diff --git a/hicexplorer/_version.py b/hicexplorer/_version.py
index 9a5039a0..48af25c7 100644
--- a/hicexplorer/_version.py
+++ b/hicexplorer/_version.py
@@ -2,4 +2,4 @@
 # This file is originally generated from Git information by running 'setup.py
 # version'. Distribution tarballs contain a pre-generated copy of this file.
 
-__version__ = '1.7.2'
+__version__ = '1.8'