CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en" dir="ltr"> <head><script type="text/javascript" src="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=7YQSqjSh" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script> <script>window.RufflePlayer=window.RufflePlayer||{};window.RufflePlayer.config={"autoplay":"on","unmuteOverlay":"hidden"};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("https://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("http://codex.wordpress.org:80/Upgrading_WordPress","20081202124726","https://web.archive.org/","web","https://web-static.archive.org/_static/", "1228222046"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=p7PEIJWi" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" />  <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"/> <meta name="keywords" content="Upgrading WordPress,Installing/Updating WordPress with Subversion,Upgrading WordPress Extended,WordPress Backups"/> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/web/20081202124726im_/http://codex.wordpress.org/favicon.ico"/> <link rel="search" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/opensearch_desc.php" title="Codex (English)"/> <title>Upgrading WordPress « WordPress Codex</title> <style type="text/css"> @import url("https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726cs_/http://s.wordpress.org/style/codex-wp4.css"); @import url("https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726cs_/http://s.wordpress.org/style/wp4.css"); </style> <link media="only screen and (max-device-width: 480px)" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726cs_/http://wordpress.org/style/iphone.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet">  <link rel="shortcut icon" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726im_/http://s.wordpress.org/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon"/> <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726js_/http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> _uacct = "UA-52447-1"; urchinTracker(); </script>  <script type="text/javascript" src="/web/20081202124726js_/http://codex.wordpress.org/index.php?title=-&action=raw&gen=js&useskin=codex"></script> <script type="text/javascript">wgBreakFrames=false;wgContentLanguage='en';</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/web/20081202124726js_/http://codex.wordpress.org/skins/common/wikibits.js"></script> <style type="text/css">/*<![CDATA[*/ @import "/web/20081202124726cs_/http://codex.wordpress.org/index.php?title=MediaWiki:Common.css&usemsgcache=yes&action=raw&ctype=text/css&smaxage=18000"; @import "/web/20081202124726cs_/http://codex.wordpress.org/index.php?title=MediaWiki:Codex.css&usemsgcache=yes&action=raw&ctype=text/css&smaxage=18000"; @import "/web/20081202124726cs_/http://codex.wordpress.org/index.php?title=-&action=raw&gen=css&maxage=18000"; /*]]>*/</style> </head> <body id="wordpress-org" class="ns-0"> <div id="header"> <div class="wrapper"> <h1><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726/http://wordpress.org/" title="WordPress">WordPress.org</a></h1> <form action="https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726/http://wordpress.org/search/do-search.php" method="get" id="head-search"> <input class="text" name="search" type="text" value="Search the Codex" maxlength="150" onfocus="this.value=(this.value=='Search the Codex') ? '' : this.value;" onblur="this.value=(this.value=='') ? 'Search the Codex' : this.value;"/> <input type="submit" class="button" value="Go"/> </form> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726/http://wordpress.org/" title="Home is where the heart is.">Home</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726/http://wordpress.org/about/" title="About the WordPress Organization, and where we're going.">About</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726/http://wordpress.org/extend/" title="Taking WordPress beyond your wildest imagination">Extend</a></li> <li><a class="current" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Main_Page" title="Documentation, tutorials, best practices.">Docs</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726/http://wordpress.org/development/" title="Come here for the latest scoop.">Blog</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726/http://wordpress.org/showcase/" title="See some of the sites built on WordPress.">Showcase</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726/http://wordpress.org/support/" title="Support and discussion forums.">Forums</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726/http://wordpress.org/hosting/" title="Find a home for your blog">Hosting</a></li> <li id="download"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726/http://wordpress.org/download/" title="Get it. Got it? Good.">Download</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="headline"> <div class="wrapper"> <h2>Codex</h2> <div class="portlet" id="p-personal"> <p class="login">Codex tools: <a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/index.php?title=Special:Userlogin&returnto=Upgrading_WordPress">Log in / create account</a> </p> </div> </div> </div> <div id="pagebody"> <div class="wrapper"> <div class="col-2"> <ul class="submenu"> <li id="n-mainpage"><a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Main_Page">Home Page</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress_Lessons">WordPress Lessons</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Getting_Started_with_WordPress">Getting Started</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Working_with_WordPress">Working with WordPress</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Blog_Design_and_Layout">Design and Layout</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Advanced_Topics">Advanced Topics</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Troubleshooting">Troubleshooting</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Developer_Documentation">Developer Docs</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/About_WordPress">About WordPress</a></li> </ul> <h3>Codex Resources</h3> <ul class="submenu"> <li id="n-portal"><a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Codex:Community_Portal">Community portal</a></li> <li id="n-currentevents"><a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Current_events">Current events</a></li> <li id="n-recentchanges"><a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Special:Recentchanges">Recent changes</a></li> <li id="n-randompage"><a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Special:Randompage">Random page</a></li> <li id="n-help"><a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Help:Contents">Help</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-8" id="bodyContent"> <h2 class="pagetitle">Upgrading WordPress</h2>  <p>Before you get started, make sure you meet <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726/http://wordpress.org/about/requirements/" class="external text" title="http://wordpress.org/about/requirements/">the minimum requirements</a>. </p> <a name="Three_Step_Upgrade"></a><h2> <span class="mw-headline"> Three Step Upgrade </span></h2> <p>These are the short instructions, if you want more check out the <a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Upgrading_WordPress_Extended" title="Upgrading WordPress Extended">extended upgrade instructions</a>. If you experience problems with the Three Step Upgrade, you may want to review the <a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Upgrading_WordPress_Extended" title="Upgrading WordPress Extended">more detailed upgrade instructions</a>. </p><p>For these instructions, it is assumed that your blog's URL is <code>http://example.com/wordpress/</code>. Note that during the upgrade process access to your blog may not work for your visitors. </p> <a name="A_Warning_before_you_start"></a><h3> <span class="mw-headline"> A Warning before you start </span></h3> <p>If you run into problems Upgrading WordPress with the three Steps described here, you need to revert to your old version first before using the <a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Upgrading_WordPress_Extended" title="Upgrading WordPress Extended">more detailed upgrade instructions</a> (ie. restore the backup made in step 0). Even though you might not run into any errors with this process right away, you might run into problems later down the line. Then it may not be possible to revert far enough back to fix the problem without losing any recent changes. </p><p>So If you use Plugins and Themes other than the ones that come with the default WordPress installation, it is advisable to start over with the <a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Upgrading_WordPress_Extended" title="Upgrading WordPress Extended">more detailed upgrade instructions</a>. </p> <a name="Step_0:_Before_You_Get_Started"></a><h3> <span class="mw-headline"> Step 0: Before You Get Started </span></h3> <ul><li> Just in case something goes wrong, make sure you have a backup. <a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress_Backups" title="WordPress Backups">WordPress Backups</a> is a comprehensive guide. </li><li> Make sure the database user name registered to WordPress has permission to create, modify, and delete database tables. If you installed WordPress in the standard way, and nothing has changed since then, you are fine. </li><li> Deactivate your plugins. A plugin might not be compatible with the new version, so it's nice to check for new versions of them and deactivate any that may cause problems. You can reactivate plugins one-by-one after the upgrade. </li></ul> <a name="Step_1:_Replace_WordPress_files"></a><h3> <span class="mw-headline"> Step 1: Replace WordPress files </span></h3> <ol><li> Get the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726/http://wordpress.org/download/" class="external text" title="http://wordpress.org/download/">latest WordPress</a>. Either download and extract it to your computer or download it directly to the server. <ol><li> As a reminder, to extract a tar.gz to a folder use this command, replacing (folder name) with the name of your folder: tar -xvzf latest.tar.gz -C ./(folder name) </li></ol> </li><li> Delete your old <code>wp-includes</code> and <code>wp-admin</code> directories. </li><li> Copy the new WordPress files to your server, overwriting old files in the root, except perhaps the <code>wp-content</code> folder (see "<strong>NOTE</strong>" below). You may use FTP or shell commands to do so. Note that this means *all* the files, including all the files in the root directory as well. If you use the default or classic theme and have customized it, then you can skip that theme. </li></ol> <p><strong>NOTE</strong>   The <code>wp-content</code> folder requires special handling, as do the <code>plugins</code> and <code>themes</code> folders. You should copy over the <em>contents</em> of these folders, not the entire folder. In some cases, copying the entire folder may overwrite all your customizations and added content. </p><p>Also take care to preserve the content of the <b>wp-config.php</b> file in the root directory. This file contains current settings for your existing installation, e.g. database sign-in information. Occasionally new versions of WordPress adds statements to this file. (E.g. in version 2.5 the SECRET_KEY variable was added, see <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Upgrading_WordPress_Extended#Step_13:_Add_the_SECRET_KEY_definition_to_wp-config.php" class="external text" title="http://codex.wordpress.org/Upgrading_WordPress_Extended#Step_13:_Add_the_SECRET_KEY_definition_to_wp-config.php">Extended upgrade instructions</a>). Compare your existing file with the new installation file which is named <b>wp-config-sample.php</b>. Either transfer your settings to the sample-file and rename it to <b>wp-config.php</b> or copy the new statements from the sample file into your current file. </p> <a name="Step_2:_Upgrade_your_installation"></a><h3> <span class="mw-headline"> Step 2: Upgrade your installation </span></h3> <p>Visit your main WordPress admin page at /wp-admin. You may be asked to login again. If a database upgrade is necessary at this point, WordPress will detect it and give you a link to a URL like <code>http://example.com/wordpress/wp-admin/upgrade.php</code>. Follow that link and follow the instructions. This will update your database to be compatible with the latest code. If you fail to do this step, your blog might look funny. </p> <a name="Step_3:_Do_something_nice_for_yourself"></a><h3> <span class="mw-headline"> Step 3: Do something nice for yourself </span></h3> <p>If you have caching enabled, your changes will appear to users more immediately if you clear the cache at this point (and if you don't, you may get confused when you see the old version number in page footers when you check to see if the upgrade worked). </p><p>Your WordPress installation is successfully upgraded. That's as simple as we can make it without <a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Installing/Updating_WordPress_with_Subversion" title="Installing/Updating WordPress with Subversion">Updating WordPress Using Subversion</a>. </p><p>Consider rewarding yourself with a blog post about the upgrade, reading that book or article you've been putting off, or simply sitting back for a few moments and let the world pass you by. </p> <a name="Troubleshooting"></a><h2> <span class="mw-headline"> Troubleshooting </span></h2> <p>If anything has gone wrong the first thing to do is go through all the steps in our <a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Upgrading_WordPress_Extended" title="Upgrading WordPress Extended">extended upgrade instructions</a>. That page also has information about some of the most common problems we see. </p><div class="printfooter"> Retrieved from "<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Upgrading_WordPress">http://codex.wordpress.org/Upgrading_WordPress</a>"</div> <div id="catlinks"><p class="catlinks"><a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Special:Categories" title="Special:Categories">Categories</a>: <span dir="ltr"><a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Category:Installation" title="Category:Installation">Installation</a></span> | <span dir="ltr"><a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Category:Getting_Started" title="Category:Getting Started">Getting Started</a></span> | <span dir="ltr"><a href="/web/20081202124726/http://codex.wordpress.org/Category:UI_Link" title="Category:UI Link">UI Link</a></span></p></div>  </div> <div class="col-2"> </div> </div> </div> <div id="footer"> <div class="wrapper"> <p> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726/http://wordpress.org/report-bugs/">Report a Site Bug</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726/http://wordpress.org/about/privacy/">Privacy</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726/http://wordpress.org/about/gpl/">GPL</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726/http://browsehappy.com/">Browse Happy</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081202124726/http://wordpress.org/development/feed/" class="rsslink">WordPress Updates RSS</a> </p> <h6>Code is Poetry</h6> </div> </div> </body> </html>