How to safely update WordPress: a checklist for before and after the update
How to safely update WordPress? Before the update, make a full site backup and check what needs updating and whether the site runs without errors. Update in this order: core, plugins, theme, a few items at a time, and store plugins one by one. After each batch, check the site as a customer would, and look at the error log.
Author: The TellMyShop team. A guide for WordPress site and WooCommerce store owners: the cause, the manual fix and the same work in a chat conversation.
Last updated: · 7 min read
Why updates feel scary, and what can really go wrong
The fear of updating usually has a specific source: once, after clicking “Update all”, the site showed an error or the basket stopped working. Putting updates off isn't safer, though. Outdated plugin versions are the most common way WordPress sites get attacked, and the longer you wait, the bigger the version jump and the higher the risk at the next update.
What can happen after an update:
- a new plugin version doesn't work with another plugin or with the PHP version on the server,
- the design changes, because a new theme or page builder version lays out elements differently,
- part of the store stops working: the basket, payment, shipping,
- the update stops halfway and the site stays in maintenance mode.
Each of these problems can be fixed if you have a backup and know exactly what you changed. The whole checklist below rests on that. If the site is already broken, go straight to the guide WordPress not working after an update.
Checklist before the update
| What to check | Why | Where |
|---|---|---|
| A full site backup: files and database | so you can return to the state before the update | your hosting panel or a backup plugin |
| Whether you know how to restore it | a backup you can't restore won't help at night | your host's help pages, the restore button |
| The list of updates with version numbers | so you know what you're changing and where there's a big version jump | Dashboard, Updates |
| The changelog of important plugins | a security fix is a signal not to wait | the plugin page, changelog tab |
| PHP version and site health | old PHP is a common cause of errors after updates | Tools, Site Health |
| Error logs | an error that existed before the update isn't the update's fault | your hosting panel, WooCommerce logs |
| Timing | in a store, avoid the busiest hours | your calendar |
The last point is easy to skip. Updating WooCommerce on a Friday evening, when you get the most orders and have no time to check things, is asking for trouble. In its guide to updating your site, WooCommerce advises testing updates before applying them to a live store, ideally on a staging copy, which many hosts create with one click.
Update order and method, step by step
- Make or check a backup. Make sure it is recent and includes the files and the database.
- Update WordPress core if there is a new version and your most important plugins are compatible with it. You can check compatibility on the plugin's page.
- Update ordinary plugins a few at a time. After each batch, open the home page and one post.
- Store and payment plugins one by one. WooCommerce, payment gateways, shipping plugins. After each one, check a product page, the basket and an order.
- The theme last. If you changed theme files without a child theme, the update will overwrite those changes. More about this in the post on the WordPress child theme.
- Clear the cache if you use a caching plugin or a CDN, so you see the new version of the site.
- Write down what you updated and when. Name, old and new version, date. A week from now, this note will point to the culprit quickly.
WPBeginner's guide to update order describes the same order, with core first and the theme last.
WordPress automatic updates: which to turn on
Since version 5.5 you turn on automatic updates separately for each plugin, in a column on the plugins list, and for themes in their details. The WordPress documentation on automatic updates describes this.
A simple rule for splitting them:
- Turn on for small, popular plugins that don't touch the store or the design: contact forms, anti-spam, small utilities.
- Keep manual for WooCommerce, payment gateways, shipping plugins, the page builder and the theme. Here you want to choose the moment and check the result straight away.
- Watch for security fixes in plugins you update by hand. Don't leave them until the end of the month.
WordPress sends an email after an automatic update. Don't delete these messages straight away, because they contain version numbers that help when looking for the cause of an error.
Checklist after the update
After the update, check the site the way a customer will see it, not just the Dashboard:
- the home page and one post open without errors,
- the contact form sends a message,
- in the store: a product page, adding to the basket and a test order,
- the layout on a phone,
- the error log has no new entries since the update,
- Site Health shows no new critical issues.
If something isn't working, disable the most recently updated plugin first, and only then think about restoring the whole backup. Restoring the database in a store will wipe out orders placed after the backup was made.
How the chat helps before and after the update
The TellMyShop plugin for WordPress and WooCommerce gives your chat (Claude or ChatGPT) the list of plugins and themes with their versions and available updates, Site Health and the error logs. All of this works in the free TellMyShop Free version, which only reads the site. So before an update you can ask for a short review, and afterwards for a comparison: have any new errors appeared, and where do they come from.
You: I want to update the plugins today. What needs updating and what should I watch out for?
Your chat: Updates are waiting for 6 plugins. Watch two of them: WooCommerce jumps a major version, and the payment plugin has been waiting for an update for several weeks. Check its changelog on the author's site. The logs have been clean for a week, so any new error will come from the update.
You: Yes, do the first batch.
Your chat: 4 plugins updated. The home page responds, and there are no new errors in the logs. The next batch is payments.
Card status: waiting for your “yes”I suggest three batches: 4 small plugins together, then payments, and WooCommerce separately when you have time for a test order. Preview of the first batch:
old version: Contact form 5.9.1
new version: Contact form 5.9.3
old version: Anti-spam 4.2.0
new version: Anti-spam 4.2.2
The plugin names and version numbers in this conversation are illustrative.
The chat updates plugins in TellMyShop Pro once the Plugins switch is on in the plugin panel. The switch lasts 24 hours and needs a database backup from today, which the TellMyShop plugin makes itself before the first change of the day. The chat updates at most 5 plugins in one batch and always shows a preview first. Nothing changes without your ‘yes’.
Know the limits before you start:
- It doesn't update WordPress core or themes. You do that in the Dashboard, or your host does.
- The plugin's database backup isn't a full site backup. It doesn't include plugin and theme files, so your host or a backup plugin makes the full backup.
- The chat can't restore an older plugin version from the change history with one instruction. You can undo disabling a plugin, but going back to the previous version means a hosting backup or installing the older package.
A good everyday rhythm: in the morning review you ask what is waiting to be updated, and decide what to do today and what to leave until you have time to check the store. Read more about looking after your site regularly in the post on WordPress site maintenance, and about the site status report in the guide to WordPress Site Health.
The TellMyShop for WordPress and WooCommerce page describes exactly what the chat reads and changes. You can compare licences on the pricing page and download the free version on the free review page.
Questions and answers
Should I update WordPress first, or the plugins?
The usual advice is WordPress core first, then plugins, and the theme last. The exception: if a plugin isn't ready for the new WordPress version yet, hold off on the core update until the plugin's author releases a fix.
Can I update all plugins at once?
You can, but if something breaks, you won't know which plugin did it. It is safer to update a few at a time, and store and payment plugins one by one, checking the site after each batch.
Are WordPress automatic updates safe?
For small, popular plugins on a business site, usually yes, and security fixes then arrive quickly. For WooCommerce, payment gateways and page builders, it is better to update by hand when you have time to check the store. You turn on automatic updates separately for each plugin on the plugins list.
Is the database backup from the TellMyShop plugin enough before an update?
No. The TellMyShop plugin backs up only the database, before the first change of the day. Plugin, theme and image files are outside it. Before an update you need a full site backup from your host or a backup plugin.
Will the chat update WordPress for me?
Plugins, yes, in TellMyShop Pro once the Plugins switch is on, up to 5 at a time, with a preview and after your agreement. TellMyShop doesn't update WordPress core or themes; you do that in the Dashboard, or your host does. In the free version, the chat checks the site before and after the update.
WordPress is a trademark of the WordPress Foundation. WooCommerce is a trademark of Automattic Inc. Claude is a trademark of Anthropic PBC. ChatGPT and OpenAI are trademarks of OpenAI. TellMyShop is not affiliated with these companies.