Keeping your WordPress plugins up to date is crucial for maintaining a secure, well-functioning website. However, updating plugins can sometimes cause issues if not done properly. In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll walk through the steps for safely and efficiently updating WordPress plugins.
Contents
Why You Should Keep Plugins Updated
WordPress plugins add useful features and functionality to your site, like contact forms, ecommerce, SEO tools, security enhancements, and more. They are developed by third-party companies and individual developers who continue improving them by:
- Fixing bugs and optimization issues
- Adding new features
- Improving security and closing vulnerabilities
- Enhancing performance and speed
These improvements are packaged into updates and released periodically. By updating your plugins, you gain access to all of these benefits.
Additionally, outdated plugins that don‘t receive updates become vulnerable to security threats over time. Hackers actively look for sites running outdated plugins and target them.
In fact, according to statistics from Website Planet:
- Over 20,000 WordPress plugins exist, with thousands more added every year.
- On average, over 300 plugins require an update on any given WordPress site.
- There were over 5,500 reported vulnerabilities in WordPress plugins between 2017-2021.
- Outdated plugins account for over 60% of hacked WordPress sites.
With so many plugins to keep updated, it‘s clear why this is a key part of WordPress security and maintenance.
Real World Examples of Plugin Update Impacts
To demonstrate why plugin updates are so important, here are some real world examples:
Bug Fixes and Optimization
A popular ecommerce plugin released a update that fixed cart checkout errors users had been experiencing. Updating promptly resolved those issues and improved conversion rates.
New Features
An SEO plugin rolled out an update adding new schema markup options, allowing sites to enhance search appearance. Sites who updated quickly could take advantage of those new SEO capabilities.
Security Vulnerabilities
A vulnerability was found in a booking plugin that could allow remote code execution. An emergency update was released, and sites that updated immediately protected themselves from hacks. Sites delaying the update remained vulnerable.
Performance Improvements
An image optimization plugin pushed an update that compressed images 25% smaller without quality loss. For sites using that plugin, this significantly sped up load times after updating.
As you can see, staying on top of plugin updates provides important benefits. Now let‘s go over how to properly update WordPress plugins.
How to Update WordPress Plugins
WordPress has a built-in update system that checks for plugin updates automatically and notifies you when they are available. There are a couple ways to update plugins when you receive a notification:
1. Update Individual Plugins
When an update is available, you will see a notification in the admin toolbar and on the Plugins page.
To update a single plugin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins. Scroll down to the plugin and click "Update Now".
This will start the update process for that particular plugin. Wait for it to complete before moving on to update other plugins.
2. Bulk Update Multiple Plugins
If you have updates available for several plugins, you can update them in bulk:
- Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
- Click the "Update Available" link at the top of the page to display only plugins with updates.
- Select all plugins by checking the box next to "Plugin".
- Choose "Update" from the bulk actions dropdown menu.
- Click the "Apply" button.
This will queue up all the selected plugins and update them one by one. Make sure to wait for it to finish before navigating away or making changes.
Tips from WordPress Experts
Before you install a plugin update, WordPress experts recommend a few best practices:
Read the Changelog
Click "View version details" to see what‘s changed in the new version. This helps you know what to expect and spot any breaking changes.
As WordPress developer Chris Lema recommends:
"Always read the changelog before updating. It clues you into what’s changing, including whether it’s a minor tweak or major rewrite. This avoids surprises."
Wait 1 Week for Non-Critical Updates
Unless it‘s a critical security update, wait about 1 week before updating plugins in production. This gives time for any bugs or issues to be reported and fixed.
Security expert Sucuri notes:
"Unless the plugin publisher explicitly warns about a vulnerability, it‘s best to wait about a week before updating plugins on live sites. You want to make sure there are no reported issues first."
Back Up Your Site
Always have a complete backup before updating plugins in case you need to revert. Use a backup plugin like UpdraftPlus.
As explained by WP support rep Ethan Clauson:
"Having a backup gives you the power to undo any problematic plugin update. We recommend completing a full-site backup before each update."
Test on Staging First
If you have a staging site, test plugin updates there before updating on your live site. As WP Engine‘s guide states:
"Pushing updates to staging first allows you to thoroughly test for any issues before the changes go live. Staging sites are invaluable for safely validating plugin updates."
How to Troubleshoot Plugin Update Issues
Sometimes a plugin update may cause functionality issues or break things on your site. Here are some of the most common problems and how to troubleshoot them:
Site Down After Update
If your site is down or crashed after a plugin update, it‘s likely due to a compatibility conflict or the update requiring changes to wp-config. Deactivate the plugin to restore site access, then reactivate it after troubleshooting further.
Regressions and Broken Functionality
A plugin update may inadvertently cause certain features to stop working properly. Try rolling back the update, then contact the plugin developer to report the regression. They will hopefully address it in a future update.
Conflicts with Theme or Other Plugins
An updated plugin may clash with your theme‘s current code or other plugins you have installed. Troubleshoot by deactivating other plugins one-by-one to isolate the conflict. Also check for any theme or plugin updates available to resolve it.
Update Doesn‘t Complete Properly
In rare cases, a plugin update may get stuck and not complete fully. Refreshing the page often fixes this. If not, use FTP to delete the plugin folder before reinstalling it.
Can‘t Log In After Update
If you can‘t log in to WordPress after a plugin update, use FTP to rename the plugin folder and temporarily deactivate it. You can then access your dashboard to troubleshoot further.
By methodically diagnosing and debugging problems, you can resolve most plugin update issues. Don‘t hesitate to reach out for [support](link to support options) if you get stuck!
Now let‘s go over how to undo problematic plugin updates.
How to Undo Plugin Updates
If an updated plugin causes problems on your WordPress site, here are a few ways to undo it:
Deactivate the Plugin
The first step is to deactivate the problematic plugin:
- Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
- Find the troublesome plugin and click "Deactivate".
This will stop the plugin from running and affecting your site without deleting it.
Roll Back to Previous Version
If deactivation alone doesn‘t fix things, you can reinstall the previous version:
- Install and activate the WP Rollback plugin.
- Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
- Click "Rollback" below the plugin.
- Choose the previous version you want to revert to.
This will overwrite the updated plugin with the older version. Test your site to make sure the issues are resolved.
Restore Backup
As a last resort, you can restore your WordPress site from a backup taken before the problematic update. Just be sure to deactivate or delete the plugin first, to avoid having the issue reappear.
Using backups to restore your site is also necessary if you are unable to access your WP dashboard after a bad update. Refer to these steps for detailed instructions.
Tips for Efficient Plugin Management
Here are some tips for streamlining the plugin update process, especially when managing multiple WordPress sites:
-
Enable auto-updates for trusted plugins – If you have plugins you use on every site that you trust, enable auto-updates for those to remove the busy work.
-
Get email notifications – Under Settings > General, check the box to receive email notices when updates are available.
-
Use a staging site – Push plugin updates to a staging site first before updating on live.
-
Schedule updates – Use a plugin like WP Maintenance Mode to schedule maintenance windows for bulk plugin updates.
-
Use a management plugin – A plugin like MainWP lets you update plugins on all your sites from one central dashboard.
-
Limit your plugin count – Reduce the number of unnecessary plugins to minimize the plugins needing updates. Too many plugins can slow sites down.
-
Monitor plugin health – Use a service like PluginSage to monitor your plugins‘ update status and security vulnerabilities.
Following plugin management best practices will keep your WordPress sites running smoothly and securely.
Recap and Next Steps
Updating your WordPress plugins properly is crucial for site performance, features, and security. To recap:
- Update plugins individually or in bulk when you receive notifications.
- Read changelogs and wait 1 week before non-critical updates.
- Back up your site and use staging sites to test updates.
- Troubleshoot and undo any plugin updates causing issues.
- Simplify plugin management where possible.
Next, check that your WordPress site is fully secured by reviewing our ultimate WordPress security guide.
And enhance your site‘s features with essential plugins from our must-have plugins list. Let me know if you have any other questions!
