What Is a Version Number and Why Is It Used?

Learn how developers keep track of releases

By
Tim Fisher
Photo of Tim Fisher, Lifewire GM and Writer
Tim Fisher
Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability
  • Emporia State University

Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the SVP and General Manager of Lifewire.

lifewire's editorial guidelines
Updated on March 14, 2022

A version number is a unique number or set of numbers assigned to a specific release of a software program, file, firmware, device driver, or even hardware.

Typically, as updates and entirely new editions of a program or driver are released, the version number will increase.

Compare the version number of the software installed on your computer with the version number being released to see if you already have the latest version installed.

Structure of Version Numbers

Version numbers are usually divided into sets of numbers, separated by decimal points. Typically, a change in the leftmost number indicates a major change in the software or driver. Changes in the rightmost number often indicate a minor change. Changes in other numbers represent varying degrees of changes.

Google Chrome version number
Google Chrome version number.

For example, you may have a program installed that reports itself as version 3.2.34. The next release of the program may be version 3.2.87 which would suggest that several iterations were tested internally and now a slightly improved version of the program is available.

A future release of 3.4.2 would designate that more substantial updates are included. Version 4.0.2 might be a major new release.

There is no official way of versioning software, but most developers follow these general rules.

Version Numbers vs Version Names

Sometimes the word version is used generally to refer to either a version name or a version number, depending on the context.

One example of version a name is "11" as in Windows 11. The version number of the initial release of Windows 7 was 6.1 and for Windows 10 it was 6.4. The Windows Version Numbers list has more on the real version numbers behind Microsoft Windows releases.

Importance of Version Numbers

Version numbers offer indications of what level a particular "thing" is at—most commonly, software and other important areas of the operating system.

They help prevent confusion about software being updated or not, a very valuable thing in a world of continuous security threats followed quickly by patches to fix those vulnerabilities.

How to Get the Latest Software Versions

The typical way you update software to the latest version number is to visit the developer's website and download a fresh copy to install over your existing one. Some programs provide an update function within their software so that updates are delivered to you automatically.

Another way to make sure your third-party software is up-to-date is with a software updater tool. This is also a simple method for checking the current version number of your installed programs.

Other updater utilities exist as well, such as driver updaters to update device drivers, and Windows Update to keep Windows current.

FAQ
  • What is a DRN on FAFSA?

    A DRN is the Data Release Number. This four-digit number is assigned to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form by the U.S. Department of Education. You can use it to contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center for corrections or to release your FAFSA information to schools.

  • What is my DRN code?

    You can find your DRN upper right corner of the paper Student Aid Report (SAR), the upper right corner on the electronic SAR, and your confirmation page.

Was this page helpful?