How to use wordpress manager to enable minor security updates, plugin and theme updates ?

Posted on February 29th, 2024

Enabling minor security updates, plugin, and theme updates using the WordPress Dashboard:

1. Enabling Minor Security Updates:

• Minor security updates are automatically enabled by default in WordPress and cannot be disabled through the dashboard. This ensures your website automatically receives crucial security patches without requiring manual intervention.

2. Enabling Plugin and Theme Updates:

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Navigate to Updates from the left-hand menu.
   
   WordPress Dashboard with Updates highlighted

You’ll see available updates for Core (WordPress software itself), Plugins, and Themes:

WordPress Updates page showing core, plugin, and theme sections

• For minor security updates: These are included in “Core” updates and are automatically installed due to the default setting.
• For major core updates: These are typically denoted by a higher version number than the current version (e.g., from 5.9.3 to 6.0). You can check the box next to the update and click Update Now to install it manually. However, it’s crucial to back up your website before performing major core updates.
• For plugin and theme updates: Simply click the Update Now button next to the specific update you want to install.

Additional Notes:

• It’s highly recommended to create a full backup of your website, including files and database, before applying any updates, especially major core updates. This allows you to easily restore your site if any issues arise after the updates.
• Consider using a reliable backup plugin to automate this process and ensure you have a recent backup before applying updates.

By following these steps, you can manually enable minor security updates (already automated) and plugin and theme updates in your WordPress website.