How to update WordPress plugins

Did you just have your website designed? Or, have you had a WordPress website for many years?

If you’ve had a website for awhile, then you know that you need to keep your WordPress plugins. Just like app updates on your smart phone WordPress plugin authors put out regular updates to improve usability and functionality of their plugins.

Keeping your plugins up to date improve website performance and also ensures that your website is secure.

Here are the steps that you can implement at least once a month to keep your website in top shape.

1. First make sure you have a current backup of your website
2. Go to Plugins from the WordPress dashboard and click “update” next to the update notification on the plugin. Once it processes check the site to make sure everything still displays correctly.
3. Continue the process until all plugins are up to date.
4. Update WordPress theme files in Appearance > Themes
5. If WordPress core needs an update click that update button as well, and then view site again.
6. Delete any un-necessary themes or plugins. (Keep at least the 2020 wordpress theme, it is sometimes necessary to use this when troubleshooting any problems with a website)

Once these steps have all been done then your website is up to date!

WordPress 5.5 Ads a new feature for Plugin Updates

With the new WordPress 5.5 they have added a feature that you can use to keep plugins automatically updated.

So should you just set them all to auto-update and then not have to bother with it again?

I would advise to do this with caution. If you pay for a plugin that you know is secure, then yes for sure enable auto-updates.

If you are using plugins for the first time, or regularly use a plugin that sometimes gives you errors on the site, then you still want to monitor when that is updated. In short, auto-update for trusted plugins. Manually update the rest.

Video Tutorial

If you want to see where and how to update your plugins here is a video that might help!

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