Index: src/alter.c
==================================================================
--- src/alter.c
+++ src/alter.c
@@ -586,37 +586,10 @@
   sqlite3SrcListDelete(db, pSrc);
   sqlite3DbFree(db, zName);
   db->flags = savedDbFlags;
 }
 
-
-/*
-** Generate code to make sure the file format number is at least minFormat.
-** The generated code will increase the file format number if necessary.
-*/
-void sqlite3MinimumFileFormat(Parse *pParse, int iDb, int minFormat){
-  Vdbe *v;
-  v = sqlite3GetVdbe(pParse);
-  /* The VDBE should have been allocated before this routine is called.
-  ** If that allocation failed, we would have quit before reaching this
-  ** point */
-  if( ALWAYS(v) ){
-    int r1 = sqlite3GetTempReg(pParse);
-    int r2 = sqlite3GetTempReg(pParse);
-    int addr1;
-    sqlite3VdbeAddOp3(v, OP_ReadCookie, iDb, r1, BTREE_FILE_FORMAT);
-    sqlite3VdbeUsesBtree(v, iDb);
-    sqlite3VdbeAddOp2(v, OP_Integer, minFormat, r2);
-    addr1 = sqlite3VdbeAddOp3(v, OP_Ge, r2, 0, r1);
-    sqlite3VdbeChangeP5(v, SQLITE_NOTNULL); VdbeCoverage(v);
-    sqlite3VdbeAddOp3(v, OP_SetCookie, iDb, BTREE_FILE_FORMAT, minFormat);
-    sqlite3VdbeJumpHere(v, addr1);
-    sqlite3ReleaseTempReg(pParse, r1);
-    sqlite3ReleaseTempReg(pParse, r2);
-  }
-}
-
 /*
 ** This function is called after an "ALTER TABLE ... ADD" statement
 ** has been parsed. Argument pColDef contains the text of the new
 ** column definition.
 **
@@ -631,13 +604,15 @@
   const char *zTab;         /* Table name */
   char *zCol;               /* Null-terminated column definition */
   Column *pCol;             /* The new column */
   Expr *pDflt;              /* Default value for the new column */
   sqlite3 *db;              /* The database connection; */
+  Vdbe *v = pParse->pVdbe;  /* The prepared statement under construction */
 
   db = pParse->db;
   if( pParse->nErr || db->mallocFailed ) return;
+  assert( v!=0 );
   pNew = pParse->pNewTable;
   assert( pNew );
 
   assert( sqlite3BtreeHoldsAllMutexes(db) );
   iDb = sqlite3SchemaToIndex(db, pNew->pSchema);
@@ -723,15 +698,20 @@
     );
     sqlite3DbFree(db, zCol);
     db->flags = savedDbFlags;
   }
 
-  /* If the default value of the new column is NULL, then set the file
+  /* If the default value of the new column is NULL, then the file
   ** format to 2. If the default value of the new column is not NULL,
-  ** the file format becomes 3.
+  ** the file format be 3.  Back when this feature was first added
+  ** in 2006, we went to the trouble to upgrade the file format to the
+  ** minimum support values.  But 10-years on, we can assume that all
+  ** extent versions of SQLite support file-format 4, so we always and
+  ** unconditionally upgrade to 4.
   */
-  sqlite3MinimumFileFormat(pParse, iDb, pDflt ? 3 : 2);
+  sqlite3VdbeAddOp3(v, OP_SetCookie, iDb, BTREE_FILE_FORMAT, 
+                    SQLITE_MAX_FILE_FORMAT);
 
   /* Reload the schema of the modified table. */
   reloadTableSchema(pParse, pTab, pTab->zName);
 }
 

Index: src/sqliteInt.h
==================================================================
--- src/sqliteInt.h
+++ src/sqliteInt.h
@@ -3762,11 +3762,10 @@
 int sqlite3AnalysisLoad(sqlite3*,int iDB);
 void sqlite3DeleteIndexSamples(sqlite3*,Index*);
 void sqlite3DefaultRowEst(Index*);
 void sqlite3RegisterLikeFunctions(sqlite3*, int);
 int sqlite3IsLikeFunction(sqlite3*,Expr*,int*,char*);
-void sqlite3MinimumFileFormat(Parse*, int, int);
 void sqlite3SchemaClear(void *);
 Schema *sqlite3SchemaGet(sqlite3 *, Btree *);
 int sqlite3SchemaToIndex(sqlite3 *db, Schema *);
 KeyInfo *sqlite3KeyInfoAlloc(sqlite3*,int,int);
 void sqlite3KeyInfoUnref(KeyInfo*);

Index: test/alter3.test
==================================================================
--- test/alter3.test
+++ test/alter3.test
@@ -182,11 +182,11 @@
   }
 } {1 100 {} 2 300 {}}
 if {!$has_codec} {
   do_test alter3-3.3 {
     get_file_format
-  } {3}
+  } {4}
 }
 ifcapable schema_version {
   do_test alter3-3.4 {
     execsql {
       PRAGMA schema_version;
@@ -218,11 +218,11 @@
   }
 } {1 100 {hello world} 2 300 {hello world}}
 if {!$has_codec} {
   do_test alter3-4.3 {
     get_file_format
-  } {3}
+  } {4}
 }
 ifcapable schema_version {
   do_test alter3-4.4 {
     execsql {
       PRAGMA schema_version;
@@ -268,11 +268,11 @@
     } {31}
   }
   if {!$has_codec} {
     do_test alter3-5.5 {
       list [get_file_format test2.db] [get_file_format]
-    } {2 3}
+    } {4 4}
   }
   do_test alter3-5.6 {
     execsql {
       ALTER TABLE aux.t1 ADD COLUMN d DEFAULT 1000;
       SELECT sql FROM aux.sqlite_master;
@@ -345,23 +345,23 @@
       execsql {
         CREATE TABLE abc(a, b, c);
         ALTER TABLE abc ADD d DEFAULT NULL;
       }
       get_file_format
-    } {2}
+    } {4}
     do_test alter3-7.3 {
       execsql {
         ALTER TABLE abc ADD e DEFAULT 10;
       }
       get_file_format
-    } {3}
+    } {4}
     do_test alter3-7.4 {
       execsql {
         ALTER TABLE abc ADD f DEFAULT NULL;
       }
       get_file_format
-    } {3}
+    } {4}
     do_test alter3-7.5 {
       execsql {
         VACUUM;
       }
       get_file_format