gabrielmoreira Granola Upgrade & Migration
Overview
Manage Granola desktop app updates and subscription plan changes. Granola auto-updates by default, but manual intervention may be needed for major versions or plan migrations that affect feature access.
Prerequisites
- Current Granola version info (Granola menu > About, or check via CLI)
- Admin access for organization-level plan changes
- Data backup awareness before downgrading
Instructions
Step 1 — Check Current Version
# macOS — read version from app bundle
defaults read /Applications/Granola.app/Contents/Info.plist CFBundleShortVersionString 2>/dev/null || echo "Check Granola > About Granola"
Check for available updates: Granola menu bar icon > Check for Updates, or visit granola.ai/updates for the changelog.
Step 2 — Update the Desktop App
Auto-update (recommended): Granola checks for updates automatically and downloads in the background. Enable at:
Granola > Preferences > General > Check for updates automatically: On
Manual update via Homebrew (macOS):
brew update && brew upgrade --cask granola
Manual download: Download latest from granola.ai/download. Close Granola, install over the existing version. Settings and data are preserved.
Step 3 — Handle Update Issues
If Granola crashes or behaves incorrectly after updating:
# Clear caches (preserves your data and authentication)
rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/Granola
# If that doesn't help, reset preferences (you'll need to re-authenticate)
defaults delete ai.granola.app 2>/dev/null
# Nuclear option — full reinstall
brew uninstall --cask granola 2>/dev/null
rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/Granola
rm -rf ~/Library/Preferences/ai.granola.app.plist
brew install --cask granola
Your meeting data is stored server-side and in the local cache (~/Library/Application Support/Granola/cache-v3.json). Reinstalling does not delete your notes.
Step 4 — Upgrade Subscription Plan
Settings (avatar bottom-left) > Account > Subscription > Upgrade
Upgrade paths:
Basic (Free) → Business ($14/user/mo): Immediate, prorated
Business → Enterprise ($35+/user/mo): Contact sales
What changes on upgrade:
Basic → Business:
+ Unlimited meetings (was 25 lifetime)
+ Unlimited history (was 14 days)
+ Slack, Notion, CRM integrations
+ Zapier automation
+ MCP (AI agent integration)
+ Team shared folders
+ Custom templates
+ Public API access
Business → Enterprise:
+ SSO (Okta, Azure AD, Google Workspace)
+ SCIM auto-provisioning
+ Enforced AI training opt-out
+ Usage analytics dashboard
+ Full Enterprise API
+ Custom data retention policies
+ Dedicated account manager
Step 5 — Downgrade with Data Preservation
Before downgrading, understand what you lose:
| Downgrading From | Losing | Action Before Downgrade |
|---|---|---|
| Business → Basic | Integrations disconnect, history limited to 14 days | Export all notes, save integration configs |
| Enterprise → Business | SSO, SCIM, custom retention, analytics | Reconfigure authentication, manual user provisioning |
Pre-downgrade checklist:
- Notify team members of the change
- Export critical notes (there is no bulk export — share important notes to Notion or copy individually)
- Document active integration configurations
- Save any custom templates and recipes
- Verify API consumers are prepared for access loss
Important: Downgrading does not delete your data. Notes remain accessible within the new plan's limits (e.g., Basic only shows last 14 days, but data is preserved if you re-upgrade).
Step 6 — Manage Team Seats
Settings > Team > Manage Seats
Add seats:
- Invite by email or enable SSO auto-provisioning
- New seats are prorated for the billing period
Remove seats:
- Deactivate user in Settings > Team
- User loses access but their shared notes remain
- Seat count reduces on next billing cycle
Reassign seats:
- Deactivate departing user
- Invite replacement user
- No additional charge (same seat count)
Plan Migration Matrix
| From | To | Billing Impact | Data Impact | Action Required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | Business | $14/user/mo starts immediately | Full history restored | Connect integrations |
| Basic | Enterprise | Contact sales for pricing | Full history restored | SSO/SCIM setup |
| Business | Enterprise | Price difference, prorated | No data change | Configure SSO/SCIM |
| Enterprise | Business | Price reduction, immediate | Retain data, lose SSO/SCIM | Reconfigure auth |
| Business | Basic | Free, immediate | History limited to 14 days | Export critical data |
| Any | Annual billing | 10-15% savings | No data change | Confirm in Billing |
Output
- Granola updated to latest version
- Subscription plan changed with feature access verified
- Team seats managed (added/removed/reassigned)
- Data preserved through any plan change
Error Handling
| Error | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Update fails to install | Corrupted download or cache | Clear caches, reinstall: brew reinstall --cask granola |
| App crashes after update | Stale preferences | Delete prefs: defaults delete ai.granola.app |
| Payment fails on upgrade | Expired card | Update payment method in Settings > Billing |
| Features missing after upgrade | Cache not refreshed | Log out and log back in to refresh entitlements |
| SSO stops working after downgrade | Enterprise feature removed | Switch to Google/Microsoft social login |
Examples
from=client-r12; to=client-r13; sandbox=pass; staging=pass; output=redacted; retention=none; canary=held; rollback=r12 is a defensible upgrade record.
Resources
Next Steps
Proceed to granola-ci-integration for automated meeting-to-dev-tool workflows.