clean Install.

Something broke after an update

A Clean Install often resolves the issue.

Fresh Install

  1. Download the PME .zip file from the sales platform.

  2. Open Blender and go to Edit > Preferences.

  3. Open the Add-ons tab.

  4. Click Add-ons Settings ( button) in the top-right, then choose Install from Disk….

  5. Select the downloaded .zip file.

  6. Optionally enable Enable on Install.

  7. Enable PME.

  8. Restart Blender.

Tip

Since Blender 4.3, you can drag & drop the .zip file onto the Blender window to install.

Updates (PME 2.0+)

  1. Back up your current menus via Export > Backup Now.

  2. Download the new PME .zip.

  3. Go to Preferences > Add-ons > Add-ons Settings > Install from Disk….

  4. Select the new .zip and install.

  5. Keep Overwrite enabled.

  6. Restart Blender.

Tip

Since Blender 4.3, you can drag & drop the .zip file onto the Blender window to install.

Note

Disabling Overwrite will abort installation if any file or folder with the same name already exists. This is not an option for side-by-side installation.

Pre-Migration Backup (PME1 Users)

PME2 includes automatic migration from PME1, but the safest path is a clean install + JSON re-import. Complete the following before migrating.

Export your menus as JSON

In PME1 Preferences, click Export > All Menus. Save the JSON file to a location you can easily find.

Tip

Backup Now in the Export menu also saves all menus, but you cannot choose the save location.

Should I use compatible JSON?

No. Use the regular JSON export for migration. compatible JSON omits some information (disabled state, drag direction, etc.) and is not suitable for PME1 to PME2 migration.

Back up user resources

In PME1, user resources are stored inside or next to the add-on directory. Overwriting or removing the add-on may delete these files. Check the following locations and copy any needed files to a safe place.

Resource

Location

Custom scripts

pie_menu_editor/scripts/

Custom icons

pie_menu_editor/icons/

Backups

scripts/addons/pie_menu_editor_data/backups/

Preserving disabled menu states

Older versions of PME1 do not include the enabled/disabled state in JSON exports. To preserve this, export from PME1 v1.19.0 or later.

If unsure, update to v1.19.2 before exporting.

Note

This is not required. If you don’t need to preserve disabled states, you can proceed as-is.

Clean Install

Remove the existing PME and install from scratch. Useful for migrating from PME1, or when issues persist after an update.

Tip

If migrating from PME1, complete Pre-Migration Backup first.

  1. Save your current menus via Export > All Menus.

  2. In Preferences > Add-ons, expand PME and click Uninstall.

  3. Save Blender Preferences.

  4. Restart Blender.

  5. Install the new PME .zip via Install from Disk….

  6. Enable PME.

  7. Import the saved JSON via Import.

  8. For name conflicts, choose Skip or Replace.

  9. Check the items in Post-Install Verification.

Post-Install Verification

Installation is complete when all of the following are true:

  1. The PME panel opens in Preferences

  2. Pie Menus invoke normally

  3. Keymaps work as expected

  4. Settings persist after restarting Blender

If you see a See System Console message, an error has occurred. Open the system console to check the details.

How to open the system console

  • Windows: Window > Toggle System Console in the Blender menu bar.

  • macOS / Linux: Launch Blender from a terminal to see console output.

Tip

If things are unstable right after migration or an update, restart Blender before investigating further.

PME2 Resource Directory

Changed in version 2.0.0: Scripts, icons, backups, and export data are now stored in a dedicated directory, separate from the add-on.

Default locations:

Windows

%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Pie Menu Editor\

macOS

~/Documents/Pie Menu Editor/

Linux

$XDG_DOCUMENTS_DIR/Pie Menu Editor/ (fallback: ~/Documents/Pie Menu Editor/)

See also

For directory structure and how to change the location, see Scripts & Data Location.

FAQ

Can I install PME2 on top of PME1 without uninstalling?

Yes, this path is supported by design. PME2 detects PME1 data on startup and runs migration automatically. However, Blender’s lifecycle can sometimes cause instability, so the safest approach is to export JSON and do a clean install.

Do I need to restart Blender after updating?

Yes. Always restart Blender after an update or migration.

Blender shows “Legacy Add-on” — is this a problem?

No. Since Blender 4.2, this label distinguishes traditional add-ons from the new Extensions system. PME uses the traditional bl_info format, but there is no difference in functionality.

Next Steps

New to PME

Try Quick Tutorial to get started.

Migrated or updated

Check the Change Log for what’s new.