Install WordPress security updates within 24 to 48 hours, check for other updates at least weekly, and test your website after every change. The right routine depends on how important your website is to your business, how many plugins it uses, and how much custom code it has.
At Scripto Agency, we look after multiple client websites. We check each one every three days. This guide explains that routine, why it works, and how to adapt it to your own site.
Quick Answer: How Often Should You Update WordPress?
Check WordPress regularly, apply security updates promptly, back up your website before significant changes, and test important features after updating.
| Update Type | Recommended Schedule |
|---|---|
| Security updates | As soon as practical, ideally within 24 to 48 hours |
| Plugin and theme updates | Check at least weekly; Scripto Agency checks every three days |
| Minor WordPress core updates | Allow supported automatic updates, then verify the site |
| Major WordPress releases | Review compatibility, back up first, and test on staging when needed |
| Website backups | Before significant updates and according to a regular backup schedule |
| Post-update testing | After updates, especially when they affect important features |
| Unused plugins and themes | Review monthly and remove anything you no longer need |
This is a practical schedule, not an official WordPress rule. Websites handling payments, customer accounts, or sensitive information may need closer monitoring.
What WordPress Updates Automatically (and What It Doesn’t)
WordPress can install some updates automatically, but not every update is handled in the same way. Knowing which updates run automatically helps you avoid leaving important changes unnoticed.
- Minor core updates: WordPress generally enables automatic updates for minor core releases, including maintenance and security fixes.
- Major core updates: Major releases generally require a separate setting or manual action, depending on your site’s configuration.
- Plugin updates: Automatic updates can be enabled individually for supported plugins.
- Theme updates: Automatic updates are optional and can be enabled for supported themes.
- Premium plugins: Some premium plugins require a licence connection or manual updates, depending on the developer’s update system.
At Scripto Agency, we enable automatic updates for plugins that support them. We still log in regularly to check for pending updates, incomplete installations, and changes that might affect the website.
How We Handle WordPress Updates at Scripto Agency
We manage multiple client websites, so our update routine focuses on keeping sites current while checking that important features continue to work.
We review each website every three days and check for:
- Pending WordPress core, plugin, and theme updates.
- Premium plugins that need manual updates.
- Failed or incomplete automatic updates.
- Visible design changes, error messages, or broken features.
- Important website functions, including forms and navigation.
Before a manual WordPress core update, we create a backup. After the update, we check the site to make sure it still works as expected. If an update causes a problem, a usable backup gives us a recovery option.
So far, this process has worked well for the sites we manage. The three-day interval is our own workflow, not a requirement for every WordPress website.
If you don’t have time to monitor updates and test your website, our WordPress maintenance services can help keep routine updates and website checks under control.
How Often Should You Update WordPress Core, Plugins, and Themes?
WordPress core, plugins, and themes have different roles, so they may need different update routines. Check for updates regularly and prioritise security fixes and changes that affect essential website features.
WordPress Core Updates
WordPress core updates improve the platform and can include maintenance fixes, security patches, and new features.
- Install security fixes as soon as practical.
- Review major release notes and check compatibility before updating.
- Create a backup before significant manual core updates.
- Use a staging site to test major releases when your website has custom code or complex integrations.
If your website uses a custom setup, your update plan should account for its theme, plugins, and integrations. A well-maintained WordPress website design can also make future updates easier to manage when compatibility and maintainability are considered from the start.
WordPress Plugin Updates
Plugins add features to WordPress, such as contact forms, SEO tools, security controls, and payment processing. Because plugins come from different developers, compatibility between them matters.
Check for plugin updates at least weekly, or more frequently if your website depends on important business functions. Prioritise updates that fix known security issues or affect login systems, forms, bookings, and payments.
Before updating a plugin, review its release information when available. For high-risk websites, test significant changes on a staging site before applying them to the live website.
Also review your installed plugins regularly. Deactivate and delete plugins you no longer use, provided you have confirmed that the website does not depend on them.
WordPress Theme Updates
Theme updates can fix bugs, improve compatibility, and address security issues. However, updating a theme may overwrite changes made directly to its files.
Before updating a theme on a client website, check whether anyone has customised its files. A child theme is generally a better place for custom code because it helps preserve those changes when the parent theme is updated.
After updating, review the site’s layout, navigation, mobile appearance, and key page elements. If a theme update introduces a problem, investigate the cause before making further changes.
What Affects How Often You Should Update WordPress?
There is no single update schedule that suits every website. Consider how the site is used, what it depends on, and how quickly you could recover if an update caused a problem.
Website Type and Business Risk
A simple business website may need less intensive testing than a store that processes orders every day. Both need regular updates, but the possible impact of a problem is different.
For an online store, an update could affect checkout, payment processing, order records, or customer accounts. Back up the site before significant changes and test the full purchase process after updating.
Plugin and Integration Complexity
Websites with many plugins, custom code, booking systems, or third-party integrations may require more compatibility checks. An update that works on one site may cause issues on another because the setups are different.
Review release notes, confirm compatibility where possible, and use a staging environment for changes that could affect important features.
Backup and Recovery Options
Your update routine should also reflect how quickly you can restore the website if something goes wrong. A recent, reliable backup reduces recovery risk, but it should not replace testing.
For WooCommerce websites, make sure your backup and recovery process accounts for orders and other changing data. Restoring an old database backup can remove newer transactions, so recovery should be handled carefully.
How to Update WordPress Safely
A consistent process helps you catch problems early and makes updates easier to troubleshoot.
- Create a backup. Back up your website before significant updates. Make sure you can access the backup if restoration is needed.
- Review the update details. Check the release notes and look for security fixes, compatibility information, or known issues.
- Use staging for higher-risk changes. Test major releases or updates involving custom code, checkout, or important integrations away from the live site when possible.
- Update carefully. Avoid making several unrelated changes at once if doing so would make problems difficult to trace. The best update order depends on the website and the changes involved.
- Test important features. Check pages, navigation, contact forms, login, and checkout where relevant.
- Resolve any problems. If something breaks, identify the cause and restore a backup if necessary before continuing.
Regular checks and post-update testing are part of ongoing website care. If you need help managing updates, backups, and routine checks, explore our WordPress maintenance services.
What Happens If You Don’t Update WordPress?
Leaving WordPress core, plugins, or themes outdated can expose your website to known security issues and compatibility problems. Over time, older components may also stop working properly with newer versions of WordPress or other software.
Possible consequences include:
- Security weaknesses that remain unpatched.
- Broken forms, layouts, or plugin features.
- Compatibility issues after other components are updated.
- Website downtime or interrupted business functions.
- More difficult troubleshooting when several components fall behind.
Not every outdated website will be hacked, and updates alone cannot guarantee complete security. Keeping software current is one part of website security, alongside strong passwords, access controls, backups, and appropriate security measures.
What to Do If a WordPress Update Breaks Your Website
If your website stops working after an update, avoid installing more updates until you understand what happened. A controlled troubleshooting process can help you restore normal operation without creating additional problems.
- Pause further updates. Avoid changing multiple components while the cause is still unclear.
- Identify what broke. Check the affected page, feature, or error message and note which update happened immediately before the problem.
- Investigate the cause. Review compatibility information and, where appropriate, test the suspected component on a staging site.
- Restore if necessary. Use a known-good backup if the site cannot be recovered safely through troubleshooting.
- Test the website again. Confirm that key pages and features work before considering the issue resolved.
- Fix the underlying issue. Address the cause before retrying the update.
Take extra care with WooCommerce and other websites that store changing data. Restoring an old backup may affect orders, customer information, or other recent records, so check the recovery plan before proceeding.
WordPress Update FAQs
Check for updates at least weekly, apply security fixes promptly, and test your website after significant changes. Sites with complex features or higher business risk may need more frequent checks.
Yes. WordPress generally enables automatic updates for minor core releases. Plugin and theme automatic updates can be enabled individually, while major core updates may require a separate setting or manual action.
Yes. An update can sometimes cause compatibility problems with a theme, plugin, or custom feature. Backups, staging tests for higher-risk changes, and post-update checks help reduce the risk.
There is no single order that works for every website. Review compatibility information, consider the specific updates involved, and use a backup or staging environment when the change carries a higher risk.
Yes. Create a recent backup before significant core, plugin, or theme updates, especially on business websites and online stores. Make sure you understand how to restore the site if needed.
Check whether the update completed, review the error, and avoid making unrelated changes until you understand the problem. Restore a backup if necessary, then resolve the cause before trying again.
Final Thoughts
How often you should update WordPress depends on your website’s features, complexity, and business risk. Check for updates regularly, address security issues promptly, back up before significant changes, and test the website afterwards.
At Scripto Agency, we check our managed websites every three days and review automatic updates rather than assuming every change worked correctly. Use a schedule that fits your own website, and increase testing when an update could affect important business functions.
