How to Update the WordPress Version Manually and Automatically?

Do you want to know How to update the WordPress Version but are unsure where to begin? Beginners are frequently concerned that an update will break their website.

WordPress is evolving software, with new features, security fixes, and maintenance updates regularly. These core updates ensure the WordPress system’s security and efficiency.

If you have a WordPress site, you must update to the most recent WordPress version to ensure you have the most recent features, performance enhancements, and security features.

In this blog post, we’ll show you how to check your current WordPress version, talk about the most recent WordPress version and its features, and walk you through the process of updating to the most recent WordPress version.

Let’s get started!

Why Does WordPress Release Regular Updates?

Before we start, we must understand why WordPress has a regular update cycle. In summary, you can anticipate updates for the following reasons:

WordPress frequently adds new features. Whether it’s a minor change like adding new oEmbed providers (WordPress 4.4) or a significant overhaul of the editor like Gutenberg (WordPress 5.0), these additions make content creation and website building much more accessible.

WordPress updates frequently include security patches. Unfortunately, it’s a never-ending battle because hackers always discover new vulnerabilities. As a result, updating is critical to receive the most current protections against new types of attacks.

Recent WordPress versions frequently include “under the hood” performance enhancements. These improvements may not be immediately noticeable, but they make working with WordPress more accessible and faster. For example, the user experience for publishing blog posts significantly in WordPress 2.0. In WordPress 4.2, they simplified plugin updates by replacing the previous, more time-consuming process with a simple one-click button.

Every WordPress version also removes previous bugs. It occurs with all software. It’s similar to repairing a problem on your car and restoring it to regular operation.

Now that you understand why WordPress updates are necessary let’s look at the most recent WordPress versions and how to check and update your current WordPress version.

What is the most recent WordPress version?

WordPress 5.7, dubbed “Esperanza Spalding” after the Grammy-winning jazz musician from Oregon, is the most recent version of WordPress that you can upgrade to. It was released on 9/3/2021 after several stages of development. More information is available in our in-depth WordPress 5.7 article, which covers all of its new features and backend improvements.

WordPress 5.7 can be downloaded from the official repository or your WordPress admin dashboard.

What has changed in WordPress 5.7?

WordPress 5.7 includes:

• A plethora of minor tweaks.
• Improvements to the block editor.
• More significant changes for creating more advanced blocks and increasing customization flexibility.

It’s a version worth updating to, given that every Update since the introduction of the Gutenberg editor has resolved issues with the block editor, and this one is no exception.

WordPress 5.7 introduces three significant enhancements:

• Reusable blocks.
• Font-size settings in more places.
• The ability to drag & drop blocks into the WP editor.

A significant change is the addition of drag-and-drop blocks, as the WP editor was never a true drag-and-drop page builder like many of its competitors. So now you can move any Gutenberg block on a page or post by clicking on it.

You can access font controls within Code & List blocks, which were previously unavailable. Finally, reusable blocks have received several enhancements, notably the automatic saving feature.

WordPress 5.7 introduced a few changes to the dashboard and design interface, including what WordPress calls a “simpler default color palette.”

The dashboard now only has seven primary colors, unlike the previous list of approximately 56 shades. It’s a small but significant change because it affects the dashboard and the design of themes and plugins.

How to Find the WordPress Version of Your Site

There are various ways to check the WordPress version on your website. This way, you’ll better understand the features and limitations available to you as a WordPress user, and you’ll be able to decide whether it’s time to upgrade to a newer WordPress version.

Techniques for checking the WordPress version:

1. Examine the WordPress Admin area.
2. Manually Update WordPress Using FTP

Examine the WordPress Admin Area:

One of the simplest methods for updating your site to the most recent WordPress version. This manual update procedure is only a click away, and installation will take only a few minutes.

1. Open your WordPress admin dashboard. 
2. 3On the top page of the WordPress admin dashboard, see if there is a new WordPress release.
3. Click Please update now. 
4. Click the Update Now button once more.

The success message will appear along with the plugin and theme update options for minor updates.

However, for major releases, you will see a welcome screen with a detailed summary of what has been upgraded.

Manually Update WordPress Using FTP

If you cannot update WordPress via the WordPress admin dashboard, you can do so via FTP. Use an FTP, such as FileZilla, or the File Manager in your hosting control panel, to manually upgrade your WordPress site. You must have access to your WordPress root directory to use this method. You must replace the old WordPress core files wp-includes and wp-admin with new ones. Then, follow the mentioned steps to update your WordPress website with FileZilla:

1. First, unzip the ZIP file containing the most recent version of WordPress.
2. To avoid losing important data, open the extracted folder and delete the wp-config-sample.php file and the wp-content folder.
3. Log in to your WordPress site using FileZilla or another FTP client.
4. On the right side of the panel (remote site), find the existing web host wp-includes and wp-admin directories and right-click to delete them.
5. Select the new wp-includes and wp-admin folders on the local site – the left side of the panel – and then choose Upload.
6. Transfer the remaining WordPress files from your computer to the web host directory. Then, replace the old WordPress files on the server by uploading new ones. When the confirmation message Target file already exists appears, select Always use this action and Apply it to the current queue-only options.
7. When all files have been uploaded, go to yoursite.com/wp-admin/upgrade.php/ to see if your website’s WordPress updates via FTP have been completed successfully.

Automate WordPress Updates

The WordPress platform will default update your site whenever minor updates, such as maintenance and stability implementations.

You can enable automatic updates for the latest version depending on your web host. Updating your WordPress site involves many technicalities, but with this method, you can use a plugin like Easy Updates Manager to update your website automatically.

You can also enable automatic WordPress updates by editing the wp-config.php file. To do so, follow the below steps:

1. First, log in to cPanel & navigate to the File Manager section.
2. Next, scroll down and select wp-config.php once you’re in the public html folder.
3. Finally, in the top menu, click the Edit button.
4. Replace or add the following line:  define(‘WP_AUTO_UPDATE_CORE’, true);
5. Finally, click the Save button. That is how you safely update WordPress to the latest version.

Conclusion

Several methods are available to find such information, whether you’re checking to see if your site is due for an upgrade, troubleshooting a WordPress issue, or simply curious about what WordPress version another website is running.

The best & most reliable way to find the version of your WordPress site is to log into your wp-admin and check one of the listed pages.