Keeping your WordPress website updated is one of the simplest yet most powerful ways to protect it from security vulnerabilities, improve performance, and ensure smooth functionality. However, many website owners hesitate to update WordPress due to a common fear: What if the update breaks my site?
The truth is, updates don’t have to be risky. With the right preparation and a safe update process, you can keep your website secure and fully optimised without facing unexpected downtime or compatibility issues. In this practical guide, we’ll walk you through the safest and most reliable ways to update WordPress core, premium WordPress themes and plugins. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced site owner, you’ll learn step-by-step methods, essential pre-update checks, and smart practices that help you update with confidence, without compromising your website’s stability.
Let’s dive into how to update WordPress safely, the right way, and efficiently.
Why Is It Important to Update WordPress?
Updating WordPress isn’t just about getting the latest features; it’s a crucial part of keeping your website secure, stable, and performing at its best. Every update, whether it’s for the WordPress core, themes, or plugins, plays an important role in maintaining the health of your site. Here’s why staying updated matters:
- Strengthens Website Security: WordPress powers millions of websites, making it a common target for hackers. Most attacks happen due to outdated versions of WordPress, vulnerable plugins, or old themes. Updates often include essential security patches that fix known vulnerabilities. By staying updated, you significantly improve your WordPress security and reduce your risk of malware, data breaches, and security exploits.
- Improves Website Performance: Developers continuously enhance WordPress to load faster, run smoothly, and perform better. Updates can include speed improvements, optimised code, and enhanced compatibility with modern technologies. These upgrades help your site deliver a better user experience and improve your SEO rankings.
- Adds New Features & Enhancements: With every major WordPress release, new features and improvements are introduced. These advancements can help you manage your website more easily, customise your content better, and take advantage of the latest web technology, without requiring extra plugins.
- Fixes Bugs and Glitches: No software is perfect. Sometimes, older versions of WordPress or plugins may have bugs that cause broken layouts, errors, or unexpected behaviour. Updates fix these issues and ensure everything runs smoothly, reducing the chances of your website crashing or malfunctioning.
- Ensures Compatibility with Themes, Plugins & PHP: Your website relies on many moving parts, WordPress core, themes, plugins, and your hosting environment. When any one of these gets updated, compatibility becomes essential. Updating WordPress helps ensure all components work well together and prevents conflicts that can break your site.
- Enhances Website Security Compliance: If you run an online store or business website, staying updated helps meet security compliance standards. This is especially crucial for websites handling payments, customer data, or sensitive information.
The Pre-Update Checklist
Updating WordPress without preparation can lead to unexpected issues like plugin conflicts, broken layouts, or even complete website failure. To avoid downtime and ensure a smooth update process, it’s important to follow a proper checklist before hitting the Update button. Here’s everything you should do to update WordPress safely:
1. Back Up Your Entire Website: A complete backup is your safety net. If something goes wrong, you can instantly restore your website to its previous working state. Your backup should include WordPress files, including themes, plugins, uploads, core files, and the database. Use reliable backup plugins like UpdraftPlus, Jetpack Backup, BlogVault, or BackupBuddy, or use your hosting provider’s backup tools.
2. Check PHP Version Compatibility: Your server’s PHP version must be compatible with the latest WordPress update.
Go to Tools → Site Health → Info tab → Server to view the PHP version. Check if the WordPress release notes mention PHP requirements. Using outdated PHP may cause fatal errors after updating.
3. Review Plugin & Theme Changelogs: Before updating:
- Open each plugin and theme's details.
- Read the changelog to check what changed.
- Look for compatibility notes like “Tested with WordPress X.X.”
This helps avoid conflicts or unexpected behaviour after updates.
4. Deactivate Unnecessary or Problematic Plugins: If you already know certain plugins cause conflicts, temporarily deactivate them before updating. Reducing active plugins lowers the chance of update failures.
5. Ensure Your WordPress Site Has Sufficient Hosting Resources: Make sure your hosting environment meets update requirements:
- Adequate PHP memory limit
- No storage issues
- Latest MySQL/MariaDB versions
- Low resources can cause update timeouts or incomplete installations.
6. Create a Staging Site: A staging site allows you to test updates safely before applying them to your live website.
You can create a staging site using:
- Hosting providers like Bluehost, SiteGround, and Hostinger
- Plugins like WP Staging or Duplicator
- This step helps you catch issues early.
7. Clear Cache and CDN Before Updating: Caching may load old files and create conflicts. Clear:
- WordPress cache
- Browser cache
- CDN cache
Clearing the cache ensures you see the most recent version after updates.
8. Check Website Speed and Performance Baseline: Record your site’s performance before updating, using tools like
- Google PageSpeed Insights
- GTmetrix
- Pingdom
You can compare performance after updates to ensure nothing breaks or slows down.
10. Log In to Your Hosting Control Panel: Keep your hosting panel open in case you need to:
- Restore backups
- Access file manager/FTP
- Fix an error quickly
- Being prepared saves time if anything goes wrong.
How to Update WordPress Safely? Useful Methods
Updating WordPress doesn’t have to be risky or stressful. When done correctly, you can keep your website secure and running smoothly without facing downtime, theme conflicts, or broken pages. Below are the safest methods you can use to update WordPress safely, including core, themes, and plugins, step by step.
Method 1: How to Update WordPress Safely (Via WordPress Admin Dashboard)
The WordPress admin dashboard offers the easiest way to update your site components; it's the recommended method for almost all users. However, "safely" doing it via the dashboard requires following a strict process of preparation and sequence. Here is the step-by-step guide on “How to Update WordPress Safely” using the built-in dashboard tools:
Part A: Plugins: Plugins are the most common source of update conflicts.
- Go to Plugins: Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
- Select & Update: Select the first plugin with an available update and click "Update now" directly from the list. Avoid using the "Update all" bulk action initially.
- Immediately check your site's frontend. If the site breaks, you know that the plugin is the culprit. You can now roll back the staging site or seek a fix for that specific plugin.
Part B: Themes: Next, update your themes.
- Go to Themes: Navigate to Appearance > Themes.
- Update Active Theme: Click on the theme with the update available and click "Update now." If you use a child theme, update the parent theme first.
- Check your homepage and key pages to ensure the layout, headers, and footers are still correct.
Part C: WordPress Core: This is the final step, as your plugins and themes are now ready for the new core version.
- Go to Updates: Navigate to Dashboard > Updates.
- Update Core: You will see a message like "An updated version of WordPress is available." Click the "Update to version X.X" button.
- The site will briefly go into maintenance mode.
- Database Update: If a database update is required, you will see a prompt. Click "Update WordPress Database" and follow the instructions.
- You will be taken to the "What's New" screen upon successful completion.
Method 2: How to Update WordPress Safely (Manual Process)
The manual update process is necessary if the automatic dashboard update fails or if you are a developer who prefers maximum control. This method involves directly replacing the WordPress core files using an FTP/SFTP client or your hosting's File Manager. This process is advanced and carries a higher risk of error. A full backup is absolutely mandatory.
Here is the safe, step-by-step method on “How to Update WordPress Safely” using the manual process:
A: Deactivate Plugins: To prevent conflicts during the file replacement, temporarily deactivate all plugins.
- In your FTP client, navigate to wp-content/.
- Rename the plugins folder to something like plugins_old. This immediately deactivates all plugins on your site.
B: Delete Old Core Files: Delete the old core folders from your server:
- Delete the wp-includes folder.
- Delete the wp-admin folder.
- DO NOT delete the wp-content folder! This folder contains all your themes, plugins, and media uploads.
C. Upload New Core Files: Now, upload the replacement folders from the new, unzipped WordPress download:
- From the WordPress folder on your computer, select the new wp-includes folder.
- Upload it to your site's root directory on the server, replacing the one you just deleted.
- Select the new wp-admin folder.
- Upload it to your site's root directory on the server.
D: Replace Loose Root Files :
- In the local WordPress folder on your computer, select all the individual files.
- When uploading, do NOT upload or overwrite your existing:
- wp-config.php.
- wp-content folder.
- .htaccess.
- Upload the selected loose files to the site's root directory, choosing Overwrite when prompted by your FTP client.
Method 3: How to Update WordPress Safely (Automatically)
By default, WordPress automatically handles minor core updates. For major core updates, plugins, and themes, you usually need to enable the feature or configure it. Here is the most common way to enable and manage automatic updates:
Plugins like Easy Updates Manager give you fine-grained control over which components, like core, plugins, themes, and translations, update automatically and when.
- Go to Plugins < Add New.
- Search for a plugin like "Easy Updates Manager."
- Install and activate the plugin.
- Navigate to the plugin's settings under Dashboard < Update Options or a similar name to configure your preferences.
Common Mistakes to Avoid While Updating WordPress
Updating WordPress is essential, but doing it incorrectly can lead to broken layouts, plugin conflicts, or even site downtime. One of the most common mistakes users make is updating WordPress without taking a complete backup. If something goes wrong during the update process, restoring your website becomes difficult without a recent backup of files and the database.
Another frequent error is updating everything at once. Updating WordPress core, themes, and plugins simultaneously makes it harder to identify the cause if Common WordPress issues occur. A safer approach is to update them one by one and test the site after each update. Many beginners also ignore plugin and theme compatibility, assuming all updates will work smoothly. However, outdated or poorly maintained plugins may not support the latest WordPress version and can break site functionality.
Updating directly on a live website without testing is another risky practice. Changes should ideally be tested on a staging site to avoid affecting real users. Lastly, failing to clear the cache after updates can cause users to see outdated versions of pages, leading to confusion and display issues. Avoiding these mistakes ensures a smoother, safer WordPress update experience.
When You Should NOT Update WordPress Immediately
Although keeping WordPress updated is important, there are certain situations where delaying an update is the smarter decision. If your website is running a critical business operation, such as an active sale, product launch, or high-traffic marketing campaign, updating WordPress during this period can risk unexpected downtime or broken features.
You should also avoid updating WordPress immediately if your theme or essential plugins are not yet compatible with the new version. Incompatibility can lead to layout issues, missing functionality, or complete site crashes. Always check plugin and theme update notes before proceeding. If compatibility information is unclear, it’s best to wait or test the update on a staging environment first.
Another scenario where updates should be postponed is when you do not have a recent backup. Updating without a safety net can turn minor issues into major problems. Lastly, if your environment is outdated, such as running an unsupported PHP version, learning how to choose the best hosting to fix server compatibility is vital before updating. Timing your updates wisely helps maintain site stability while still staying secure.
What to do After Updating WordPress?
The first things you should do right after updating WordPress, whether it’s the core, a theme, or a plugin, are to clear all caches and carefully test your site to ensure everything is functioning correctly. Use this essential post-update checklist to keep your website stable and error-free
- Clear Every Type of Cache: Updated files can be overshadowed by old cached versions, causing layout issues or preventing new changes from appearing. Many hosts also enable server-level caching, so log in to your hosting dashboard or use the host’s companion plugin to clear that cache too. Lastly, clear your browser cache to make sure you’re viewing the most recent version of your website.
- Test All Important Website Functions: After clearing the cache, review the parts of your site that users rely on the most. Visit key pages, scroll through your site, and confirm that the design, layout, fonts, and images are displaying properly. Log in to your WordPress dashboard to confirm that admin pages load without warnings or errors. It’s also a good idea to check the Site Health page for any new notices or critical issues triggered by the update.
- Check for Theme & Plugin Compatibility: Make sure every plugin and theme is updated to the latest version, since developers often push compatibility patches immediately after a major WordPress release. If you use a child theme or have added custom CSS or scripts, quickly review those customisations to ensure the update hasn’t affected them.
- Confirm Your Backup Is Safe: If you created a backup before updating, verify that the backup files are complete and stored safely. Most backup plugins and hosting services provide a confirmation log; check it to ensure the backup was successful. Once you’re confident the site is running smoothly after a WordPress security check create a fresh backup of your newly updated website for future safety.
Conclusion
Here, we have reached the concluding point for the above blog, How to Update WordPress Safely. Updating WordPress is one of the simplest yet most powerful ways to keep your website secure, fast, and fully optimised. By following a structured approach, backing up your site, checking compatibility, using the right update methods, and verifying everything afterwards, you can avoid common risks and ensure a smooth, error-free update experience.
Whether you manage a small blog or a large business website using a wp theme bundle staying proactive with updates helps protect your site from vulnerabilities, improve performance, and ensure compatibility with the latest plugins and themes. Make it a habit to maintain a reliable backup system and follow the pre-update and post-update checklists every time. With the right preparation and a little attention to detail, updating WordPress safely becomes an easy, routine task that keeps your website healthy and future-ready.
