How to Update PHP in WordPress (2024 Guide)

PHP is the programming language that powers WordPress. It works behind the scenes to generate the dynamic content and functionality of your WordPress site. For optimal performance, security, and compatibility, it‘s important to keep PHP up-to-date by updating to the latest supported versions.

In this guide, we‘ll cover everything you need to know about updating PHP in WordPress, including:

The benefits of updating PHP and version benchmarks
How to check your current PHP version
Step-by-step tutorials to update PHP several ways
Key considerations before making the update
What to do after updating PHP

Let‘s get started!

The Benefits of Updating PHP

Each major release of PHP brings performance improvements, new features, and security enhancements. By updating PHP, you can enjoy benefits such as:

Faster page load times
Improved server resource usage
Reduced memory consumption
New language features for developers
Patches for security vulnerabilities
Compatibility with the latest versions of WordPress, plugins, and themes

If your WordPress site is running on an older, unsupported PHP version like 5.6, you‘re missing out on substantial performance gains and exposing your site to potential security risks.

PHP Version Performance Benchmarks

To showcase the performance improvements between PHP versions, let‘s take a look at some benchmarks. These stats compare the request handling capabilities of PHP 5.6, 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, and 7.4:

WordPress homepage load times:
- PHP 5.6 – 750ms
- PHP 7.0 – 549ms (26.8% faster)
- PHP 7.1 – 489ms (34.8% faster)
- PHP 7.2 – 473ms (36.9% faster)
- PHP 7.3 – 444ms (40.8% faster)
- PHP 7.4 – 429ms (42.8% faster)
WooCommerce product page load times:
- PHP 5.6 – 1.70s
- PHP 7.0 – 1.03s (39.4% faster)
- PHP 7.1 – 925ms (45.6% faster)
- PHP 7.2 – 866ms (49.1% faster)
- PHP 7.3 – 838ms (50.7% faster)
- PHP 7.4 – 811ms (52.3% faster)

As you can see, updating from PHP 5.6 to 7.4 results in a 40-50% reduction in page load times! This directly translates to a faster, snappier browsing experience for your visitors.

These performance gains are thanks to optimizations in PHP 7+ like:

Significantly reduced memory usage
Faster handling of common programming operations
Improved caching mechanisms
Optimized core data structures

Simply put, if your WordPress site is still on PHP 5.6 or PHP 7.0, you‘re leaving a lot of performance on the table. Updating PHP is one of the best ways to speed up your WordPress site.

How to Update PHP in WordPress

There are a few different ways to update the PHP version for your WordPress site depending on your web hosting environment.

Checking Your Current PHP Version

Before you update PHP, you should verify which version your site is currently running. In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Tools > Site Health.

Under the site health status, WordPress will show your current PHP version. It will also prompt you to update PHP if you‘re running an outdated version.

Updating PHP Through Hosting Control Panel

Many web hosts offer a user-friendly interface for updating PHP from your hosting control panel. The exact steps will vary depending on your host, but you can usually find PHP settings under a "Software" or "Programming" section.

For example, in the popular cPanel hosting control panel, you would:

Navigate to the "Software" category
Click "Select PHP Version"
Choose your desired PHP version from the dropdown
Click "Set as current"

Some web hosts may not support the latest PHP versions yet. If you don‘t see an option for at least PHP 7.4, reach out to your host‘s support to request an update or consider switching to a WordPress host that provides more up-to-date software.

After updating PHP through your hosting dashboard, refresh your WordPress admin and visit the Tools > Site Health page again to verify that the new PHP version is active.

Updating PHP With a Plugin

For a quick way to update PHP directly through WordPress, you can use a plugin like Update PHP. Note that this still requires your web host to support newer PHP versions on the server.

After installing and activating the plugin:

Go to the Tools > Update PHP page
Select your desired PHP version
Click "Update PHP"

The plugin will update your site‘s PHP version for you. Keep in mind that plugins like this simply change the PHP configuration for your WordPress site. They don‘t actually modify the PHP installation on your server, which only your hosting provider can do.

Manually Updating PHP

For more advanced users, you can update PHP by directly editing your WordPress site‘s configuration file.

Connect to your WordPress site via FTP/SFTP
Locate the wp-config.php file in your WordPress root directory
Download a copy of wp-config.php to your computer as a backup
Open wp-config.php in a text editor
Look for a line defining WP_REQUIRED_PHP_VERSION or add it if it doesn‘t exist:

define( ‘WP_REQUIRED_PHP_VERSION‘, ‘7.4‘ );

Replace 7.4 with your desired PHP version.

Save the edited wp-config.php file and re-upload it to your server

Again, this method requires your host to support the PHP version you specify. You can then verify the new PHP version in your WordPress dashboard under Tools > Site Health.

Considerations Before Updating PHP

While updating PHP is generally safe and beneficial, there are a few things to keep in mind before taking the plunge:

Plugin and Theme Compatibility

Not all WordPress plugins and themes are compatible with the latest PHP versions. Before updating PHP, check your installed plugins and themes to make sure they support PHP 7.4 or higher.

You can usually find PHP version requirements in the plugin/theme documentation or reach out to the developer directly. If you‘re running any custom plugins or themes, you may need to update their code to be compatible with newer PHP versions.

Back Up Your WordPress Site

As with any major update to your WordPress site, it‘s crucial to take a complete backup before updating PHP. In the rare case that something goes wrong during the update process, you‘ll be able to quickly restore your site from the backup.

There are many WordPress backup plugins to simplify the process, like UpdraftPlus or BackWPup. Alternatively, you can manually create a backup by:

Exporting your WordPress database via phpMyAdmin
Downloading your WordPress files via FTP/SFTP

Store the backups somewhere safe on your computer or in a cloud storage service.

Use a Staging Site for Testing

For complex WordPress sites with many plugins and custom code, it‘s a good idea to test the PHP update on a staging site before applying it to your live production site.

A staging site is an exact copy of your live site in a separate environment. Many web hosts provide one-click staging features, or you can create your own staging site with a plugin like WP Staging.

With a staging site, you can thoroughly test your site‘s functionality with the new PHP version and catch any compatibility issues before they impact your live visitors.

Choose a Supported PHP Version

While it may be tempting to update to the absolute latest PHP version, it‘s generally better to choose a slightly older but still supported and stable version.

As of 2024, PHP 7.4 is the best choice for WordPress sites. It offers substantial performance improvements while still being widely supported by web hosts, plugins, and themes.

PHP 8.0 is also an option if your site doesn‘t rely on older plugins or custom code. But for most WordPress sites, PHP 7.4 strikes the right balance of performance and compatibility.

After Updating PHP

Once you‘ve updated PHP for your WordPress site, it‘s important to test everything thoroughly to catch any issues early on.

Testing Your WordPress Site

After updating PHP, go through your WordPress site with a fine-toothed comb and test all major functionality, including:

Frontend page loading and navigation
Backend WordPress dashboard features
Forms and other interactive elements
Ecommerce checkout flow
Plugins like page builders, SEO, caching, etc.

Open your website in different browsers and devices to ensure a consistent experience for all visitors. Use a tool like GTmetrix or Pingdom to measure your page load times and confirm the performance improvements from updating PHP.

Troubleshooting Issues

In some cases, you may encounter issues after updating PHP related to incompatible plugins, themes, or custom code. Common symptoms include:

White screens (WSoD)
500 internal server errors
Plugin functionality breaking

If you run into problems after updating PHP, here are some troubleshooting tips:

Replace your wp-config.php file with the backup to revert back to the previous PHP version
Deactivate all plugins and switch to a default theme, then re-activate them one by one to isolate the problematic plugin/theme
Check your PHP error logs in your hosting dashboard or via FTP in the wp-content directory for clues about the cause
Restore your complete WordPress backup to start over
Contact your web host‘s support for assistance

Catching and fixing PHP compatibility issues can be a pain, which is why thorough testing on a staging site beforehand is recommended.

Updating WordPress and Plugins

After updating PHP, it‘s a good idea to also update your WordPress core, plugins, and themes to their latest versions. Newer releases are more likely to support the latest PHP versions and may include performance optimizations to take advantage of PHP 7.4+.

You can manage WordPress updates in your dashboard under Dashboard > Updates. Be sure to back up your site before applying any updates.

It‘s also smart to review your plugins and remove any that are no longer needed or not actively maintained. Having too many plugins, especially ones that are outdated or poorly coded, can negatively impact your site‘s PHP performance.

The Future of PHP Performance

The PHP team is hard at work on the next major version, PHP 8, scheduled for release in late 2023. PHP 8 promises to be the fastest version yet with performance improvements like:

Just-in-time (JIT) compilation for even faster code execution
Optimized array operations and sorting algorithms
Inheritance cache for quicker object instantiation
Efficient handling of primitive data types
Additional type hints for cleaner, more maintainable code

As PHP 8 becomes more widely supported by web hosts throughout 2024 and beyond, updating PHP will continue to be one of the most impactful ways to speed up WordPress.

Conclusion

Updating PHP is a crucial task for maintaining a fast, secure, and reliable WordPress site. With PHP 7.4 offering up to 50% faster performance compared to older versions, it‘s well worth the effort to update PHP for your WordPress site.

To recap, here‘s how to update PHP in WordPress:

Check your current PHP version in Tools > Site Health
Update PHP through your hosting control panel, with a plugin, or by editing wp-config.php
Choose a supported PHP version like 7.4
Back up your WordPress site before updating
Thoroughly test your site after updating and troubleshoot any issues
Keep WordPress core, plugins, and themes up-to-date

By following this guide and keeping PHP updated, you‘ll enjoy a faster WordPress site that‘s compatible with the latest tools and resilient against security threats. You‘ll also be prepared to update to PHP 8 and beyond as they become available.

Now that you know how to update PHP in WordPress, make it part of your regular site maintenance routine. Your visitors will thank you for the improved performance!

How to Update PHP in WordPress (2024 Guide)

The Benefits of Updating PHP

PHP Version Performance Benchmarks