General Information
Updating WordPress plugins and themes is crucial for the security, stability, and functionality of your website. It closes security gaps that hackers can exploit, fixes bugs, improves performance, and provides new features. Outdated components are the most common entry point for attacks.
It's important to update even inactive plugins and themes, as malicious code within them can potentially be accessed and vulnerabilities exploited.
If you don't need certain plugins or themes, or if you only installed them for testing purposes, we recommend completely deleting the unused components.
You can learn how to update your WordPress installation in the article: How do I perform a WordPress update?
The following steps will guide you through updating your plugins and themes.
1 - Open WordPress Studio
You can find out how to access your WordPress Studio in the article: Where can I find my Managed WordPress product in the internex terminal?
2 - Create a Backup
Before updating plugins and themes, it's recommended to create a backup of your entire website. Instructions can be found here: How do I create a backup, or how do I restore a backup?
Alternatively, you can test the update in a development environment. Instructions for creating one can be found in the article: What is a staging version and how do I create one?
3 - Plugins & Themes
In WordPress Studio, select "Plugins & Themes" from the left-hand menu. Here you'll find an overview of the currently installed components. The "Updates" column indicates whether there are any pending updates for the respective component.
4 - Login Details
To update plugins or themes, you need to log in to the WordPress backend. To do this, click on "Login Details" in the left-hand menu and then on the green "WP-Login" button.
It may take a moment for the single sign-on link to be generated. Then click on "Open WP-Login Link".
5 - WordPress Backend
In the WordPress backend, click on "Updates" in the left-hand menu and scroll down until you reach "Plugins" or "Themes." Select the desired updates and apply them.
6 - Conclusion
Now switch back to the internex terminal and refresh the corresponding window under "Plugins & Themes" by clicking the red "Refresh" button. The notification about pending updates should now be gone.
If you encountered problems during the update, you can restore a previously created backup. Detailed instructions can be found in the article: How do I create a backup, or how can I restore a backup?