How to update a WordPress plugin
If your website is set to automatic plugin updates, it will run updates without doing anything.
Automatic updates can be set on all plugins or to individual plugins.
If automatic updates are not enabled, you must run manual plugin updates monthly (at a minimum) to keep your website secure and running properly. Every plugin will not have a new update each month. Updates are pushed out by plugin authors (5 Star Plugins) voluntarily as needed. An update can contain fixes, security patches, or improvements.
To update a plugin manually:
- Login to your WordPress website dashboard.
- Click the “Plugins" tab from the left side menu.
- Click “Update Available” from the top menu of the plugins page. You can also search for the plugin title.
- Click "update now" on the selected plugin from the list. When there is an update available you will see a notification on the plugin. If you do not see this message or button, the plugin does not have outstanding updates. If you look at the version listed in the description you can match it up with the most current version released.
Ran the update but it doesn't look updated?
If the new version promises a new feature and you've made the update, yet still don't see it - there are two reasons this could happen.
- Is the new feature specific to the Premium plugin? Are you using the standard free version? If it's a Premium feature you will not see the new option when using free. Check to see if you are using free or Premium.
- The browser may cache javascipt and CSS files aggressively. This means you need to clear your browser's cache and may also need to clear page, CDN cache or server cache.
Be sure you know what changes to expect with your current version. Find out which updates are included in version releases on our blog.
Report a bug if something doesn't look right after updating.
If immediately after the update you suspect that the plugin has caused an issue, contact us to report a bug. It is unlikely that a version update could cause the plugin to break or a website to behave unexpectedly. We run rigorous testing on multiple websites before releasing an update to ensure stability. There can be a rare circumstance where other plugins on a website conflict with ours, or a unique website configuration presents unforeseen errors. Please report bugs as soon as you suspect something so that our developers can dig into it.
How to enable automatic updates.
Automatic updates are convenient and can save time. You can enable automatic updates for all plugins or specific plugins. To enable this on one of our plugins first make sure it is installed. Locate it in your installed plugins list and simply click "Enable auto-updates".
WordPress Plugins Dashboard Screenshot
