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Nivedha
Staff
Nivedha
Staff
December 16, 2025

Technical Tip: Downgrade FortiGate VM from v16 to v8 and Transfer Licenses

  • December 16, 2025
  • 0 replies
  • 290 views
Description This article describes the process of downgrading a FortiGate VM from v16 to v8 and transferring licenses without impacting services. It provides a step-by-step guide on how to update the licenses to reflect the new VM size without requiring a complete rebuild of the firewall configuration.
Scope FortiGate.
Solution

To downgrade a FortiGate VM from v16 to v8 and transfer licenses, follow these steps:

  1. Ensure the Azure platform is updated to reflect the new VM size of v8. If the VM license is downgraded to v8 but the Azure platform remains at v16, the FortiGate will not boot up.
  2. Update the licenses to reflect the new VM size of v8. This can be done without requiring a complete rebuild of the firewall configuration.
  3. Refer to the FortiOS Release Notes for known issues related to downgrading the FortiGate VM.
  4. Consider upgrading to FortiGate v7.4.1 or later, as this version has resolved issues related to downgrading the VM.
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