How to Update WordPress in Softaculous
Out-of-date WordPress is the number-one cause of hacked sites. Softaculous can update core, and you should keep plugins and themes current too. Always back up first.
Step-by-step
- Back up first. In Softaculous, open your WordPress install and click the backup icon, or follow backing up WordPress.
- Open Software → Softaculous Apps Installer → All Installations (the box/edit icon, top right).
- Find your WordPress install. If an update is available, an "Update Available" note and version number appear next to it.
- Click the Update (cloud) icon and confirm the version to upgrade to.
- Let it run — Softaculous applies the core update and reports success.
- Update plugins and themes inside wp-admin (Dashboard → Updates) — these are managed by WordPress itself, not Softaculous. Test the site afterwards.
💡 Good to know
- Enable a staging site to test major updates before applying them live.
- Turn on auto-updates for hands-off security patching.
- If an update breaks the site, restore the pre-update backup and update plugins one at a time to find the culprit.