As the owner of a WordPress website, you have access to one of the most widely used web platforms available. From time to time, themes, plugins and WordPress itself will need updating, usually when developers release a security patch or add new functionality. Keeping your themes, plugins and WordPress version current matters because insecure passwords and outdated, vulnerable software are still the two most common reasons sites get hacked. WordPress runs automatic background updates for minor releases by default, which are typically maintenance, security or translation fixes. Only the core WordPress files are auto-updated this way, your themes and plugins are not, so those still need checking manually. Major releases such as WordPress 7.0 bring bigger changes and are not applied automatically. Once your site auto-updates, your site administrator is notified by email, and the same applies if WordPress can’t update itself and needs manual attention.
Updating WordPress + Plugins
To update your WordPress version manually or to update your themes and plugins, hover your cursor over the Dashboard menu option in the left-hand navigation menu and in the fly-out menu, click the Updates link. Alternatively, click the Dashboard menu option and then click the Updates link underneath.
The Updates page is divided into three sections. If your version of WordPress requires updating, this will be displayed at the top of the page. Below that, you’ll be notified of any plugin updates and below that again, theme updates.
Updating your WordPress version is as simple as clicking the Update Now button. WordPress will download the necessary files, perform a validation of those files and then automatically update your site.
Before updating your site, it’s always wise to perform a backup first, just in case something unfortunate happens during or after the installation.
If there are any plugins that can be updated, these will be listed in the Plugins section on the page. To update your plugins, tick the boxes next to each of the plugins you wish to update and then click the Update Plugins button. The new plugin files will be downloaded and automatically installed.
If there are any themes that can be updated, these will be listed in the Themes section on the page. To update your themes, tick the boxes next to each of the themes you wish to update and then click the Update Themes button. The new theme files will be downloaded and automatically installed.
After your site has been updated, no matter whether it’s been done automatically, manually or just themes and plugins, it’s a good idea to give your site a quick test to make sure it’s functioning as expected. This will ensure that the new themes, plugins or even WordPress itself hasn’t introduced new functionality that adversely affects your site or changes how your site operates.
