How to Update WordPress Plugins Safely (Step by Step)

To update WordPress plugins safely: make a fresh backup, check which plugins depend on each other, read what each update changes, and test big updates on a staging copy first. Then update one plugin at a time from Dashboard > Updates or the Plugins screen, and check your forms, checkout, and key pages right after. For simple, well-maintained plugins, WordPress’s built-in auto-updates are a reasonable way to stay current. If you just logged in for the first time in a while and found a long list of plugins waiting for updates, this is the order I’d go in.

Why WordPress Plugins Need Updates

Plugins add features WordPress doesn’t have on its own: forms, SEO tools, online stores, calendars, backups. Think of them like apps on your phone. Your banking app needs updates now and then for new features, security fixes, or changes to the phone’s operating system. Plugins update for the same three reasons. Security is the one that matters most. Outdated plugins are one of the most common ways WordPress sites get hacked (we cover the rest in how we secure WordPress sites), which is why WordPress’s own Site Health screen flags “You have plugins waiting to be updated” as a critical issue.

Step 1: Make a Backup You Can Actually Restore

Before you touch anything, make sure there’s a recent backup and that you know how to restore it. Many good hosts back up your site every day automatically. SiteGround, the host we use and recommend, includes daily backups on every plan and lets you make an on-demand backup right before you update. (Affiliate link.) Plenty of cheaper hosts don’t, so find out what yours does before you need it. (More on that in how to choose WordPress hosting for a small business.) Backup plugins work too, but I prefer host-level backups. A backup plugin runs inside the same WordPress site you’re about to change, so if the site breaks badly, the plugin you’d use to restore it may be broken along with it.

Step 2: Check Site Health

Go to Tools > Site Health. It takes a minute and catches problems that make updates fail:

• An outdated PHP version: newer plugin versions often require a newer version of PHP (the language WordPress runs on). If Site Health says your PHP is outdated, ask your host about upgrading before you update plugins.
• Background updates not working, which usually means scheduled tasks aren’t running.
• Inactive plugins and themes you can delete. Every plugin you remove is one less thing to update and secure.

Step 3: Know Which Plugins Depend on Each Other

This step seems unnecessary until it bites you. Some plugins are add-ons for other plugins, and updating one without the other can break things. In the example above, Gravity Forms is the main plugin and the Mailchimp add-on sends form signups to a Mailchimp list. If Gravity Forms changes in a way the add-on doesn’t expect, the signups quietly stop. WooCommerce and its extensions, page builders and their add-ons, and membership plugins and their integrations all work the same way. Sometimes the add-on is what breaks. In August 2026 we fixed a membership site where an abandoned add-on crashed the whole site after a main plugin update. The details are in our write-up of the MemberPress Constant Contact fatal error.

Step 4: Read What the Update Changes

On the Plugins screen, each plugin with an update shows a “View version details” link. Click it, especially for big plugins and anything other plugins rely on. Things I’ve found in plugin changelogs over the years:

1. A feature that used to be free now requires a paid license, often because the plugin was sold to a new company.
2. Some add-ons no longer work with the new version.
3. The plugin was rewritten, and existing settings or designs won’t carry over cleanly.
4. The new version requires a newer version of PHP or WordPress than your site has.
5. The plugin has to be reconnected to Google, Facebook, Instagram, or another service after updating, or it stops showing data.

Also watch the version number. A jump from 4.3 to 4.4 is usually routine. A jump from 4.x to 5.0 often means big changes.

Step 5: Test Big Updates on a Staging Site

A staging site is a private copy of your website where you can try updates without affecting the live one. Many managed WordPress hosts include it (on SiteGround, staging starts with the GrowBig plan). For major version updates of WooCommerce, your page builder, or a membership plugin, update on staging first, click around, then repeat on the live site.

Step 6: Update One Plugin at a Time

Go to Dashboard > Updates or the Plugins screen, check the box next to a single plugin, and update it. Then load your homepage and one or two key pages before moving to the next. It’s tempting to select all and update everything at once. Don’t, at least not on a site you care about. If ten plugins update together and something breaks, you won’t know which one did it. One at a time turns a mystery into a two-minute fix.

What to Do If an Update Breaks Your Site

If a plugin update causes a fatal error, visitors may see a message like this: Don’t panic. Here’s what to do:

1. Check the site admin’s email. Since WordPress 5.2, fatal error protection emails the admin address a recovery mode link. Use it to log in and deactivate the plugin that caused the error.
2. No email? Connect with your host’s file manager or FTP and rename that plugin’s folder in wp-content/plugins. WordPress deactivates it, and the site usually comes right back.
3. Still broken, or not sure what changed? Restore the backup from Step 1.

WordPress also has some safety nets built in. Since WordPress 6.3, if a manual plugin update fails partway through, the previous version is restored automatically. They won’t catch everything, though. An update that installs cleanly but breaks your layout or your checkout is still on you to find, which is why testing matters. If you suspect something worse than a bad update, like strange redirects or pages you didn’t create, see what to do if your WordPress site got hacked.

Step 7: Test the Things That Make You Money

I see so many people update plugins and skip this step. You don’t need to click every page, but hit the big ones:

• Submit your contact or quote form and confirm the email arrives.
• If you sell online, add something to the cart and get as far as checkout.
• Check the homepage and a key service page on your phone.
• Use a private or incognito window so you aren’t seeing a cached old version.

Automatic Updates Are Fine for Small Plugins

Since WordPress 5.5, you can turn on auto-updates plugin by plugin from the Plugins screen. WordPress checks for them twice a day and emails the site admin after each update attempt. Since WordPress 6.6, if an automatic plugin update causes a fatal error, WordPress rolls that plugin back to the previous version and emails you about it. My take: auto-updates are fine for small, well-maintained plugins that don’t depend on anything else. Keep them off for WooCommerce, page builders, membership plugins, and anything with add-ons, and update those by hand using the steps above. Auto-updates are also no substitute for backups, and they won’t tell you if an update quietly broke a form.

How Often Should You Update Plugins?

Plugin updates come out constantly, but most aren’t urgent security fixes. Brand-new releases sometimes ship with bugs that get patched a day or two later, so there’s no prize for updating within the hour. A good rhythm for most business sites:

• Once a month: run through the steps above for everything.
• Right away for security releases. Read the changelog when an update appears, and consider a Google Alert for the names of your most important plugins so you hear about vulnerabilities quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to update WordPress plugins?

On a healthy site with good backups, a monthly round of updates is usually quick: a few minutes per plugin, plus testing. What takes time is the occasional update that breaks something, which is why you do them one at a time with a backup ready.

Is it safe to update all plugins at once?

It works most of the time, but when it doesn’t, you won’t know which plugin caused the problem. On a business site, update one at a time, or at least update the big, interconnected plugins individually.

What if a plugin hasn’t been updated in years?

Treat it as a risk. Plugins that stop getting updates eventually stop working with newer versions of WordPress, PHP, or the plugins they depend on, and they don’t get security fixes. Look for a maintained replacement before it breaks.

Hand the Monthly Updates to Us

If you’d rather not do this every month, that’s what our WordPress maintenance plan is for. For $230 a month (three-month minimum, then month to month), we handle WordPress and plugin updates, and update time never counts against the hour of web work you get each month. If an update breaks something, we fix it at no charge. The plan also includes uptime monitoring every five minutes and hosting management. If your site needs more than updates (a rebuild, or a plugin that has to be replaced), it starts with a quick 10 to 15 minute call, then a firm, written quote, usually within 1 to 2 business days. Use the contact form or call (317) 855-8632. Sharp Guys Web Design is a WordPress web design and SEO agency in Fishers, Indiana. Since 2011 we’ve built more than 300 websites for businesses, nonprofits, and manufacturers, with a local team and zero outsourcing. More about us.