3.10 Launch Multiple Versions of the IDE
Before the release of MPLAB X IDE v3.00, you could have different versions of the IDE on your PC by installing to different directories. Beginning with MPLAB X IDE v3.00, this is done by default, for example:
C:\Program Files\Microchip\MPLABX\v3.00
You can launch and run different versions at the same time. Each version has its own user directory.
You can launch a version of MPLAB X IDE and a version of MPLAB IDE v8 or earlier on the same PC, but keep in mind of the USB hardware driver limitations mentioned in 3.3 Install the USB Device Drivers (for Hardware Tools).