Are you a WordPress user? Keep your website up-to-date!

It’s common knowledge that updating your WordPress website is crucial for optimum performance, latest features, and enhanced security, not to mention a faster and smoother experience. Updating your version of WordPress from cPanel is easy and hassle-free, even if you’re not a tech expert. Let’s dive into the nitty-gritty with our explosive guide to update WordPress from cPanel, step by step.

Step 1: Make a backup copy of your website

Updating WordPress requires a full backup of your website to ensure that nothing goes wrong during the installation process, allowing you to restore your website to its previous state quickly. Although several web hosting providers offer automatic backups, it is highly recommended that you make a manual backup before updating WordPress.

1. Log in to your cPanel account and go to the “Files” section
2. Click on “Backup Wizard” followed by “Backup”
3. Select “Full Backup” and choose the option to backup your home directory, MySQL databases, and email filters and forwarders.
4. Click on “Generate Backup”.
5. You can now download the backup to your local computer or keep it in your hosting account.

Step 2: Check for compatibility

It’s important to ensure that your website’s current theme and plugins are compatible with the latest version of WordPress before starting the update process. Incompatible themes or plugins may break your website or cause it to function abnormally. The WordPress repository allows you to check for theme and plugin compatibility by reviewing their details.

If you find that your theme or plugin is incompatible, you’ll need to replace or update it with a new version, which is effortless using the WordPress dashboard or you can contact the theme or plugin developer for assistance.

Step 3: Select the WordPress version to install

It’s time to choose the version of WordPress you want to install now that you’ve verified that all of your themes and plugins are compatible with the latest version of WordPress. The latest stable version of WordPress is installed by default, but you can choose to install an older version if you prefer.

• To install the latest version of WordPress, navigate to the “Softaculous Apps Installer” section of cPanel and click on the WordPress icon.
• Select the latest version and click on “install.”
• If you want to install an older version of WordPress, you’ll need to download the installation files directly from the WordPress website and follow the manual installation process.

Step 4: Start the WordPress update process

With your WordPress installation version selected, you can now commence the update process. Click the “Upgrade” button adjacent to your WordPress installation in the Softaculous installer page to initiate the update process.

The first step is to test the compatibility of your website with the new WordPress version. Softaculous will undergo a compatibility check, and if any issues are encountered, an error message will be displayed, and you will need to address the problem before proceeding. If there are no compatibility issues, the “Upgrade” button will initiate the installation process. Softaculous will automatically back up your website before updating it.

Step 5: Verify the update

After the installation process, it’s essential to check if your website is running smoothly. Log in to your WordPress dashboard to confirm that your plugins and themes are functioning correctly. Check your website’s front-end to ensure that everything appears and operates as expected.

If you encounter any issues like broken links or missing content, you can use the backup you made earlier to restore your website to its previous state. Alternatively, you can contact your web hosting provider for support.

Conclusion

If you’ve followed our guide, updating WordPress from cPanel is a breeze. Remember to create a full backup of your website before proceeding with updates to restore it in case anything goes wrong. Also, ensure that all your themes and plugins are compatible with the latest version of WordPress. By following these steps, you can ensure your website runs smoothly and securely for years to come.