How to Update WordPress, Themes, and Plugins Safely

Keeping your WordPress site up to date is crucial for maintaining security, functionality, and compatibility. WordPress, themes, and plugins often release updates to fix security vulnerabilities, improve performance, and add new features. However, updating them without proper precautions can sometimes lead to issues, such as broken functionality or site downtime.

This guide will explain how to safely update your WordPress core, themes, and plugins to ensure your site remains secure and functional.

Step 1: Backup Your Website

Before making any updates, it’s essential to back up your website. This includes backing up your WordPress files, database, and media content. A complete backup ensures that if anything goes wrong during the update process, you can easily restore your site to its previous working state.

How to backup:

Use a Backup Plugin: Plugins like UpdraftPlus, BackupBuddy, or Jetpack can help automate backups. These plugins let you schedule regular backups, back up to cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.), and restore your site easily if needed.
Manual Backup: If you prefer a more hands-on approach, you can manually back up your site using an FTP client to download your WordPress files and export your database through phpMyAdmin.

Step 2: Check Plugin and Theme Compatibility

Before updating, check if your installed plugins and themes are compatible with the latest version of WordPress. Sometimes, older plugins or themes may not work correctly with new WordPress releases, causing issues like broken pages or slow performance.

How to check compatibility:

Read Release Notes: When WordPress releases a new version, developers of themes and plugins usually update their products to ensure compatibility. Read the changelog or release notes for plugins and themes to verify if there are any known issues with the new WordPress version.
Check WordPress.org or Developer Websites: Visit the official plugin/theme pages on the WordPress repository or the developer’s website to confirm if updates are available and if they mention compatibility with the latest WordPress version.

Step 3: Update WordPress Core

Log in to Your WordPress Dashboard:
- Go to yourdomain.com/wp-admin and log in to the backend of your website.
Check for WordPress Core Updates:
- In your Dashboard, WordPress will display a notification if a new version is available. You can also check for updates by navigating to Dashboard > Updates.
Update WordPress Core:
- If a new version of WordPress is available, you will see an option to update. Click the Update Now button to begin the process.
- WordPress will download and install the latest version automatically.
- Once the update is complete, you’ll see a message confirming the update.
Check Your Site After Updating:
- After updating, visit your website to ensure everything is working correctly. Test your pages, links, and key functionalities to confirm that the update didn’t cause any issues.

Step 4: Update Themes

Go to the Themes Section:
- Navigate to Appearance > Themes in the WordPress dashboard.
Check for Theme Updates:
- If an update is available for your active theme, you will see a notification in the theme section. Click on the Update Now button next to the theme you wish to update.
- If your theme is not updated automatically, you can download the latest version from the theme developer’s website and manually upload it.
Check Compatibility:
- After updating the theme, ensure that everything looks as expected on the front-end of your website. Check for layout issues or missing elements.
- It’s always a good idea to test your theme on a staging site before updating it on your live site to avoid disrupting your users’ experience.

Step 5: Update Plugins

Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins:
- In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins to see a list of all your installed plugins.
Check for Available Plugin Updates:
- If updates are available, you will see a notification next to each plugin. You can either update them individually by clicking Update Now or select multiple plugins to update at once.
Update Plugins One by One:
- While you can update multiple plugins at once, it’s often safer to update them one by one. This way, if an issue arises, you can more easily identify which plugin caused the problem.
- After updating each plugin, check your website to make sure it still functions properly.
Test Website Functionality:
- After updating plugins, it’s important to thoroughly test your website. Check key functionalities like forms, shopping carts (if applicable), and page elements to ensure everything is working smoothly.

Step 6: Clear Cache and Test Site Performance

After completing updates, clear your website’s cache to ensure that the new versions of WordPress, themes, and plugins are being used.

How to clear cache:

If you’re using a caching plugin (e.g., W3 Total Cache, WP Super Cache, or LiteSpeed Cache), clear your site’s cache from the plugin’s settings page.
If your website is behind a Content Delivery Network (CDN) (e.g., Cloudflare), clear the cache on your CDN’s dashboard as well.

Additionally, check your site’s performance after the updates to ensure that everything is running smoothly and efficiently. Use tools like GTmetrix or Google PageSpeed Insights to monitor any potential speed changes.

Step 7: Enable Automatic Updates (Optional)

WordPress has the option to enable automatic updates for the core, themes, and plugins. While this can help ensure your site stays up-to-date without manual intervention, it’s important to balance convenience with the risk of updates causing potential issues.

How to enable automatic updates:

For WordPress Core: WordPress automatically enables minor updates (like security patches) by default. You can also enable major updates by adding the following line to your wp-config.php file:phpCopydefine( 'WP_AUTO_UPDATE_CORE', true );
For Themes and Plugins: You can enable automatic updates for themes and plugins directly in the WordPress dashboard:
- Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and enable automatic updates for each plugin.
- For themes, go to Appearance > Themes, click on the theme, and enable automatic updates.

While automatic updates can save time, it’s still a good idea to monitor your site regularly to make sure everything is functioning correctly.

Step 8: Troubleshooting After Updates

In some cases, updates might cause issues with your site. Here’s what you can do if something breaks:

Deactivate All Plugins: Deactivate all plugins to see if a plugin is causing the issue. Reactivate them one by one to identify the culprit.
Switch to Default Theme: Temporarily switch to a default WordPress theme (like Twenty Twenty-One) to check if the issue is theme-related.
Check Error Logs: Look for any error messages in the browser or review the error log (available via your hosting control panel or via FTP).
Restore from Backup: If nothing else works, restore your site from the backup you made before updating.

Conclusion

Updating WordPress, themes, and plugins is a crucial part of maintaining a secure and functional website. By following these steps—backing up your site, checking compatibility, updating safely, and testing thoroughly—you can ensure that your WordPress site stays secure and performs optimally after each update.

Remember that regular updates are key to keeping your site secure from potential vulnerabilities and offering users the best experience.

How to Update WordPress, Themes, and Plugins Safely