However, the update was not without its headaches. The installation process itself drew criticism: “The uninstall and (especially) the installation was a pain. Mostly because of the lack of accurate progress feedback. At some point you have to check if the LOG file is growing in size before knowing that ‘2 minutes’ left is not a ‘software freeze’… just inaccurate prediction”.
Real-world user feedback confirms that V13 SP1 Update 4 handles project compilation and cross-referencing much more smoothly than V13.0.6.
V13 runs significantly faster on older laptop hardware compared to the resource-heavy V16 or V17. siemens tia portal v13 sp1 update 4 better 2021
For users needing to maintain V13 code while working in modern environments, the recommended approach was to migrate to V13 SP2 Update 4, which offered Windows 10 compatibility while preserving the essential V13 project structure. Beyond that, projects could be upgraded to V14, V15, V15.1, V16, V17, V18, or later as business needs dictated. As one Siemens forum contributor noted: “After the update, V14/15/15.1/16/17/18 can open that V13 SP2 project and update to whatever portal version you open it with”.
One user moving from TIA Portal V13 SP0 Update 6 to V13 SP1 Update 4 noted a significant improvement: “The TIA Portal software was much smoother on handling the project when comparing V13.0.6 with V13.1.4”. The difference between V13.0.6 and V13.1.4 was reported to be substantial, with improved project handling and overall smoother operation. However, the update was not without its headaches
Some users debated the relative stability of different updates. One forum contributor noted, “My personal experience is that Update 5 is more stable than 4—for the work I use TIA for,” while another reported the opposite: “Mine seems to crash a lot, Update 4 almost never crashed”. This variability suggests that stability could depend heavily on specific hardware configurations, project complexity, and usage patterns.
Understanding why this configuration continues to be heavily utilized provides clear direction for optimizing legacy industrial workflows. At some point you have to check if
For users requiring Windows 10 compatibility while maintaining a V13 codebase, Siemens provided a solution: TIA Portal V13 SP2. This service pack introduced official Windows 10 support and could directly open V13 SP1 projects without conversion. Significantly, moving from V13/V13 SP1 to V13 SP2 did not require additional license fees.
The primary driver for using TIA Portal V13 SP1 Update 4 in 2021 was its native support for legacy Siemens hardware. Newer versions of TIA Portal phased out or restricted support for older programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs).
An additional complication emerged for users of older versions attempting to update their software: V13 versions prior to SP2 Update 4 lacked the required TLS 1.2 security protocol support to connect directly to Siemens’ update servers. This meant that users needed to manually download and install the complete V13 SP2 Update 4 package rather than using the automated updater. For organizations without a local Siemens Update Server configured for V13 compatibility, this manual approach was the only viable option.