From time to time, themes,
plugins & WordPress will require updating. Updates typically happen when
developers release security patches or add extra functionality.
It’s good practice to keep
your themes, plugins & WordPress version updated to the latest versions.
The top two reasons for sites being hacked are insecure passwords &
outdated (vulnerable) software.
In an effort to promote
better security and to streamline the update experience, WordPress will
automatically update itself, if it’s able to, whenever a minor version is
released (e.g. v4.8.2, v4.9.1). These minor releases are usually for
maintenance and security purposes or translation file updates. Only core
WordPress files will be auto-updated. Your themes or plugins won’t be
automatically updated.
Once your site is auto-updated your site
administrator will be notified by email. If your WordPress installation can’t
update itself automatically for one reason or another, your site administrator
will be notified of this as well.
To update your WordPress
version manually or to update your themes and plugins, hover your cursor over
the Dashboard menu option in the
left-hand navigation menu and in the fly-out menu, click the Updates link. Alternatively, click the Dashboard menu option and then click the Updates link underneath.
The Updates page is divided into three sections. If your version of
WordPress requires updating, this will be displayed at the top of the page.
Below that, you’ll be notified of any plugin updates and below that again,
theme updates.
Updating your WordPress
version is as simple as clicking the Update
Now button. WordPress will download the necessary files, perform a
validation of those files and then automatically update your site.
Before updating your site,
it’s always wise to perform a backup first, just in case something unfortunate
happens during or after the installation.
If there are any
plugins that can be updated, these will be listed in the Plugins section on the page. To update your plugins, tick the boxes
next to each of the plugins you wish to update and then click the Update Plugins button. The new plugin
files will be downloaded and automatically installed.
If there are any
themes that can be updated, these will be listed in the Themes section on the page. To update your themes, tick the boxes
next to each of the themes you wish to update and then click the Update Themes button. The new theme
files will be downloaded and automatically installed.
After your site has been updated, no matter
whether it’s been done automatically, manually or just themes and plugins, it’s
a good idea to give your site a quick test to make sure it’s functioning as
expected. This will ensure that the new themes, plugins or even WordPress
itself hasn’t introduced new functionality that adversely affects your site or
changes how your site operates.