diff --git a/.appveyor.yml b/.appveyor.yml
index 75a0300e3e13..3e5e19db8721 100644
--- a/.appveyor.yml
+++ b/.appveyor.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-version: 3.1.0.99.{build}
+version: 3.1.1.{build}
 
 image: Visual Studio 2015
 platform: x64
diff --git a/R-package/configure b/R-package/configure
index 4ce31c518042..cdee187d8268 100755
--- a/R-package/configure
+++ b/R-package/configure
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #! /bin/sh
 # Guess values for system-dependent variables and create Makefiles.
-# Generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69 for lightgbm 3.1.0.99.
+# Generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69 for lightgbm 3.1.1.
 #
 #
 # Copyright (C) 1992-1996, 1998-2012 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@@ -576,8 +576,8 @@ MAKEFLAGS=
 # Identity of this package.
 PACKAGE_NAME='lightgbm'
 PACKAGE_TARNAME='lightgbm'
-PACKAGE_VERSION='3.1.0.99'
-PACKAGE_STRING='lightgbm 3.1.0.99'
+PACKAGE_VERSION='3.1.1'
+PACKAGE_STRING='lightgbm 3.1.1'
 PACKAGE_BUGREPORT=''
 PACKAGE_URL=''
 
@@ -1182,7 +1182,7 @@ if test "$ac_init_help" = "long"; then
   # Omit some internal or obsolete options to make the list less imposing.
   # This message is too long to be a string in the A/UX 3.1 sh.
   cat <<_ACEOF
-\`configure' configures lightgbm 3.1.0.99 to adapt to many kinds of systems.
+\`configure' configures lightgbm 3.1.1 to adapt to many kinds of systems.
 
 Usage: $0 [OPTION]... [VAR=VALUE]...
 
@@ -1244,7 +1244,7 @@ fi
 
 if test -n "$ac_init_help"; then
   case $ac_init_help in
-     short | recursive ) echo "Configuration of lightgbm 3.1.0.99:";;
+     short | recursive ) echo "Configuration of lightgbm 3.1.1:";;
    esac
   cat <<\_ACEOF
 
@@ -1311,7 +1311,7 @@ fi
 test -n "$ac_init_help" && exit $ac_status
 if $ac_init_version; then
   cat <<\_ACEOF
-lightgbm configure 3.1.0.99
+lightgbm configure 3.1.1
 generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69
 
 Copyright (C) 2012 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@@ -1328,7 +1328,7 @@ cat >config.log <<_ACEOF
 This file contains any messages produced by compilers while
 running configure, to aid debugging if configure makes a mistake.
 
-It was created by lightgbm $as_me 3.1.0.99, which was
+It was created by lightgbm $as_me 3.1.1, which was
 generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69.  Invocation command line was
 
   $ $0 $@
@@ -2389,7 +2389,7 @@ cat >>$CONFIG_STATUS <<\_ACEOF || ac_write_fail=1
 # report actual input values of CONFIG_FILES etc. instead of their
 # values after options handling.
 ac_log="
-This file was extended by lightgbm $as_me 3.1.0.99, which was
+This file was extended by lightgbm $as_me 3.1.1, which was
 generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69.  Invocation command line was
 
   CONFIG_FILES    = $CONFIG_FILES
@@ -2442,7 +2442,7 @@ _ACEOF
 cat >>$CONFIG_STATUS <<_ACEOF || ac_write_fail=1
 ac_cs_config="`$as_echo "$ac_configure_args" | sed 's/^ //; s/[\\""\`\$]/\\\\&/g'`"
 ac_cs_version="\\
-lightgbm config.status 3.1.0.99
+lightgbm config.status 3.1.1
 configured by $0, generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69,
   with options \\"\$ac_cs_config\\"
 
diff --git a/R-package/cran-comments.md b/R-package/cran-comments.md
index 8808fc445d12..e1f49df44717 100644
--- a/R-package/cran-comments.md
+++ b/R-package/cran-comments.md
@@ -1,9 +1,23 @@
 # CRAN Submission History
 
+## v3.1.1 - Submission 1 - (TBD)
+
+### CRAN response
+
+### Maintainer Notes
+
+Submitted a fix to 3.1.0 that skips some learning-to-rank tests on 32-bit Windows.
+
 ## v3.1.0 - Submission 1 - (November 15, 2020)
 
 ### CRAN response
 
+Accepted to CRAN, November 18.
+
+On November 21, found out that the CRAN's `r-oldrel-windows-ix86+x86_64` check was failing, with an issue similar to the one faced on Solaris and fixed in https://github.com/microsoft/LightGBM/pull/3534.
+
+CRAN did not ask for a re-submission, but this was fixed in 3.1.1.
+
 ### Maintainer Notes
 
 This package was submitted with the following information in the "optional comments" box.
diff --git a/VERSION.txt b/VERSION.txt
index 41d6670df224..94ff29cc4de4 100644
--- a/VERSION.txt
+++ b/VERSION.txt
@@ -1 +1 @@
-3.1.0.99
+3.1.1