Method 2: Manually with the help of FTP

You can also update the WordPress core manually with the help of FTP. For this purpose, you need to make use of FileZilla.

For using an FTP program, you need to have the following details – username, password, hostname & port. Once you have these details, you can proceed further.

For this method also, you need to fulfill the prerequisites stated above. After that, you can go ahead and start the update.

Step 1: Download The Latest Version Of WordPress

First of all, navigate to the Official WordPress Website and download the latest version of WordPress as shown in the screenshot below.

After the completion of the download process, extract the WordPress archive on your PC using WinRAR or WinZip.

Inside the WordPress folder, you will see plenty of subfolders such as wp-admin, wp-includes, and wp-content as well as the files like index.php, wp-login.php, wp-config-sample.php, etc.

Step 2: Access The WordPress Root Directory

Using FTP details, try to access the WordPress root directory as shown in the screenshot below.

Once you get access of the root directory, try to move the files of the latest WordPress version to the root directory. You need to replace the existing files & folders for that purpose.

First of all, delete the current wp-admin and wp-includes folders from the host. If you’re utilizing FileZilla, then you need to select those folders and click on the delete option.

Make sure you don’t make any changes to the wp-content folder. The reason behind that is, your plugins, themes & all the media files are residing inside that folder.

Step 3: Upload The Latest Versions Of All Folders & Files

After deleting the old the existing wp-admin and wp-includes folders, it’s time to upload the new ones.

For that purpose, move to the WordPress folder inside your PC as shown in the screenshot below.

Now, select the wp-includes and the wp-admin folder, right-click and pick the Upload option. After you have got the latest version of all the folders, it’s time to upload the new files. In this case, you don’t need to delete anything. You just need to overwrite all the files.

For that purpose, select all the files from the left panel as shown in the screenshot below, right-click and then, pick the upload option.

After the upload process gets over, you will get a confirmation dialog box. In that box, pick the overwrite option and click on the OK button.

Once you’ve all the updated files, move to the wp-config-sample.php file and check if there are any coding line missing in the wp-config.php file.

If that’s the case, then copy those lines and paste to the existing wp-config.php file on the webserver. The last step is to check whether your website is working as required or not.

For that purpose, move to your admin area, i.e., yoursite.com/wp-admin/upgrade.php/. If everything is working well, then upgrade your database.

Method 3: Using SSH & WP-CLI

For this method, you need to have SSH access to your WordPress root directory, i.e., public_html. Updating the WordPress ecosystem via WP-CLI is a time-consuming process. The reason behind that is, you need to update both the files and the database.

Now, if you’ve installed the WordPress in a specific folder i.e., public_html/your site, then the WordPress root directory is your site.

First of all, make use of cd command for moving to the root directory:

cd public_html

After that, check the version of WordPress:

wp core check-update

The output will be as shown below:

version | update_type | package_url |
+---------+-------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| #.#.# | minor | https://downloads.wordpress.org/release/wordpress-#.#.#.zip |
| #.#.# | major | https://downloads.wordpress.org/release/wordpress-#.#.#.zip

If there is no update available for your WordPress website, then there will be a message such as “Success: WordPress is at the latest version.”

For updating the WordPress, run the following command:

wp core update

The output will be as shown below:

Updating to version #.#.# (en_US)...
Downloading update from https://downloads.wordpress.org/release/wordpress-#.#.#-no-content.zip...
Unpacking the update...
Cleaning up files...
No files found that need cleaned up.
Success: WordPress updated successfully.

To update the WordPress core vis WP-CLI, utilize the following commands:

• Database updates : wp core update-db
• Theme updates : wp theme update --all
• Plugin updates : wp plugin update --all

Method 4: Automatically via cPanel, wp-config.php & functions.php

To enable automatic update for your WordPress, add the following line of code your wp-config.php file.

define('WP_AUTO_UPDATE_CORE', true);

How To Update WordPress Themes & Plugins?

So far, we have analyzed the various methods to update the WordPress core. In this section, we will examine the way to update the plugins & themes.

For that purpose, move to the WordPress Admin Dashboard > Updates as shown in the screenshot below.

Here, you can view the option for Update Themes & Update Plugins. With the help of this option, you can update all the plugins and themes at one go.

However, if you want to update a particular plugin, you can also do that.

For that purpose, you need to move to WordPress Admin Dashboard > Plugins > Installed Plugins as shown in the screenshot below.

For updating an individual theme, you can move to WordPress Admin Dashboard > Appearance > Themes as shown in the screenshot below.

Just remember one thing that when you update any theme, you will lose all the customization options. So, always be aware of that prospect.

Conclusion

Nowadays when WordPress CMS is ruling the entire globe, it becomes vital for all the WordPress owners to know the process of updating the WordPress ecosystem.

Taking this scenario into perspective, here we have tried to provide you with an in-depth guide on how to update the WordPress ecosystem in a safe manner.

If you’ve any questions or suggestions regarding this blog, then feel free to ask them in our comment section. We’ll try to respond to each of your queries.