Perplexing and Bursting: The Marvels of Updating WordPress Manually

WordPress is a platform that is versatile in its capabilities, powering millions of websites across the world. It is a popular choice for small businesses, individuals, and corporations due to its vast library of themes and plugins, customization options, and ease of use. Regular updates are released to patch vulnerabilities and fix bugs while adding new features. While it is important to update WordPress to ensure the website’s security and smooth functioning, some WordPress users prefer to update manually.

Step 1: Backup Your Website

Before undergoing the manual update process, it is crucial to back up your website. A backup ensures that your website data, files, and database are protected in case something goes wrong during the update process. There are two types of backups that you should create before updating WordPress- a database backup and a full backup of your website files. Here are the steps:

Database Backup:

• Log in to your cPanel account and navigate to the “phpMyAdmin” section.
• Select the database for your WordPress website.
• Click on the Export tab and select the Quick option.
• Select SQL as the export format and click the Go button.
• Save the database backup file to your local computer.

Full Website Backup:

• Log in to your cPanel account and navigate to the “Backup Wizard” section.
• Select the Full Backup option.
• Choose the backup type- either “Home Directory” or “Remote FTP Server.”
• Click the Generate Backup button.
• Save the backup file to your local computer.

Step 2: Download the Latest WordPress Version

Once you have backed up your website, the next step is to download the latest version of WordPress from the official website. Ensure that you download the stable version of WordPress as beta versions may have bugs that could affect your website’s functioning.

Step 3: Deactivate All Plugins

Before you start the manual update process, you should deactivate all the plugins on your website. This ensures that the update process goes smoothly as plugins can sometimes conflict with the new WordPress version. Here is how to deactivate plugins:

• Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
• Navigate to the “Plugins” section.
• Select all the plugins by clicking on the checkbox next to the plugin.
• Select “Deactivate” from the Bulk Actions dropdown menu and click Apply.

Step 4: Upload the New WordPress Files

Once you have downloaded the latest WordPress version and deactivated all plugins, the next step is to upload the new WordPress files to your server. You can do this either through FTP or cPanel File Manager. Here’s how to upload files using FTP:

• Connect to your website’s server using an FTP client such as FileZilla.
• Navigate to the root directory of your website.
• Delete the old WordPress files except for the wp-config.php file and the wp-content folder. Make sure that you have backed up your website before deleting any files.
• Upload the new WordPress files to the root directory of your website.

Step 5: Run the WordPress Upgrade Script

After you have uploaded the new WordPress files, the next step is to run the WordPress upgrade script. This script updates your WordPress database to the latest version. Here’s how to run the upgrade script:

• Navigate to your website’s URL followed by “/wp-admin/upgrade.php.”
• Click the “Run the Upgrade” button.
• Wait for the upgrade process to complete.

Step 6: Reactivate the Plugins

After the upgrade process is complete, you can reactivate the plugins on your website. Here’s how to reactivate plugins:

• Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
• Navigate to the “Plugins” section.
• Select all the plugins by clicking on the checkbox next to the plugin.
• Select “Activate” from the Bulk Actions dropdown menu and click Apply.

Step 7: Clear Cache and Test Your Website

After you have completed the manual WordPress update, it is important to clear your website’s cache to ensure that your visitors see the latest version of your website. You can clear your website’s cache either through your caching plugin or by using a cache-clearing plugin. Once you have cleared your cache, it is essential to test your website to ensure that everything is functioning correctly.

In conclusion, updating WordPress is important for maintaining the security and functionality of your website. While automatic updates are quick and easy, some WordPress users prefer to do it manually. The manual update process involves backing up your website, downloading the latest WordPress version, deactivating plugins, uploading the new WordPress files, running the upgrade script, reactivating plugins, clearing cache, and testing your website.