WordPress Upgrade How To And What To Do If Something Fails

When you update your WordPress website, usually everything runs smooth. Though, if something doesn’t, you got a little heart attack until you put everything back together. Ahead of the update, the first thing you need to know is that the WordPress update affects all the core files used to run your WordPress website and any modifications will be lost.

WordPress Upgrade

Before you update WordPress to its latest version (always do that!), you must backup your current website. Follow these phases and steps exactly in order to update your WordPress site correctly. This way, if anything goes wrong, you can always restore your files, content, plugins and settings very easy.

Phase 1 – Backup The Basics

  1. Make a backup of your files from your public_html directory – log-in with a FTP program, create a zip and download it.
  2. Make a backup of your database – usually from phpmyadmin, you just download the .sql file locally
  3. Check your backups! This is essential – be sure the files are in location and most of all, usable.
  4. To avoid any conflicts that the new update could rise, deactivate all plugins.

Good! Now that you have completed these steps you are safe to update WordPress.

Phase 2 – Update

  1. Download and extract the WordPress package from http://wordpress.org/download/
  2. You must delete the most of your already backed-up WordPress website files, INSTEAD of these:
    — wp-config.php file;
    — wp-content folder with two Exceptions: delete the wp-content/cache and the wp-content/plugins/widgets;
    — wp-images folder;
    — wp-includes/languages/ folder only IF you DON’T use a language file;
    — .htaccess file only IF you HAVEN’T added custom rules to your .htaccess;
    — robots.txt file only IF you DON’T have a blog that runs directly from the root of your site (the blog is the same as the site) and you have created such a file.
  3. Upload the WordPress update extracted files in the first step of the phase 2 into the correct folder on your website
  4. Run http://yoursite.com/wp-admin/upgrade.php (replace yoursite.com with, obviously, your actual adress of your website) or if you have your WordPress installed in a subdirectory change the adress to http://yoursite.com/subfolder/wp-admin/upgrade.php (replace yoursite.com and instead of subfolder write the installed WordPress subdirectory name)
  5. Update Permalinks and .htaccess
  6. Install themes and plugins that are compatible with your new version of WordPress update

Phase 3 – Take Care Of The Last Details

  1. Reactivate Plugins
  2. Add security key definitions to the wp-config.php file
  3. Review what has changed in WordPress.

Congrats! You have now an up-and-running website with the newest shiny WordPress update.

If something still doesn’t work, give us a note and we will be able to help you with it. And remember, by updating you also keep hackers away and make the internet a better place for all of us. [to be continued]