The Ultimate Guide to Updating WordPress Securely
Keeping your WordPress website up-to-date, is extremely important. It is necessary for security, speed, and new features. If you’re a new site owner or a more experienced one, updating WordPress can be easy — if you follow a few simple steps. In this tutorial, we’ll teach you how to safely update WordPress and make sure it all works fine.
Why Update WordPress?
Regular updates ensure:
Improved Security: Addresses vulnerabilities that attackers could take advantage of
Better Performance: Most updates also come with optimization that can improve your site speed
Compatibility: Ensure Plugins and themes work together well
Preparation Before Updating
Backup Your Website
Back up your site before making any update. That will make sure you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Backup WordPress Database: Save your WordPress database using a plugin like UpdraftPlus or WP Database Backup.
Full Site Backup: This will back up all the files, including media, plugins, and themes. Use a plugin such as Duplicator or BackupBuddy or through your web host’s hosting control panel.
Check Compatibility
Read the update release notes to ensure your plugins and theme are compatible with the new version.
This also means that in terms of security, you’re always best off updating plugins and themes first.
How to Update WordPress Core
Automatic Updates
WordPress can automatically install minor releases in some situations, though (6.1.1 to 6.1.2). For major releases, you will do the following:
- Manual Updates
- Login to Your Dashboard
- Go to Dashboard > Updates