How to Manually Update WordPress Plugins Using the FTP Client
Manually update WordPress plugins is one thing people don’t want to hear. Updating the plugins is important but cause it helps fix the bugs in them but updating them manually can seem like a lot of work. However, there comes a time when the best way forward is to update the plugins manually. This is more so if the 1-click WordPress plugin update fails. If you are having this problem, learning how to update manually will come in handy. Below are some of the things you need to know and do.
Updating through FTP
In order for you to manually update WordPress plugins, you need to download the latest version of the specific plugin you wish to update. You then need to get an FTP client such as FileZilla then enter you website name in the hostname with the FTP login details. This will help connect to the website. After you are connected, go to ‘/wp-content/plugins/’ folder. In this folder, you will see all the plugins that have been installed on your website. Right click on a plugin you wish to update and select ‘Rename’. Add the ‘-old’ to the end of the name such as ‘wpforms-old’.
You should then download the folder you renamed for backup. You can then go ahead and delete the folder once you download it to your PC. The plugin should be deactivated from your database. You do this by login into your WordPress admin and go to plugins page.
Once the plugin has been removed, the next thing you need to do is to install the latest version that you downloaded earlier. Go back to the FTP client and check under ‘Local’ and locate the new plugin that you downloaded. Right click and select ‘Upload’. The FTP client will transfer the plugin folder to your WordPress website. Once the transfer is complete, login to the WordPress admin, go to plugins page and locate the newly installed plugin and select ‘Activate’.
In short, to manually update WordPress plugins, you need to download the latest version of the plugin that you wish to update, delete the old one on your website then use an FTP client to install the new version. You must never forget to back up the old version of the plugin by downloading it first before deleting it. This will make it easy for you to revert to an older working version in case the new one fails.
But why update plugins manually?
Updating a plugin manually seems to be a tedious process considering you have to do this every time a newer version is available. The main reason why it is necessary to update manually is when the auto update feature fails. In this case, you will be forced to continue using an obsolete version of your plugin. Second, if an update is interrupted midway, you will have a broken site. To manually update WordPress plugins keeps you safe from this problem.
Keeping your plugins up-to-date is the key to having a WordPress website that performs well. If the auto update feature fails, you now know how to update manually.