How to Update Plugins in WordPress Safely and Easily

Keeping your WordPress plugins up to date is one of the simplest yet most important steps in maintaining a fast, secure, and smoothly functioning website. Plugins are constantly improved by developers, whether to patch security vulnerabilities, add new features, or boost performance. But ignoring these updates can leave your website exposed to security risks, plugin conflicts, or even unexpected errors.

In this complete walkthrough, you’ll learn exactly How to Update Plugins in WordPress safely, whether you prefer using the WordPress dashboard, performing manual updates, or setting up automatic updates. We’ll also cover the essential steps to follow before and after updating, along with expert tips, crucial when working withpremium wordpress themes to avoid downtime or compatibility issues. By the end of this guide, you’ll be able to update plugins confidently and keep your WordPress site running at its best.

By following this complete guide, you will establish a robust routine for plugin maintenance, ensuring your WordPress site remains secure, fast, and stable.

Why Update Plugins in WordPress?

Updating plugins in WordPress is essential for keeping your website secure, stable, and performing at its best. Plugins play a major role in extending your WordPress site’s functionalities, from contact forms and SEO tools to security systems and eCommerce features. However, outdated plugins can quickly become a weak link. Here’s why keeping them updated matters:

• Improve Website Security: Plugins are one of the most common entry points for hackers. Developers regularly release updates to fix security vulnerabilities and patch bugs. By performing a regular wordpress security check and keeping plugins up to date, you reduce the risk of malware attacks, data breaches, and unauthorised access.
• Ensure Compatibility With Latest WordPress Version: WordPress core updates often change how features and functions work. If your plugins aren’t updated to match these changes, conflicts may arise, causing errors or even site breakdowns. Updated plugins ensure smooth compatibility with the latest WordPress and PHP versions.
• Boost Website Performance: Outdated plugins can slow down your website due to inefficient code, deprecated functions, or conflicts with new WordPress features. Updates often include performance improvements, optimised scripts, and better resource handling to keep your site running fast and efficiently.
• Access New Features and Enhancements: Plugin developers frequently add new tools, integrations, or customisation options through updates. By updating, you stay ahead with the latest features that can enhance user experience and make managing your site easier.
• Fix Bugs and Known Issues: Updates address bugs, glitches, and compatibility issues reported by users. Keeping plugins updated ensures that your site benefits from these fixes, reducing errors and improving stability.
• Improve Website Reliability: Regular updates reduce the chances of sudden plugin failures or unexpected crashes. A well-maintained plugin system leads to a more reliable website with minimal downtime.

To-Do List Before Updating Plugins in WordPress

Here’s a clean, well-structured to-do list before updating plugins in WordPress that you can directly use in your blog:

• Take a Full Backup of Your Website: Always create a complete backup (files + database) using a backup plugin or your host’s backup tool. This ensures you can restore your site if anything breaks after the update.
• Check Plugin Compatibility: See whether the plugin is compatible with your current WordPress version, theme, and other plugins. Review the changelog and version notes.
• Update WordPress Core & Theme First: Keeping WordPress core and theme updated reduces conflicts with new plugin updates.
• Test in a Staging Environment: If your website is large or important, test plugin updates in a staging site before updating on live.
• Disable Caching Before Update: Clear the cache for caching plugins and the CDN or temporarily disable wordpress plugins for caching to avoid update conflicts or outdated files loading.
• Check Minimum PHP Version Requirements: Make sure your hosting PHP version meets the plugin’s latest requirements.
• Deactivate Unused Plugins: Remove or deactivate plugins you no longer use, so only essential plugins get updated.
• Verify You Are Logged In as an Administrator: Ensure you have admin access to avoid permission errors during updates.
• Ensure a Stable Internet Connection: Interruptions during updates can corrupt plugin files.

How to Update Plugins in WordPress? Useful Methods

There are three primary methods for “How to Update Plugins in WordPress: using the WordPress Dashboard (automatic/one-click), using a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client (manual), and using the Command Line Interface (WP-CLI).

Method 1: How to Update Plugins in WordPress (Via WordPress Dashboard)

This is the most straightforward and common method, suitable for most users and standard plugins available on the WordPress.org repository. Here are the steps on “How to Update Plugins in WordPress” easily:

Steps

• Log in to your WordPress administrative area.
• Navigate to Plugins Installed Plugins.
• Look for plugins that have an update available. You will see a notice under the plugin's name that reads, "There is a new version of [Plugin Name] available. Update now."
• Click the Update now link below the plugin you wish to update.
• Wait for the process to complete. WordPress will download and replace the old files and activate the new version.
• Once you see the success message, check your site immediately for any issues.

Bulk Update

You can also update multiple plugins at once:

• Navigate to Dashboard Updates.
• Select the plugins you want to update using the checkboxes.
• Click the Update Plugins button.

Method 2: How to Update Plugins in WordPress (Automatically)

This is the automatic method on “How to Update Plugins in WordPress”. This method gives you selective control over which plugins update themselves automatically.

Steps

• Log in to your WordPress administrative area.
• Navigate to Plugins Installed Plugins.
• Locate the column labelled "Automatic Updates."
• For each plugin you want to automatically update, click the link that says "Enable auto-updates."
• The link will change to "Disable auto-updates," confirming the feature is now active for that specific plugin.

Bulk Activation

You can also enable auto-updates for multiple plugins simultaneously:

• On the Installed Plugins screen, check the boxes next to all the plugins you want to automate.
• Select "Enable auto-updates" from the "Bulk actions" dropdown menu above the list.
• Click the "Apply" button.

Method 3: How to Update Plugins in WordPress (Manual Update)

Updating a WordPress plugin manually is often necessary when the one-click update fails, when you are updating a premium plugin not available on the WordPress.org repository, or if you are locked out of your dashboard. The most common method for how to manually install wordpress plugins updates is using an FTP client. This method involves replacing the existing plugin folder on your server with the new one.

Steps

1. Connect to Your Server:

• Open your FTP client.
• Connect to your web host using your FTP credentials.

2. Navigate to the Plugins Directory: On the Remote Site panel, navigate to the following path: /public_html/wp-content/plugins/

3. Rename or Delete the Old Plugin:

• Find the folder for the plugin you want to update.
• Rename the folder. This automatically deactivates the plugin and keeps the files as a temporary backup.

4. Upload the New Plugin Folder:

• On the Local Site panel, find the extracted plugin folder you downloaded in the pre-checklist.
• Drag and drop this new folder into the /wp-content/plugins/ directory on the remote site. Wait for the upload to complete.

5. Verify and Clean Up:

• Log in to your WordPress Dashboard.
• Go to Plugins Installed Plugins.
• The newly uploaded plugin should appear, and you may need to click Activate if you renamed the old folder earlier.
• Check the plugin's version number to confirm the update.
• Test your site functionality thoroughly.
• If everything works, you can safely delete the old, renamed folder via FTP.

Best Practices for Updating Plugins Safely

• Always Take a Full Website Backup: Before updating any plugin, create a complete backup of your website, including files and the database. This ensures you can quickly restore your site if something goes wrong during the update process.
  
• Review the Plugin Changelog First: Check the plugin’s changelog to understand what the update includes. Look for security fixes, major changes, or compatibility notes that may affect your website.
  
• Update WordPress Core and Theme Before Plugins: Keeping WordPress core and themes updated first helps prevent compatibility issues when updating plugins, as most plugin updates are designed to work with the latest WordPress version.
  
• Test Updates on a Staging Site: For business or high-traffic websites, test plugin updates in a staging environment before applying them to the live site. This helps identify conflicts without risking downtime.
  
• Update Plugins One at a Time: Updating plugins individually makes it easier to identify which plugin causes an issue if something breaks, allowing quicker troubleshooting.
  
• Avoid Plugin Overload: Keep only essential and actively maintained plugins installed. Too many plugins increase the risk of conflicts and slow down your website.
  
• Disable Caching During Updates:Temporarily clear or disable caching plugins and CDN cache before updating to ensure old files don’t interfere with the update process.
  
• Enable Auto-Updates Selectively:Use automatic updates only for trusted, lightweight plugins. Critical plugins should be updated manually to maintain better control and review changes.
  
• Test Website Functionality After Updating: After updating plugins, check important site features such as forms, checkout pages, login areas, and navigation to ensure everything works correctly.
  
• Monitor Website Performance and Errors: Keep an eye on site speed, error logs, and user experience after updates to increase page speed wordpress and stability. Early detection of issues helps prevent long-term problems.

Conclusion

The above content walkthrough is a fine answer to “How to Update Plugins in WordPress”. Updating plugins is one of the simplest yet most important tasks for maintaining a secure, fast, and fully functional WordPress website. Whether you choose to update plugins automatically, manually, through FTP, or using WP-CLI, what matters most is following the right process and keeping your site backed up before making any changes.

By regularly checking for updates, testing critical plugins on a staging site, and enabling auto-updates where appropriate, especially when managing tools within a WP theme bundle you can prevent compatibility issues and ensure your website always runs smoothly.

With these methods at your fingertips, keeping your WordPress plugins up to date becomes effortless, safe, and efficient, giving you more time to focus on growing your website instead of troubleshooting it.