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How to Upgrade MongoDB From 4.2 to 7.0

Following security risks in earlier MongoDB versions, the MongoDB version bundled with CloudShell has been updated over successive releases. CloudShell 2026.1 bundles MongoDB Server 7.0.30.

Disclaimer​

The below instructions are for Cloudshell default installation with a standalone MongoDB installation only.

Standalone vs. installer-managed MongoDB

When MongoDB was installed as part of the CloudShell installation (the Local MongoDB instance option), the CloudShell installer upgrades the bundled MongoDB Server automatically during a standard CloudShell upgrade — you do not need to run the steps in this article.

Follow this article only if you use a standalone (non-installer-managed) MongoDB deployment (the Mongo DB Server or cluster option), or an external MongoDB instance/cluster. In that case, you are responsible for upgrading MongoDB yourself before upgrading CloudShell.

MongoDB feature compatibility version

MongoDB requires upgrading through each major release in sequence (for example, 5.0 → 6.0 → 7.0). You cannot skip a major version. After each step, set the feature compatibility version (FCV) to the version you just moved to before proceeding to the next one, using:

db.adminCommand( { setFeatureCompatibilityVersion: "<version>" } )

Only after MongoDB is running on 7.0 with its FCV set to "7.0" should you upgrade CloudShell to 2026.1. The CloudShell MongoDB .NET driver is unchanged in 2026.1, so no application-side database changes are required.

note

MongoDB does not support Windows Server 2012. For details, see Windows OS requirements.

Prerequisites​

  • RDP connection to Cloudshell server
  • Cloudshell services down time
  • Internet access to download all relevant files (can be done in a dedicated server and copied to Cloudshell server)

Getting the files​

  1. Obtain the following MongoDB official files and place them in a temporary folder (referred to as "Downloads” in this guide) on the Cloudshell server:

  2. Enter the Cloudshell server and extract all files.

Upgrade from 4.2 to 4.4​

  1. Start the MongoDB shell.

    • Navigate to Downloads\mongosh-1.9.0-win32-x64\bin
    • Double click the mongosh.exe executable.
    • Follow the instructions to connect to "localhost” (press enter).

  2. Validate dependencies by running in the shell:

    db.adminCommand({ getParameter: 1, featureCompatibilityVersion: 1 })
    // Expected response: { version: '4.2' }, ok: 1

  3. Get reservation count for reference after upgrade:

    • Switch to the Quali database: 
      use Quali
      db.Reservation.countDocuments()

  4. Open Task Manager > Services.

  5. Stop the Quali Server process.

  6. Shut down MongoDB by running:

    use admin
    db.shutdownServer()
    // Expected response: MongoNetworkError: connection 3 to 127.0.0.1:27017 closed
    // Then close the shell window

  7. Navigate to the downloaded 4.4 bin folder in File Explorer:

    Downloads\mongodb-win32-x86_64-windows-4.4.22\bin

  8. In a separate File Explorer window, open the MongoDB installation's bin folder:

    C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\4.2\bin

  9. Delete the mongod.exe file from C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\4.2\bin.

  10. Copy the new mongod.exe file from the 4.4\bin folder to C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\4.2\bin.

  11. Open Task Manager > Services.

  12. Start the MongoDB service.

  13. Start the MongoDB shell and validate the version:

    db.version()

  14. (Optional) Start the Quali Server process and check sandboxes.

  15. Stop Quali Server (if running).

  16. Update MongoDB capabilities:

    db.adminCommand({ setFeatureCompatibilityVersion: "4.4" })

Upgrade from 4.4 to 5.0​

  1. Start the MongoDB shell.

    • Navigate to Downloads\mongosh-1.9.0-win32-x64\bin
    • Double click the mongosh.exe executable.
    • Follow the instructions to connect to "localhost” (press enter).

  2. Validate dependencies by running in the shell:

    db.adminCommand({ getParameter: 1, featureCompatibilityVersion: 1 })
    // Expected response: { version: '4.4' }, ok: 1

  3. Open Task Manager > Services.

  4. Stop the Quali Server process.

  5. Shut down MongoDB by running:

    use admin
    db.shutdownServer()
    // response should look like: MongoNetworkError: connection 5 to 127.0.0.1:27017 closed
    // close the shell window

  6. Enter the downloaded 5.0 bin folder in File Explorer:

    Downloads\mongodb-win32-x86_64-windows-5.0.18\bin

  7. In a different File Explorer, open the bin folder of MongoDB installation:

    C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\4.2\bin

  8. Delete the mongod.exe file in C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\4.2\bin.

  9. Copy the new mongod.exe file from the 5.0.18\bin folder to C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\4.2\bin.

  10. Open Task Manager > Services.

  11. Start the MongoDB service.

  12. Start the MongoDB shell.

    • Validate version: 
      db.version()
    • Validate reservations are still there: 
      use Quali
      db.Reservation.countDocuments()

  13. (Optional) Start the Quali Server process and enter the Sandboxes dashboard in CloudShell Portal.

  14. Stop Quali Server (if running).

  15. Update MongoDB capabilities:

    db.adminCommand({ setFeatureCompatibilityVersion: "5.0" })

Upgrade from 5.0 to 6.0​

  1. Start the MongoDB shell.

    • Navigate to Downloads\mongosh-1.9.0-win32-x64\bin
    • Double click the mongosh.exe executable.
    • Follow the instructions to connect to "localhost” (press enter).

  2. Validate dependencies by running in the shell:

    db.adminCommand( { getParameter: 1, featureCompatibilityVersion: 1 } )
    // Expected response: { version: '5.0' }, ok: 1

  3. Open Task Manager > Services.

  4. Stop the Quali Server process (if running).

    warning

    From this step, there are differences from previous upgrade flows.

  5. Shut down mongoDB by running:

    • Run 
      db.adminCommand( { shutdown: 1 } )
      // response should look like: MongoNetworkError: connection 5 to 127.0.0.1:27017 closed
      // close the shell window

  6. Ensure that the 5.0-series binaries are in your System PATH. To confirm your binary version, run the following command:

    • Open command line window.
    • Run 
      mongod --version
    • If 'mongod' is not recognized, add the bin folder to the system path:
      • Open Environment Variables.
      • Under System Variables, locate and select the Path.
      • Click Edit.
      • Click New.
      • Enter C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\4.2\bin.
      • Click OK in all windows.
      • Open a new command line window and retest.

  7. Enter the downloaded 6.0 bin folder in File Explorer:

    Downloads\mongodb-win32-x86_64-windows-6.0.6\bin

  8. In a different file explorer, open the bin folder of mongoDB installation:

    C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\4.2\bin

  9. Delete the mongod.exe file from C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\4.2\bin.

  10. Copy the new mongod.exe file from the 6.0.6\bin folder to C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\4.2\bin.

  11. Open Task Manager > Services.

  12. Start the MongoDB service.

  13. Start the MongoDB shell.

    • Validate version: 
      db.version()
    • Validate reservations are still there: 
      use Quali
      db.Reservation.countDocuments()

  14. (Optional) Start Quali Server and enter the Sandboxes dashboard in CloudShell Portal.

  15. Stop Quali Server (if running).

  16. Update MongoDB capabilities:

    db.adminCommand( { setFeatureCompatibilityVersion: "6.0" } )

Upgrade from 6.0 to 7.0​

CloudShell 2026.1 uses MongoDB Server 7.0. If your standalone MongoDB is on 6.0, upgrade it to 7.0 before upgrading CloudShell to 2026.1.

warning

Before starting, confirm that MongoDB is running on 6.0 and that its feature compatibility version (FCV) is already set to "6.0" (the last step of the previous section). MongoDB 7.0 refuses to start against data whose FCV is lower than "6.0".

The procedure mirrors the earlier steps — stop CloudShell and MongoDB, replace the mongod.exe binary with the 7.0 version, restart, verify, then raise the FCV — using the official MongoDB 7.0 binaries.

  1. Obtain the official MongoDB 7.0 Windows binaries and a compatible MongoDB Shell (mongosh) from the MongoDB Download Center: https://www.mongodb.com/try/download/community. CloudShell 2026.1 is validated with MongoDB Server 7.0.30.

  2. Start the MongoDB shell and connect to localhost.

  3. Validate the current feature compatibility version:

    db.adminCommand( { getParameter: 1, featureCompatibilityVersion: 1 } )
    // Expected response: { version: '6.0' }, ok: 1

  4. Open Task Manager > Services and stop the Quali Server process (if running).

  5. Shut down MongoDB by running:

    use admin
    db.adminCommand( { shutdown: 1 } )
    // The shell connection closes. Close the shell window.

  6. In File Explorer, open the extracted MongoDB 7.0 bin folder from your downloads.

  7. In a second File Explorer window, open the bin folder of your MongoDB installation (for a default CloudShell install this is C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\4.2\bin).

  8. Delete the existing mongod.exe from the MongoDB installation's bin folder.

  9. Copy the mongod.exe from the MongoDB 7.0 bin folder into the MongoDB installation's bin folder.

  10. Open Task Manager > Services and start the MongoDB service.

  11. Start the MongoDB shell and verify the upgrade:

    db.version()
    // Confirm a 7.0.x version is reported
    use Quali
    db.Reservation.countDocuments()
    // Confirm the reservation count matches the pre-upgrade count

  12. (Optional) Start Quali Server and open the Sandboxes dashboard in CloudShell Portal to confirm data is intact, then stop Quali Server again.

  13. Raise the feature compatibility version to 7.0:

    db.adminCommand( { setFeatureCompatibilityVersion: "7.0", confirm: true } )
    note

    MongoDB 7.0 requires the additional confirm: true argument for setFeatureCompatibilityVersion. If your build of MongoDB 7.0 rejects confirm, rerun the command without it.

  14. MongoDB is now on 7.0. Proceed to upgrade CloudShell to 2026.1.

For the authoritative, version-specific steps (including replica-set and sharded-cluster scenarios that are out of scope for this article), always follow MongoDB's official procedure: Upgrade a Standalone to 7.0.

Related 2026.1 prerequisite upgrades

Alongside MongoDB, CloudShell 2026.1 also upgrades other bundled prerequisites, which the CloudShell installer handles automatically: Node.js 22 → 24 LTS, Erlang OTP 25 → 26, and Apache httpd to 2.4.66. Note that Node.js 24 dropped 32-bit (x86) Windows support, so the x86 Node.js prerequisite has been removed from the installer; components requiring Node.js now run only on 64-bit Windows. For details, see 3rd Party Software.