How Can I Upgrade WordPress Core?
Every time you see a message in the dashboard for a new WordPress version, upgrading is strongly advised. Because a WordPress upgrade may break a plugin or render the entire website inoperable, many individuals fail to pay attention to this warning. The WordPress website has a number of vulnerabilities that can only be fixed by updating to a new version of WordPress. Consequently, having a patched website is beneficial.
It is a good idea to backup your WordPress website before starting the upgrade process so that, in the event of any problems, you can quickly restore it from the backup. Here you may find detailed instructions on how to back up a WordPress website.
You no longer need to manually update WordPress' minor and security updates after version 3.7. Without any user involvement, WordPress is capable of updating itself to a new minor release.
We will cover both of the main techniques for updating WordPress in this article.
One-Click Update
The majority of users choose the one-click update because it is the simplest way to upgrade WordPress. You will see an update message on the WordPress dashboard when a new version of WordPress is available. By selecting the link in the banner for the new version, you can start the upgrade. You must first click the Update Now option on the Update WordPress page to begin the procedure.
You don't need to take any further action after the WordPress upgrade has begun, and your WordPress website will be updated when it is finished.
You must take the actions listed below if the WordPress website update fails or you receive a failed update warning.
Use cPanel or FTP to access your WordPress directory.
Find the.maintenance file in your WordPress directory, then delete it.
The failed update warning ought to be gone after this.
Try the manual update procedure if the one-click upgrade doesn't work for you.
Upgrade manually via FTP
The manual backup approach is a more sophisticated way to update a WordPress website, but it requires more technical know-how. You can follow the manual update procedure by putting these instructions into practice if you choose to be more hands-on or if you've tried the one-click upgrading method earlier and failed numerous times.
FTP is used to replace WordPress files.
Deactivate each plugin from the dashboard of the live WordPress website.
Download the most recent WordPress zip (or tar.gz) file at this time.
The zip file you downloaded should be unzipped.
In place of the deleted directories, find the wp-includes and wp-admin directories and upload them to your web host.
Overwriting existing files, upload the individual files from the new wp-content folder to your existing wp-content folder.
Keep your current wp-content folder in place.
Don't remove any folders or files from your current wp-content directory (except from those that have been replaced by new files).
From the new version's root directory, upload all new unzipped files to your existing WordPress root directory.
Log in to the WordPress dashboard if you can.
WordPress will alert you if a database upgrade is required at this time and provide you with a link to the URL http://website.com/wp-admin/upgrade.php.
Following the procedures on that page will update your database so that it is compatible with the most recent code.
Final Notes:
The root folders' old WordPress files (such as index.php, wp-login.php, and so forth) should all be replaced with the new versions.
Make sure you don't replace your complete wp-content directory but rather only copy the files from it.
Your themes and plugins are located in wp-content, thus you should maintain them.
If you have customized the default or classic themes without renaming them, do not overwrite those files. You will lose your modifications if you don't.
If any new settings have been included that you might wish to add to your wp-config.php, check the wp-config-sample.php file.
deleting the.maintenance file and flushing the plugins that manage the cache
You must use FTP to remove the.maintenance file from your WordPress directory if you have previously tried the one-click upgrade and received a failed auto-upgrade error.
Clear the cache if caching is enabled so the changes take effect right away.
Your WordPress update is now finished, so go ahead and re-enable your plugins.
If you're having trouble logging in, try deleting your browser's cookies.
Refer to every step in the extended upgrading instructions if something goes wrong.