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EasyWP WordPress Autoupdates
Given WordPress's status as one of the most widely used content management systems globally, it frequently attracts cyber-attacks, making WordPress-based websites prime targets for various exploits and vulnerabilities. While we deploy an array of security tools on EasyWP such as HackGuardian and MalwareGuardian to safeguard websites, one of the most straightforward and effective measures to enhance security is to keep core files, themes, and plugins consistently updated, as these are often the primary targets for attackers. Therefore, implementing automated updates is essential for maintaining a secure website.
Outdated plugins, themes, and core files are common entry points for cyber threats. With automatic updates, these elements are kept up-to-date, reducing vulnerabilities and keeping websites safe from breaches.
1. To activate automatic updates, access your EasyWP dashboard:
2. Go to the WordPress tab >> Automatic updates option>> click the Manage button:
NOTE: To make the most of the auto updates feature, make sure your WordPress version is at least 6.6. This will give you the possibility to roll back updates. Rollback means to revert or undo an update that was applied automatically, returning to a previous version. The rollback is done automatically by WordPress in case an auto-update breaks the website. You can't manually roll back the update unless re-installing the previous version.
3. Enable the automatic updates by activating the toggle component and save the changes:
NOTE: When you enable the Automatic updates option, all the components of the setting (WordPress Core Updates, Plugins, Themes, and Translations) will be active.
Before updating WordPress, the most critical step is to back up your website first.
Updates are essential, but there’s always a possibility that something might go wrong during the process. If your update fails, you can break your WordPress site and lose your data.
Once you’ve backed up your site files and database, you can proceed to enable automatic updates for WordPress.
NOTE: No automatic backups will be created before auto-update takes place. If you face some issues with the website after the update, please contact our Support Team for investigation.
4. You can also manage where you want these updates to be automatic or not, enabling it separately for WordPress core updates, plugins, themes, and translations. It is called partially activated automatic updates:
NOTE: For the WordPress Core Updates section, there will be two options: “Yes, activate only security updates” - this applies only to minor version updates, like from 6.2.1 to 6.2.2. and 'Yes, activate all updates' - this will apply both major and minor updates, like from 6.2.1 to 6.3.
5. Once the Automatic updates feature is enabled in the EasyWP dashboard, you can check updates from the last 30 days on the Last update page:
6. Also, ensure that HackGuardian and MalwareGuardian features are activated. While Automatic Updates identify and apply updates for the WordPress core, plugins, and themes, MalwareGuardian scans the updates for malware after installation, and HackGuardian protects your files against unauthorized changes:
NOTE: MalwareGuardian scans updates for malware independently of the update installation time.
Possible WordPress Autoupdates issues
Outdated WordPress versions
WordPress introduced rollback functionality in version 6.6. If you have an older version, you may have issues with accessing the WordPress Autoupdates feature. In such a case, it is needed to update to WordPress 6.6+ for enhanced security and rollback functionality.
The WordPress version can be checked in the WordPress admin panel or EasyWP Dashboard.
Plugin/Theme incompatibility
The automatic update process can disable plugins/themes if they are incompatible with the installed WordPress version. While this is core WordPress logic and it doesn't depend on us, this can potentially break some of the website's functionality. Enabling automatic updates can conflict with plugins designed to manage updates, such as WP Auto-Updater or Easy Updates Manager.
If you face such an issue, it is possible to try disabling the conflicting plugin's update management features or adjusting plugin settings to align with the automatic updates.
