How to update WordPress, plugins, themes

WordPress includes the ability to update itself (core), plugins, and themes within the WordPress admin by going to the Dashboard > Updates screen. Once you are on the “Update WordPress” page, click the button “Update Now” to start the process. You shouldn’t need to do anything else and, once it’s finished, you will be up-to-date. Documentation here.

However when you use WordPress to handle the updates, a backup is not created prior to completing the update. Therefore we recommend using our 1-click web apps utility to handle the updates. Here’s how:

1. Login to Plesk (Instructions)
2. Choose 1-click web apps in the menu and find the correct site in the list (if you have multiple)
3. If there are updates available, then among the buttons to manage the site you will see “Update” (to the left of Edit). Select the Update button.
4. It will default to updating everything and creating a backup – you may edit these options if you wish.
5. Press the button at the bottom of the page to proceed with the updates

1-click web apps will automatically create a backup and update everything that it is able to update.

Tips:

• If you utilize paid software that requires a license to update, and that license is not activated or is no longer valid, 1-click web apps will not be able to update the software. You must keep your licenses paid and active in order to obtain updates for the software.
• By default we configure all WordPress installations using 1-click web apps to automatically update as this is the best way to ensure optimal security for your site. While you can configure any WordPress installation to not auto-update, we do not recommend this. Furthermore if you disable auto-update on sites with our Hands-On Support, our hack-free guarantee may no longer apply.