How to update your Nikon camera firmware in 10 steps

Updating your Nikon camera to the latest firmware is quick, easy and ensures you have the best available operating system for your camera and the widest range of compatibility with lenses and other accessories.

All you need is your camera, a memory card, a card reader and a computer. Here's how it's done.

1 Check your firmware version

Check the firmware version using the camera menu

Turn on the camera and press the Menu button. Select the Set Up menu (spanner icon) and scroll right down to the bottom to the Firmware version.

Tip: on some cameras scrolling UP from the top menu item wraps around to the bottom menu item - which is a quicker way to get to the item we need here.

Click OK to display the current firmware version number. Make a note of this so you can compare it to the latest firmware available to see if you need to update.

Firmware version number

2 Make sure your battery is charged

Update is only possible with a well charged battery

The camera will not perform a firmware update unless the battery is well charged, to avoid the possibility of the battery going flat while the update is in progress. So make sure the battery has been recently charged, or power the camera from a mains adapter during the update.

3 Fit memory card to card reader

Fit your memory card into a card reader

You will need to take a memory card that fits the camera and connect it to a computer using a card reader.

4 Download the latest firmware

Download the firmware from Nikon's download site

Go to the Nikon Download Center and find the download page for your camera model.

If the version number of the latest firmware available is higher than the firmware in your camera, download the file to your computer.

On a Windows PC this will be a .EXE file. On a Mac it will be a .DMG file.

Click on the downloaded file to open a folder containing a .BIN file - this is the udate file for your camera. Copy it to the memory card. Make sure it is in the lowest-level directory of the card - not in the DCIM folder.

5 Put the card in the camera

Swap the card from computer to camera

Eject the card on the computer and remove it from the card reader.

Transfer the card to the camera.

6 Select the update menu option

You now have an update option

Go back to the camera menu and the Firmware version option.

You should now see an Update option - select it and press OK.

7 Confirm the update

Select Yes and click OK

The camera will ask you to confirm the update - select Yes and click OK to being the update.

8 Wait for the firmware to update

The update may take a few minutes

The camera will now update its firmware. Wait for the update to complete, which could take several minutes.

DO NOT switch off the camera during the update - there is a chance that you could corrupt the firmware rendering the camera unusable.

9 Turn the camera off

Some cameras need to be switched off after the update

Some cameras are ready to use as soon as the update has completed. Others, like this Z6, display a message asking you to turn the camera off to complete the process.

10 Check the new firmware version

The new version number should match the version on the Nikon site

Turn the camera on again, go to the Firmware version menu item and check the firmware version number. It should now match the version of the latest firmware shown on the Nikon download site.

That's it - your camera now has the latest firmware installed!