Perplexed and Bursting with WordPress Knowledge: Rolling Back to a Previous Version

WordPress is a ubiquitous content manage system (CMS), used by the masses for building websites and blogs like there’s no tomorrow! However, just like any other software platform, WordPress can be prone to issues. New updates and plugins can cause troubles, such as crashes or other problems.

Now, in these situations, the best way to tackle the issues is to rollback WordPress to a previous version, meaning you would restore an older version of the software that worked well, rather than sticking to the current one that’s causing problems. Follow the steps below, and we’ll guide you on rolling back WordPress and restoring your site to a working state.

Step 1: Backup Your Site

Before you start with anything, you have to back up your website files and database. This is crucial! Doing this will ensure that you can quickly restore your site to its previous version if anything goes wrong during the rollback process. There are plenty of ways to back up your site, but we recommend using UpdraftPlus, which is free and easy to use. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Install and activate UpdraftPlus plugin
2. Go to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backup to create a backup
3. Download the files and keep them someplace safe.

Step 2: Determine the Version to Rollback

Next, you have to determine the version of WordPress to roll back to. You’ll typically roll back when the site breaks after a new version update. So, it’s good to know the older version that was working before. Alternatively, you can also check out the WordPress Release Archive to find older versions of the software. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Download the WordPress files from WordPress.org
2. Go over the files and find the older version to which you want to rollback

Step 3: Deactivate All Plugins

Before you start rolling back WordPress, you need to deactivate all the plugins you have. This step is vital to avoid any conflicts between the older version of WordPress and the plugins installed on your site. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins on your WordPress dashboard
2. Select all the plugins on the list and click “Deactivate”

Step 4: Replace WordPress Core Files

Now, that you have backed up your site, determined the version to roll back to, and deactivated all plugins, you can go ahead and replace the core WordPress files. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Using FTP or cPanel, navigate to your site’s root folder
2. Delete all the files in the root folder, except for your wp-content folder and wp-config.php file
3. Extract the WordPress files you downloaded in Step 2 to your local computer
4. Upload the extracted files to your site’s root folder, replacing all the deleted files

Step 5: Reactivate Plugins

Now, you can go ahead and reactivate all the plugins you deactivated earlier. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins on your WordPress dashboard
2. Select all the plugins you deactivated earlier
3. Click “Activate” to reactivate the plugins

Step 6: Test Your Site

Finally, it’s time to test your site and make sure it’s working correctly. Check your site’s pages, posts, and functionality to ensure that everything is working as it should. If you encounter any issues, you can restore your site from the backup you created earlier.

Rollback WordPress: Conclusion

The process of rolling back WordPress may seem complicated at first, but it’s a necessary step to restore your site to a functional state. Always back up your site before making any changes, and don’t hesitate to seek help from WordPress experts if you encounter any problems.