Before updating WordPress<\/h2>
Before updating to the latest version of WordPress, it’s essential to prepare for any possible missteps.<\/p>
\n Warning!<\/b> Remember that these updates will impact your site files and their database. <\/p>\n \n\n\n\n<\/p>
Here’s a quick checklist before updating a WordPress site:<\/p>
- \n
- Read and understand the update notice<\/strong>. Find out what the latest update carries through the WordPress changelog. It can either be new features or security patches.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Check the support forums<\/strong>. See what others say about the latest version of WordPress and whether it contains errors or bugs. Decide if it’s necessary to update now or wait longer. As a rule of thumb, prioritize security updates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Create a full WordPress backup<\/a><\/strong>. Backups prevent permanent data loss and act as a fallback plan if an error occurs while you’re modifying or updating your website. Make sure you can restore your site.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Turn off caching<\/strong>. Caching plugins may not recognize if a WordPress installation is taking place, which can impede the process. Clear your WordPress cache and turn off caching plugins first.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Deactivate other plugins<\/strong>. Some WordPress updates aren’t compatible with certain plugins. This can result in an inaccessible website. Deactivate any add-ons and extensions to install the update.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Upgrade PHP version<\/strong>. If you find that your current PHP version is not compatible with the update, make sure to update PHP version<\/a> of your website.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
How to update WordPress<\/h2>
Updating WordPress is critical for maintaining your website’s security and functionality. To update WordPress, go to the admin dashboard, click the “Updates” tab, and then follow the prompts to install the most recent version of WordPress, which will protect your site from vulnerabilities.<\/p>
If this is your first time upgrading WordPress core, don’t worry. We’ll show you how to update a WordPress site safely using four different methods, both automatically and manually.<\/p>
1. Update WordPress via the WP admin dashboard<\/h3>
This is one of the easiest ways to update your site to the latest WordPress version. This manual update process is only a click away, and the installation process will only take a few minutes.<\/p>
All you have to do is log in to your WordPress admin dashboard. Then, check if there is a new WordPress release at the top page of the WordPress admin dashboard.<\/p>
Click Please update now<\/strong> to initiate the website update. The Updates<\/strong> page will open, where you’ll have to press the Update Now<\/strong> button again. For minor updates, the success message <\/strong>along with the plugin and theme update options will appear.<\/p>
However, you will see a welcome screen with a detailed summary of what has been upgraded for major releases.<\/p>
![\"Welcome](\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/09\/wpadmin-whatsnew-1024x498.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>Now you can update all of your themes and plugins to make sure they are compatible with the latest version of WordPress.<\/p>
\nPro Tip<\/h4>\n
You can also download the latest WordPress version from Hostinger hPanel, in WordPress<\/b> section.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/p>
2. Update WordPress manually via FTP<\/h3>
Another way to update WordPress safely is via the FTP if you’re unable to do it via the WordPress admin dashboard.<\/p>
To manually upgrade your WordPress site, use an FTP client, such as FileZilla<\/a> or the File Manager <\/strong>in your hosting control panel. For this method, you need to access your WordPress root directory.<\/p>
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Good-Supoort-1024x514.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>You’ll have to overwrite the old WordPress core files – wp-includes<\/strong> and wp-admin<\/strong> – with new ones. <\/p>
\n Warning!<\/b> Don’t rush to replace everything inside the WordPress root directory. You can easily break your site if you do something incorrectly, so follow the tutorial carefully. <\/p>\n \n\n\n\n<\/p>
To update your WordPress website using FileZilla, follow the steps below:<\/p>
- \n
- Download the latest version<\/a> of WordPress and unzip the ZIP file.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Access the extracted folder and delete the wp-config-sample.php<\/strong> file and the wp-content<\/strong> folder to avoid losing any important data.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Log in to your WordPress site via FileZilla<\/a> or your preferred FTP client.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Find the existing web host wp-includes<\/strong> and wp-admin<\/strong> directories on the right side of the panel (remote site), then right-click to Delete<\/strong> them.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
![\"Deleting](\"\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/09\/delete-wp-admin-wp-includes.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>- \n
- On the local site – the left side of the panel – select the new wp-includes<\/strong> and wp-admin<\/strong> folders, then choose Upload<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
![\"Uploading](\"\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/09\/uploading-folders.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>- \n
- Upload the rest of the unzipped WordPress files from your computer to the web host directory. Overwrite the old WordPress files by uploading new ones to the server. When the Target file already exists<\/strong> confirmation message appears, select the Always use this action<\/strong> and Apply to current queue only<\/strong> options.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- When all files are uploaded, go to yoursite.com\/wp-admin\/upgrade.php\/<\/strong> to check if you’ve successfully finished the WordPress updates via FTP for your website.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
![\"WordPress](\"\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/09\/wordpress-updated.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/06\/New-WP_in-text-banner-1024x300.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>3. Update WordPress via WP-CLI<\/h3>
If you’re reading this part of the tutorial, you probably already have SSH access<\/a> to your WordPress root directory in the public_html<\/strong> folder.<\/p>
When everything is configured, take the following actions to update the WordPress site safely to the latest version:<\/p>
- \n
- Once you have access to your SSH account, use the cd<\/strong> command to switch to your WordPress root directory by using the following line:<\/li>\n<\/ol>
cd public_html<\/pre>
To list your directory contents, type in the ls<\/strong> command or type cd ~<\/strong> to change your directory to home.<\/p>
- \n
- Enter the following command to check if the latest version of WordPress is ready to update:<\/li>\n<\/ol>
wp core check-update<\/pre>
- \n
- If there’s a new version of WordPress available, you will see a similar message:<\/li>\n<\/ol>
+---------+-------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+\n| version | update_type | package_url |\n+---------+-------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+\n| #.#.# | minor | https:\/\/downloads.wordpress.org\/release\/wordpress-#.#.#.zip |\n| #.#.# | major | https:\/\/downloads.wordpress.org\/release\/wordpress-#.#.#.zip |\n+---------+-------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+<\/pre>
- \n
- If there are no updates available, you will see this message instead:<\/li>\n<\/ol>
Success: WordPress is at the latest version.<\/pre>
- \n
- To start the update, run the following line:<\/li>\n<\/ol>
wp core update<\/pre>
- \n
- Wait for the process to complete, and your WordPress website will be updated automatically.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
Now that you know how to update the core files via WP-CLI<\/a>, it’s time to upgrade your database. Run these following commands to update WordPress plugins and themes:<\/p>
wp core update-db\nwp theme update --all\nwp plugin update --all<\/pre>
When the program finishes the update process, rerun the previous commands to confirm whether everything is updated correctly. Here’s what it should look like:<\/p>
![\"A](\"\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/09\/terminal-update-1024x656.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>4. Update WordPress automatically<\/h3>
WordPress automatically updates your site for minor core releases by default, focusing on maintenance and stability improvements. There are also several options to automate updates for major releases, as well as plugins and themes.<\/p>
Hostinger users can use WordPress auto-updates<\/strong> in hPanel to choose how to automate updates – whether you want to just manage updates for the core software, or themes and plugins as well. It also lets you specify whether you want just security updates, or all updates, in each category.<\/p>
<\/a><\/figure>Here’s how to set up and configure WordPress auto-updates.<\/p>
- \n
- Navigate to WordPress <\/strong>→ Security <\/strong>from hPanel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Scroll down to the WordPress auto-updates<\/strong> section. If you want WordPress to manage updates, make sure Native auto-updates<\/strong> is checked. You can then click the Customize<\/strong> tab to choose whether you want No updates<\/strong>, Minor updates only<\/strong>, or All updates<\/strong> from the WordPress (core)<\/strong> dropdown menu. This will respect the update preferences you’ve set for Themes and Plugins in the WordPress dashboard.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
![\"Hostinger's](\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/09\/hostinger-native-auto-updates.png\")
- Scroll down to the WordPress auto-updates<\/strong> section. If you want WordPress to manage updates, make sure Native auto-updates<\/strong> is checked. You can then click the Customize<\/strong> tab to choose whether you want No updates<\/strong>, Minor updates only<\/strong>, or All updates<\/strong> from the WordPress (core)<\/strong> dropdown menu. This will respect the update preferences you’ve set for Themes and Plugins in the WordPress dashboard.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
- Navigate to WordPress <\/strong>→ Security <\/strong>from hPanel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Wait for the process to complete, and your WordPress website will be updated automatically.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
- To start the update, run the following line:<\/li>\n<\/ol>
- If there are no updates available, you will see this message instead:<\/li>\n<\/ol>
- If there’s a new version of WordPress available, you will see a similar message:<\/li>\n<\/ol>
- Enter the following command to check if the latest version of WordPress is ready to update:<\/li>\n<\/ol>
- When all files are uploaded, go to yoursite.com\/wp-admin\/upgrade.php\/<\/strong> to check if you’ve successfully finished the WordPress updates via FTP for your website.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
- Upload the rest of the unzipped WordPress files from your computer to the web host directory. Overwrite the old WordPress files by uploading new ones to the server. When the Target file already exists<\/strong> confirmation message appears, select the Always use this action<\/strong> and Apply to current queue only<\/strong> options.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Access the extracted folder and delete the wp-config-sample.php<\/strong> file and the wp-content<\/strong> folder to avoid losing any important data.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Check the support forums<\/strong>. See what others say about the latest version of WordPress and whether it contains errors or bugs. Decide if it’s necessary to update now or wait longer. As a rule of thumb, prioritize security updates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n