Running your WordPress installation, plugins, and theme on the latest available versions is a crucial best practice for using the platform. ItâÃÂÃÂs also recommended to use the most recent version of PHP. However, there are some cases when this isnâÃÂÃÂt prudent or possible
If you find yourself in such a situation, you may need to reverse an update and
**downgrade your WordPress site** (or part of it). Fortunately, there are methods available for rolling back each element of your website
This post will explain why you might need to downgrade WordPress, as well as how to do so safely. WeâÃÂÃÂll cover restoring previous versions of WordPress, as well as rolling back plugins, themes, and PHP
LetâÃÂÃÂs get started!
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## Why You Might Want to Downgrade Your WordPress Version or Other Features
Running the latest version of WordPress core (in our case WordPress 5.5), plugins, and themes is one of the most important steps in maintaining your website. These updates often include security patches that are vital to preventing malicious attacks on your site and may enhance performance and functionality
For this reason,
**we donâÃÂÃÂt recommend ever downgrading WordPress** or any of its components **permanently However, there are some situations in which you may want to do so on a temporary basis
The most common reason is due to a plugin or theme conflict. If one of your siteâÃÂÃÂs elements is not compatible with the latest version of WordPress core, for example, downgrading your installation can enable visitors to access the feature while you work on a long-term solution
(Suggested reading: How to Fix âÃÂÃÂThe site is experiencing technical difficulties.âÃÂàError in WordPress)
In cases when the conflict is between two plugins, or between a plugin and your theme, downgrading WordPress itself wonâÃÂÃÂt help. Instead, youâÃÂÃÂll need to roll back the version of the plugin or theme thatâÃÂÃÂs causing the problem, in order to get your site up and running again
Additionally, some older plugins and themes may not be compatible with newer versions of PHP. If the plugin or theme in question is vital to the functionality of your site, you might want to downgrade PHP for a time while you find an alternative solution
In short, downgrading WordPress should be a temporary troubleshooting procedure. YouâÃÂÃÂll want to plan on updating your website again once youâÃÂÃÂve replaced the problematic plugin or theme, or otherwise addressed the issue causing a conflict on your site
Suggested reading: hereâÃÂÃÂs a curated list of the best WordPress themes and the best plugins
## How to Downgrade Your WordPress Site (6 Methods)
The process of downgrading your WordPress site will depend on what youâÃÂÃÂre trying to accomplish. You may find that you need to restore a previous version of your entire website, or that you only need to revert an individual plugin or theme rather than WordPress itself
With that in mind, here are six different ways you might roll back your website. Each addresses a different need, so we suggest reading through all of them to see which is most applicable to your specific situation
1. Downgrade Your WordPress Version Manually
If youâÃÂÃÂre experiencing a serious conflict that prevents you from accessing the back end of your website, downgrading WordPress manually may be your best or only option. Before you get started, youâÃÂÃÂll want to back up your site just to be safe
Next, you should deactivate all of your plugins. This is easy enough if you have access to the WordPress backend. Simply select the checkbox next to each plugin, and use the bulk
**Deactivate** option:
If you donâÃÂÃÂt have access to your dashboard, you can deactivate plugins manually using Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) and a client such as FileZilla. YouâÃÂÃÂll also need these tools for future steps, so if you arenâÃÂÃÂt familiar with them you may want to take a moment to learn how they work
YouâÃÂÃÂll then need to download the relevant version of WordPress. We recommend using the newest release possible, which is usually the second-most recent version. You can access the files youâÃÂÃÂll need in the WordPress Release Archive:
Then, using FTP and FileZilla (or another client), access your siteâÃÂÃÂs files and delete your
**wp-admin** and **wp-includes** directories:
Once thatâÃÂÃÂs done, upload all the files from the version of WordPress that you want to install, except for the
**wp-content** directory. When asked if you want to overwrite files, select **Overwrite > Ok
Then, navigate to your siteâÃÂÃÂs backend. You may see a message asking you to update your database. If so, click on the
**Update WordPress Database** prompt. After that, log in to your site as usual
You should now have access, and be running the older version of WordPress:
At this point, you can re-activate your plugins and work on resolving the original conflict
You may want to disable automatic updates as well, to prevent WordPress from installing another version in the meantime. When your issue is fixed, you can return to the latest version of WordPress from the
**Updates** screen in your dashboard
2. Use WP Downgrade to Run a Previous Version of WordPress
If youâÃÂÃÂre uncomfortable with FTP and the idea of deleting core files, there
*is* a plugin available for downgrading WordPress. If you like this idea, go ahead and install WP Downgrade **after backing up your site
Then, navigate to
**Settings > WP Downgrade** and enter your target version of WordPress into the relevant field:
Click on
**Save Changes and then go to the **Updates **screen. YouâÃÂÃÂll see that your target version is now listed as the âÃÂÃÂlatest version of WordPressâÃÂÃÂ:
Click on the
**Re-install Now** button to complete the downgrade. WordPress will appear to run a normal update, and then you should see the welcome message for your target version:
To re-install the most recent version of WordPress once youâÃÂÃÂre done troubleshooting, youâÃÂÃÂll need to return to
**Settings > WP Downgrade You can change your target version back to the latest update, and then repeat the process detailed above
3. Restore a Previous Backup to Undo Changes to Your Site
Another way to downgrade your site is by restoring a backup from when your site was running an earlier version of WordPress. In order for this to work, of course, youâÃÂÃÂll need to have a reliable backup system in place
YouâÃÂÃÂll also need to make sure that the copy of your site being restored isnâÃÂÃÂt missing any key content that has been recently added. You donâÃÂÃÂt want to inadvertently lose your latest posts while trying to downgrade WordPress. If your site is highly dynamic, this may not be the best route to take
If you do choose to proceed, the process of restoring your backup will vary depending on the system you used to create and store your files. For example, Kinsta customers can take advantage of our one-click restoration process. Simply log in to your MyKinsta dashboard to get started, and click on
**Sites
Select the WordPress site you wish to restore from the list. Then navigate to the
**Backups** tab:
Click on the
**Restore to** drop-down menu. If you wish to test the backup in a staging environment, you can do so here. To downgrade your live site to the version of WordPress in the backup file, select **Live
To prevent accidental restorations, we require one final step before reverting your live site. Enter your websiteâÃÂÃÂs name into the relevant field, then click on
**Restore Backup** to confirm and start the process:
It may take a while for the restoration process to complete. Once it does, youâÃÂÃÂll be able to regain access to your siteâÃÂÃÂs back end. WeâÃÂÃÂll also create a backup of your site just before the restoration, in case you need to undo the process
4. Manually Downgrade a Plugin or Theme
In the event that you need to downgrade a plugin or theme instead of WordPress core, you can do so manually using a process similar to that in Method #1. To get started, youâÃÂÃÂll need to retrieve the files for the older version of the plugin or theme you wish to downgrade
For plugins in the WordPress directory, you can find older versions by clicking on
**Advanced View** on the feature page:
Scroll to the bottom of the page, then select the version you need from the drop-down menu and click on
**Download
Unzip the file and save it to your computer. Then make a backup of your site just in case something goes wrong, and connect to your server using FTP and your preferred client. There, navigate to
**wp-content > plugins**
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Next, youâÃÂÃÂll need to rename the directory for the existing version of your plugin. Then upload the folder for the prior version you wish to downgrade to:
This should successfully restore the older version of the plugin you need. Plus, youâÃÂÃÂll be keeping the latest version easily available, so you can switch back to it when youâÃÂÃÂre ready
Unfortunately, this method gets tricker for themes and premium plugins. The process for rolling them back is more or less the same, but the WordPress Theme directory doesnâÃÂÃÂt have previous versions readily available for download
As for premium plugins, previous versions may or may not be easily accessible. If you canâÃÂÃÂt find the version of the plugin or theme that you need, your best bet is to try contacting the developer for help
5. Roll Back Plugin and Theme Updates With WP Rollback
Fortunately, there
*is* a simpler method for downgrading plugins and themes. All you need to do is install and activate WP Rollback:
This plugin is routinely updated and has an impressive five-star rating in the WordPress Plugin directory. Once itâÃÂÃÂs up and running, navigate to your
**Plugins** list
YouâÃÂÃÂll now see a
**Rollback** button under each pluginâÃÂÃÂs title, alongside the standard options:
If you click on this new option, youâÃÂÃÂll be redirected to a page where you can select your target version. Then select the
**Rollback** button to start the downgrade process:
Rolling back themes is just as easy. Navigate to
**Appearance > Themes** in your dashboard, and select the one you wish to downgrade. There will now be a **Rollback **button at the bottom of the window:
On the following screen, you can select your target version and initiate the downgrade process, just as you would for a plugin. When you need to restore the plugin or theme in question, you can do so from the relevant directory
6. Revert to an Older Version of PHP
In 2019, WordPress made some changes to its PHP requirements. For this reason, as well as the many benefits of using the most recent version, upgrading your siteâÃÂÃÂs PHP is always recommended
However, some older plugins that havenâÃÂÃÂt been well maintained may not be compatible with newer versions of PHP. Ideally, youâÃÂÃÂll always use tools that receive regular updates and support from their developers
However, in the event that you have an outdated plugin thatâÃÂÃÂs crucial to the functionality of your website, but doesnâÃÂÃÂt work with the latest version of PHP, you
*can* perform a downgrade. Kinsta customers have the advantage of being able to easily switch PHP versions right from their MyKinsta dashboard
To do so, log in to your account. Navigate to
**Sites select the one you wish to downgrade PHP for, then click on the **Tools** tab and scroll down to **PHP Engine
Use the
**Modify **drop-down menu to select the version you need:
In the resulting window, click on
**Modify PHP Version **to initiate the process:
If youâÃÂÃÂre not a Kinsta customer, or you need a need to install PHP with a version thatâÃÂÃÂs even older than the ones available via the PHP Engine feature, youâÃÂÃÂll need to downgrade PHP using the command line
This process is more advanced and carries more risks. It may be better to consider replacing the problematic plugin or theme immediately in this case, instead of downgrading PHP and attempting to troubleshoot the conflict further
## Summary
Downgrading WordPress is sometimes necessary when troubleshooting your site or carrying out other key tasks. While there isnâÃÂÃÂt a native feature for accomplishing this goal, there are several methods for reverting to a previous version of your site
This blog post covered six different ways to downgrade your WordPress site and its various elements:
- Downgrade your WordPress site manually
- Use WP Downgrade to run a previous version of WordPress
- Restore a previous backup to undo changes to your site
- Manually downgrade a plugin or theme
- Rollback plugin and theme updates with WP Rollback
- Revert to an older version of PHP
Do you have any questions about downgrading WordPress? Ask away in the comments section below!
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