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How to Update WordPress Safely (Back Up First)

Using Joomla instead? See How to Update Joomla Safely (Back Up First).

Updates fix security holes and bugs, so keeping WordPress current is one of the best things you can do for your site. Here's how to do it without surprises.

1. Back up first

Take a full backup of your files and database, and make sure you know how to restore it. Your backup plugin or host can do this. See Website Backups: What to Back Up, How Often, and How Restores Work.

If your host offers a staging (test) site, try the updates there first.

2. See what needs updating

  1. Log in at yoursite.com/wp-admin.
  2. Go to Dashboard > Updates. This lists updates for WordPress, plugins, themes, and translations.

Before a big update, check each plugin's details for whether it's been tested with your version of WordPress.

3. Update in this order

  1. WordPress core: on Dashboard > Updates, click Update to version x.x (or Update Now). Minor and security updates often install automatically in the background.
  2. Plugins: on Dashboard > Updates, tick the plugins and click Update Plugins. Or go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and click update now under each one. Update a few at a time.
  3. Themes: tick themes on Dashboard > Updates and click Update Themes.

Paid plugins and themes may need an active license to update.

Customized your theme? If someone edited your theme's files directly, updating it will overwrite those changes. Ask your web team first. A child theme protects against this.

4. Test your site

  • Clear any caching (from your caching plugin or host).
  • Visit the home page and key pages.
  • Submit your forms.
  • Check anything that relies on plugins, like stores, galleries, or bookings.
  • Log in and out.

Automatic updates

On Plugins > Installed Plugins, you can Enable auto-updates for each plugin. It saves time, but you won't be watching when an update runs, so make sure backups are running and someone checks the site regularly.

If something breaks

  • Note what you updated and what's broken.
  • Check Tools > Site Health for clues.
  • Restore your backup if the site is down and you can't fix it quickly.
  • If you're a client, open a ticket. See How to Get Support From 3by400.

When to call us

  • Your site has a customized theme or custom code
  • An update is flagged as not tested with your WordPress version
  • Your store or bookings depend on the plugins being updated
  • You don't have a recent backup

Prefer we handle it?

If you'd rather spend your time running your business, our boutique hosting, available to our clients, including sites moved over from another host, takes a proactive approach to security and monitoring, with nightly backups, 24/7 outage monitoring, and ongoing core CMS updates.

Hosting & Security