In this guide, we’ll explain how to update WordPress, your plugins and your themes.
Keeping WordPress up to date is one of the most important parts of maintaining a secure and reliable website. Updates often include security fixes, bug fixes, performance improvements and compatibility changes.
Before installing major updates, we recommend making sure you have a recent backup of your website.
This is particularly important if your website uses:
If your website is business-critical, it can also be sensible to update important plugins individually rather than updating everything at once.
Log in to your WordPress Dashboard.
Then go to:
Dashboard > Updates
WordPress will show any available updates for:
If a new WordPress version is available:
Your website may briefly enter maintenance mode while the update is being installed.
Do not close the browser window or interrupt the update while it is running.
Plugins can be updated from:
Plugins > Installed Plugins
Any plugin with an available update will normally display an update notification.
To update a plugin:
You can also update several plugins together from:
Dashboard > Updates
Select the plugins you want to update and click Update Plugins.
To update your WordPress theme:
Themes can also be updated from:
Dashboard > Updates
If your website uses a custom theme, check whether changes have been made directly to the theme files.
Updating a theme normally replaces the existing theme files with the latest version.
Any changes made directly to those files may therefore be lost.
Custom changes should normally be made using a child theme rather than by editing the main theme directly.
After completing updates, visit your website and check that everything is working correctly.
We recommend checking:
If your website uses WooCommerce or another important application, test its main functions as well.
If your website uses a caching plugin, you may need to clear the cache after updating.
Common caching plugins include:
Clearing the cache helps ensure that visitors see the latest version of your website.
You may also need to clear your browser cache if the website appears unchanged after an update.
Sometimes an update can fail because of:
If WordPress becomes unavailable after updating, the plugin or theme that was updated may be responsible.
A plugin can normally be disabled through your hosting File Manager by renaming its directory inside:
wp-content/plugins
For example:
wp-content/plugins/example-plugin
can temporarily be renamed to:
wp-content/plugins/example-plugin-disabled
WordPress will then stop loading that plugin.
WordPress temporarily creates a .maintenance file while performing updates.
Normally this file is removed automatically when the update finishes.
If an update is interrupted, your website may display a message similar to:
Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute.
If the message remains for an extended period, open your hosting File Manager and look inside the main WordPress directory.
Delete the file named:
.maintenance
Your website should then become accessible again.
Updating unused software is better than leaving it vulnerable, but software you no longer require should usually be removed completely.
Unused plugins and themes can still contain security vulnerabilities.
To remove an unused plugin:
For unused themes, go to:
Appearance > Themes
Open the theme details and select Delete.
It is often useful to keep one current default WordPress theme installed for troubleshooting purposes.
WordPress can automatically install updates for selected plugins and themes.
This can help keep your website protected against known security vulnerabilities.
Automatic updates can normally be enabled from the WordPress Dashboard.
However, websites using complex themes, custom code or business-critical plugins may benefit from testing major updates before installing them.
We cover this in more detail in our separate guide:
How to Enable Automatic WordPress Updates
Outdated WordPress installations, plugins and themes are a common cause of compromised websites.
For this reason, Cheap Host recommends regularly checking your WordPress Dashboard and installing available security updates as soon as reasonably possible.
You should also remove any plugins or themes that you no longer use.
Keeping WordPress, plugins and themes updated helps improve website security, stability and compatibility.
We recommend checking your WordPress website regularly and applying available updates, while keeping a recent backup before making major changes.
If an update causes a problem or your website becomes unavailable, please log in to your Cheap Host account and submit a support ticket for assistance.