Informing users to Hard Refresh their browser's after update

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Posted on by GarethDoherty

Hey.

I was wondering how you all approach informing users of your apps that you have published a new version and they need to do a hard refresh in order for them to get the latest version etc.

We have 3-4k users across a custom model driven app, field service and customer service workspace. All in the same Dataverse instance.

Outside of the typical mass email to users, I was wondering how the rest of you approach this?

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Microsoft Dynamics CRM

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Tom_Gioielli 2,795 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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I've found that most users see the changes come up relatively quickly after an update has occurred. Typically, the hard refreshes are more of a problem for me while I'm testing and impatient for newly published changes to be reflected. I've found that changes in the app appear within 10-15 minutes of publishing a new solution just through regular browser usage.

Generally speaking, I would send out an email to all users about the new functionality and include language in there that if they don't see something as available, performing the following steps to do a hard refresh or clear their cache. I'd be willing to bet about 90% of users don't ever need to do it to see the changes come through, so I avoid trying to get everyone to do it for each release.

Just my two cents, I'd be curious if other people make it more of a formal part of their release cycle.

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Daivat Vartak (v-9d... 7,835 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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Hello Gareth,

You're right, relying solely on mass emails for app updates and hard refresh instructions isn't ideal, especially with a large user base across different Dynamics 365 apps.

I am aligned with @Tom_Gioielli with his experience.

Here are the alternate approaches to inform users about new app versions and the need for a hard refresh:

1. In-App Notifications (Most Effective):

This is the best way to directly reach users within the application:

Model-Driven Apps (Power Apps): You can use the Xrm.Navigation.openAlertDialog or similar JavaScript functions to display a pop-up message to users when they open the app after an update. This message can inform them about the new version and instruct them to perform a hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R or Cmd+Shift+R). You could even include a button in the dialog that opens a new tab with instructions or a short video.

Dynamics 365 Unified Interface: The Unified Interface supports notifications. You can use similar JavaScript techniques to display notifications within the app.

Customer Service Workspace/Field Service: The same JavaScript techniques can be used within these workspaces.

2. Version Numbering and Display:

Clear Versioning: Implement a clear version numbering system for your app (e.g., 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, etc.).

Display Version: Display the current app version prominently within the app (e.g., in the footer, a settings page, or an "About" dialog). This allows users to quickly check if they have the latest version.

If my answer was helpful, please click Like, and if it solved your problem, please mark it as verified to help other community members find more. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact me.

My response was crafted with AI assistance and tailored to provide detailed and actionable guidance for your Microsoft Dynamics 365 query.

Best Regards,

Daivat Vartak

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