Steps to upgrade your WordPress version

The upgrade to the latest version of WordPress is necessary, not only to have access to all the latest features, but mainly for security reasons and to protect your site from any malicious attacks. Depending on the version you already have installed, you can upgrade automatically or manually.

Prerequisites for successful completion of automatic upgrade

 Before starting the process, confirm that:

- the PHP and MySQL versions required by the latest WodPress version and listed in the link http://wordpress.org/about/requirements/ are supported by your hosting package at Top.Host.

- WordPress folders have 775 permissions (rwx rwx r-x ) and WordPress files have 664 permissions (rw- rw- r-- ). 

Steps for Automatic Upgrade

1. Backup your WordPress database
   

In this way you will save a backup copy of the posts, comments, content, etc., which you will be able to recover in case the upgrade is not completed successfully.

2. Disable Plugins
   

In case you are using a plugin that has not been upgraded to be compatible with the latest version of WordPress, it may cause a problem with the upgrade completion. Turn the Plugins into deactivate mode from the corresponding "Plugins" section of the Dashboard. Before deactivating them, note which ones you have active.

3. Start the automatic upgrade
   

Click on the "Please update now" link that appears at the top of the WordPress Control Panel. On the new page select "Update Automatically" to start the upgrade.

4. Update and activation of Plugins
   

After updating WordPress, update all plugins to their latest version and then activate them one by one. After activating each plugin, check if your site is working normally. So if you see a malfunction you will know which plugin is causing the problem. In this case, the plugin may not be compatible with the new version of WordPress.

Caution!
If the version of WordPress you are using is at least 2 versions away from the last one, the automatic Update should be avoided, as it will cause compatibility problems during the upgrade. It is necessary in this particular case that the upgrades are carried out gradually from version to version, in order to ensure the maximum possible compatibility.

You can see detailed manual upgrade steps at the official WordPress page link: http://codex.wordpress.org/Upgrading_WordPress_Extended

In case you wish to have Top.Host's technical department undertake the Upgrade, you can contact the sales department at sales@top.host, so that more information on the cost and process can be sent to you.