Update WordPress safely

Prepare for the update

Before updating, make a backup that includes your website files and database, and check that it completed. For a major change or a business-critical website, test the intended versions in staging first. Pick a time when someone can check the site immediately afterward.

Record the existing WordPress, theme, and key plugin versions. List the pages and features you will test, such as sign-in, forms, search, product pages, and checkout. Keeping this small checklist makes it easier to identify what changed if something stops working.

Apply the update

1. In Kiro, open the correct website and sign in through its WordPress tab.
2. In WordPress, open Dashboard → Updates and review the offered updates.
3. Run the intended update once, then allow it to finish. Follow any completion or database-update instruction shown by WordPress.
4. Reopen the public website and check your test list. Return to the update screen to confirm the result.

WordPress core updates replace core files. Custom changes made directly to those files can be lost. If your site depends on such changes, ask the developer to review them before proceeding instead of editing the new files by hand.

Review automatic updates

The hosting control panel can expose separate automatic-update controls for WordPress, plugins, and themes under the website’s Advanced settings. Available controls depend on your service. Review the actual settings before assuming updates are automatic.

Agree on an update routine with anyone who maintains the site. A scheduled update still needs a recovery plan and a way to notice a broken form or page; it is not a substitute for checking the result.

If the update fails

Capture the visible error and the version you were updating from. If the website remains in maintenance or becomes inaccessible, contact Kiro with the domain and time. Use a verified recovery point if restoration is appropriate, considering any orders or content added since that backup.