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WPBeginner» Blog» Beginners Guide» Beginner’s Guide: How to Safely Update WordPress (Infographic)

Beginner’s Guide: How to Safely Update WordPress (Infographic)

Last updated on April 25th, 2019 by Editorial Staff
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Beginner’s Guide: How to Safely Update WordPress (Infographic)

Do you want to update WordPress but don’t know where to start? Often beginners are afraid that an update may break their website.

This fear is understandable however it’s important to use the latest version of WordPress for the best security and performance of your website.

In this beginner’s guide, we will show you how to safely update WordPress like a pro without breaking your website.

Ultimate Guide to Upgrade WordPress for Beginners

Upgrading your WordPress website is a regular maintenance task. We have created an easy to follow infographic that you can use as a reference guide.

Click on the image below to view the full infographic or continue reading the text instructions.

Ultimate Guide to Upgrade WordPress - Infographic

Why You Should Always Update WordPress

Leading WordPress security research shows that majority of WordPress websites that get hacked are either due to an outdated WordPress core, plugins, or theme.

WordPress is actively maintained by developers from all over the world. These developers find and fix bugs, add new features, and hunt down security vulnerabilities on a regular basis. These changes are then released in a new WordPress version.

If it is not a big release, then WordPress can automatically update itself to the newer version. For major releases, unless you are on managed WordPress hosting, you’ll have to manually initiate the update yourself.

You need to update to make sure that your website has the latest security patches, newest features, and the best speed and performance.

For more on this topic, see our guide on why you should always use the latest version of WordPress.

That being said, let’s see how to safely update WordPress to the latest version.

Prepare Before Upgrading WordPress

The most important thing you need to do before upgrading WordPress is to create complete WordPress backup.

Even if you have an automated WordPress backup plugin set up. You still need to make sure that you create a new backup and store it safely on a remote location.

A complete WordPress backup includes everything.

  • Your WordPress database
  • All your images and media uploads
  • Your WordPress plugins and themes
  • Core WordPress files

This step is crucial as it will allow you to restore WordPress from backup in case something goes wrong.

Once you have created a complete backup and stored it on a different location (your computer or cloud storage like Google Drive), then you can move on to the next step.

Upgrading WordPress to The Latest Version

There are two easy ways to update your WordPress site to the latest version. One is automatic and the other one is manual. We will show both of them.

Method 1: Updating WordPress using the Built-in System (1-Click)

This method is easier and is recommended for all users.

First, log in to the admin area of your WordPress website and go to Dashboard » Updates page.

You will see the notice that a new version of WordPress is available. Now you just need to click on the ‘Update Now’ button to initiate the update.

WordPress updates page

WordPress will now fetch the latest version of the software and install it for you.

You will see the update progress on your screen. During the upgrade, WordPress will put your site in maintenance mode.

WordPress update progress

Your site will still be visible to users, but you will not be able to install plugins, or themes while the update is underway.

Once the update is over, you will be redirected to the WordPress welcome screen. Depending on each release you may see a page explaining what’s new in WordPress and the features you should try.

That’s all, you have successfully updated WordPress to the latest version.

Method 2: Manually Update WordPress Using FTP

This method requires you to use FTP to manually upload WordPress files. You can use this when the first method is not working for some reasons.

First, you will need to download the latest version of WordPress. Go to the WordPress download page and click on the Download button.

Download WordPress

Your browser will now download WordPress in a zip file. Once downloaded you need to extract the zip file. Inside you will see a wordpress folder. This folder contains all the WordPress files you need for the update.

Next, you need to open your FTP client and connect to your website. Once connected, go to the wordpress folder you just extracted from the zip file in the local files column.

In the remote files column, go to your website’s root folder. This folder could be public_html or named after your website’s domain name. Inside this folder, you will see your WordPress files and folders.

Upload WordPress files

Select all files inside the wordpress folder on your computer and then right click to select Upload.

Your FTP client will now start uploading WordPress files from your computer to your website.

However, your website already has older versions of the files with the same name. You will be asked, what do you want to do with those files. You need to select ‘Overwrite’ and check the box next to ‘Always use this action’.

Overwrite files

This will ensure that all WordPress files on your website are replaced by the newer versions of the files.

Once the upload is finished, you need to go to the admin area of your WordPress site. This step is necessary as sometimes a newer version of WordPress may also need to update your WordPress database.

Database update required

In that case, you may see a page mentioning that database update is required. Click on the ‘Update WordPress Database’ button to continue.

That’s all, you have successfully updated your WordPress website. For more detailed steps, see our guide on how to manually update WordPress via FTP.

Things to do After The Update

Once you have upgraded WordPress on your website, you need to make sure that everything is working as expected. Simply visit your website in a new browser window and review Settings in the WordPress admin area.

If you come across any issue, then take a look at our list of common WordPress errors and how to fix them. If the problem you are facing is not listed there, then follow steps in our WordPress troubleshooting guide to figure out the problem and apply a solution.

We hope this article helped you easily update WordPress to the latest version. You may also want to see our step by step WordPress SEO guide for beginners.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

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12 Comments

Leave a Reply
  1. Mike says:
    Feb 22, 2017 at 6:39 am

    Where can I find out information on just what is included in upgrade package. Also does an upgrade include all of the websites I manage?

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Feb 22, 2017 at 9:34 am

      Hi Mike,

      WordPress updates are for the WordPress core software. Plugins and themes release their own updates.

      Reply
  2. Diana says:
    Sep 12, 2013 at 10:30 am

    I hate to ask the most obvious questions but the flow chart starts with “start wordpress update” where do I go in my admin section to actually find the updates? All I can find is the upgrade section which seems to be different.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Sep 12, 2013 at 4:36 pm

      Go to WordPress admin area. In the left sidebar you will see Dashboard icon clicking on it will display Updates menu under it. WordPress will also notify you when there is a new version available for you to download and install. You can also access the update page directly by accessing the url:

      http://www.example.com/wp-admin/update-core.php

      Don’t forget to replace example.com with your own domain name.

      Reply
  3. Nicole says:
    Sep 11, 2013 at 11:02 pm

    Does this only apply to wordpress.org blogs?

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Sep 12, 2013 at 5:05 pm

      yes it applies to self-hosted WordPress sites only.

      Reply
  4. Jim Walker says:
    Jun 21, 2013 at 6:33 pm

    While upgrades are important, certainly no harm in waiting a few days.

    None of the security issues are life threatening.

    Never a bad idea to let others do the beta testing first… Stay frosty!

    Reply
  5. clippingimages says:
    Oct 28, 2009 at 3:03 pm

    WoW :) Awesome article. Thanks for sharing this nice post.

    Reply
  6. Tina says:
    Oct 24, 2009 at 10:36 am

    This is a nice guide, but it’s the UPGRADE step that intimidates me! I look at the instructions on wordpress.org and I tense up, scared. Is there an easy “how to upgrade” guide anywhere for people like me?

    Reply
    • Editorial Staff says:
      Oct 24, 2009 at 10:54 pm

      You follow the directions in this infograph and click on Upgrade Now button in your WP-Admin panel.

      Reply
  7. Roger Duck says:
    Oct 14, 2009 at 8:44 am

    Updating is critical for WordPress users who want to avoid the inevitable. Hackers are searching out older versions of WordPress for the exploit vulnerabilities widely publicized. Follow this guide to lock down your WordPress site now.

    Reply
  8. Alexander says:
    Oct 14, 2009 at 1:27 am

    I completely agree. I keep my blog up to date, both the plugins and the WordPress built.

    Reply

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