You may want to update your PHP version because you either received a notification in your WordPress panel that PHP needs updating or one of your plugins requires a newer version of PHP.
Updating the PHP is neither difficult nor very simple, so I thought I’d show you how to do it yourself.
Now, before we begin, keep in mind that your hosting provider’s control panel may look different. This means the steps shown here might vary slightly, but you should still be able to update PHP without any major issues.
Why Is It Important to Have PHP Up to Date?
We want our version of PHP to be up to date so that our website runs smoothly and without issues. Not having the PHP up to date may put your website at risks such as:
- Security vulnerabilities
- Theme incompatibility that can lead to website crashes or features not working corectly.
- Slow website which may affect your rankings as google considers website speed as an important ranking factor.
Before you update the PHP, I highly recommend you either create a staging environment where you can test how your website behaves after the update or a simpler alternative is to install the PHP Compatibility Checker (by Wp Engine) plug-in. The plugin tells you what needs to be done before you update your PHP.
As shown in the image below, the issue here is that some plugins can’t be updated due to an outdated PHP version.
How To Update The PHP Version
My web host is A2Hosting (now acquired by Hosting.com). If your hosting dashboard looks different, just follow the general steps. You should still be able to locate the PHP settings.
1. Go to Control Panel
On your hosting account page, there should be a side menu that displays their services and products. In my case, the website is located in “All Products” sub-menu.
2. Find PHP Manager
Once you’re in the control panel, scroll down to the “Software” section and look for something like MultiPHP Manager or similar.
In my case the Multi PHP Manager is called Select PHP Version.
3. Select the Latest PHP Version
Click on that option, and you’ll be taken to a screen where you can choose the latest available PHP version
4. Return to WordPress
Once you’ve updated the PHP, make sure that the website is working properly. You can check this by opening a new window and visit your website. If for any reason, your website displays an error, just log back into the Control Panel and revert to a previous version of PHP. That can happen if your WordPress theme is not compatible with the latest version of PHP or there’s a conflict with one of your plugins.
As we can see. now I have the option to update the plugins.
And there you have it. This shouldn’t take you longer than 10 minutes.