A Release Candidate is useful for validating fixes and new features, but production safety depends on keeping the test reversible. The highest-risk moment is not installation — it is saving an important project or configuration in a newer format without a preserved copy.
Build a reversible test
Export a User Bundle from the stable version and copy the projects used for testing. Label the copies with the candidate version and date. Keep the stable installer from LightBurn's official release repository. If the platform supports side-by-side installation, use the candidate only for the labelled test copies.
Test what matters
Open representative jobs: vectors, images, text, arrays, device-specific projects, and a file that uses your Material Library. Compare Preview, layer settings, dimensions, fonts, and controller connection. Run output only on scrap and record the candidate version with the result.
Before downgrading
LightBurn states that newer releases are designed to open older files, but backwards compatibility is not guaranteed. Do not treat a file saved by the candidate as the only copy. Close the candidate, preserve its output separately, and install the required stable build from the official repository.