# What is the Early Access Program?

The articles in the [FileWave Early Access Program](https://kb.filewave.com/books/downloads/chapter/filewave-early-access-program) pertain to FileWave releases that have <span class="s2">**successfully passed our internal Quality Assurance (QA) process**</span> but are not yet available as a general release to all customers. These articles and resources are published here to provide you with early access to important updates and features, allowing your organization to evaluate, test, and prepare for broader adoption. Once a release becomes generally available, these articles will be relocated to their standard locations in the Knowledge Base (KB), and normal release notifications will be distributed.

## Fully Supported Builds &amp; Early Access Benefits

All builds referenced [here](https://kb.filewave.com/books/downloads/chapter/filewave-early-access-program "FileWave Early Access Program") are <span class="s2">**fully supported**</span> by FileWave. Early Access releases are ideal for customers who want to:

- <span class="s1">**Adopt new features and enhancements sooner:**</span> Leverage the latest FileWave capabilities and improvements ahead of general availability, enabling your organization to be more efficient and take advantage of new functions as soon as they are available.
- <span class="s1">**Accelerate Day 1 OS support:**</span> Prepare for and support new operating system releases as soon as they launch, minimizing downtime and ensuring smooth transitions for your users.
- <span class="s1">**Test in sandbox or non-production environments:**</span> Evaluate new versions and features in a controlled setting before deploying company-wide.
- <span class="s1">**Collaborate directly with development:**</span> Early Access participants receive focused support and direct engagement from our development and technical teams, with rapid response if any issues arise.
- <span class="s1">**Proactive problem resolution:**</span> Your feedback during Early Access helps us identify and resolve issues more quickly, contributing to greater stability and smoother deployments at general release.
- <span class="s1">**Targeted case resolution:**</span> In some situations, Customer Technical Support may guide you to an Early Access build if it addresses a specific support case or operational need unique to your environment.

> <span class="s2">**Minimal risk:**</span> Early Access builds have passed full QA and are fully supported. As an early participant, you benefit from more immediate support attention, minimizing potential disruptions.

## Hosted Customers

If you are a Hosted Customer and wish to have your server included in the Early Access program, simply open a Technical Support case and request to be added. You will be added to the Early Access upgrade schedule and, for each release cycle, you will receive communication from our Operations team with details about your earlier upgrade date.

## Building Custom Clients During Early Access

During the Early Access period, you can use the following links to build custom clients:

- <span class="s1">**macOS:**</span> [https://custom.filewave.com/py/beta-program/custom\_client\_mac.py](https://custom.filewave.com/py/beta-program/custom_client_mac.py)
- <span class="s1">**Windows:**</span> [https://custom.filewave.com/py/beta-program/custom\_client\_win.py](https://custom.filewave.com/py/beta-program/custom_client_win.py)

> <span class="s2">**Note:**</span> Custom client builds may not be available immediately for every version during the Early Access window. Please ignore any unsupported status messages shown by the beta build system; these builds are fully supported for Early Access testing. Ensure you select the correct client version to match your intended deployment.

## **Support**

If you encounter any issues or require assistance, please contact Customer Technical Support through your standard channels. We welcome your feedback during Early Access, as your input helps improve the FileWave experience for all customers.