Posted on by admin
Keeping the theme updated on your WordPress website is quite necessary since your goal is to be relevant, functional, and secure for the long game. For this goal to be achieved,one of the best ways to do it is by investing resources in product updates.
There are mainly two types of update methods. The first one can be performed automatically (in the background), with a few clicks of the mouse. This method works mostly for WordPress version core and the themes/plugins you’ve installed from the native WP repository accessible from the dashboard.
But if a plugin/theme was uploaded by the user and then installed on the WP setup, that component wouldn’t be eligible for automatic/background updates. Usually, premium themes and plugins need to be updated manually, which is a bit more complex.
Before updating your theme, make sure your WordPress version is up to date. Thetheme makes use of new functions provided in WordPress to keep things optimized and up to date.
Below is our handy checklist we recommend you go through before attempting the theme update:
1. Check the Changelog
Essentially, this is a file that provides a rundown of what changes were made to the theme in the update. When you update a WordPress theme manually, always be sure to review this document, as it will let you know exactly what to expect.
2. Make a backup
This is the best precautionary measure you’ll always need to take. Whenever something doesn’t go as expected, you can always restore.If you are not comfortable with taking a manual backup, you can use plugins instead.
3. Test the theme updates
It’s important to check the theme update first on a test site on your local environment or a staging site which is a clone of your website. You never know if your updated theme will throw a conflict with a current plugin or if a new feature of the theme will break something on the site.
Okay, assuming that you are informed of these issues and have taken the required steps, let’s move forward. There are two ways of updating: manual update and automatic update:
MANUALLY
To date, you cannot automatically update premium themes, you need to access your profile to check and download the latest version of the theme.
Just access on homepage >> Your account >> Downloads and select the theme you want to update with the latest version.
Now, upload the new version of the theme through the Dashboard. Navigate to: Dashboard >> Appearance >> Themes >> Add New >> Upload theme.
After uploading, the old version and the new version will both present in the themes frame. Just check the version number to make out the latest theme version and activate it.
Updating or upgrading a theme will reset the customizations you’ve made in the previous version. You need to use a child theme to retain those customizations. Advanced themes usually come with some dependency plugins. Install and update those dependencies separately, if needed.
AUTOMATICALLY
Keeping your WordPress themes and plugins up to date is just as important as updating your core WordPress installation. If you’re using a free theme or plugin via WordPress.org, then you’re probably familiar with the auto-updates via your dashboard.
In the settings of the plugin, you can configure all automated updates for your WordPress theme. Or turn them off altogether. Automatic updates can typically be programmed and scheduled using your WordPress multi-site management tool too.
This is the easiest way to launch the latest theme. Just navigate to:
Dashboard >> Appearance >> Themes, pick the current theme, then just click the button “Update Now” to attempt the upgrade. That’s done, as easy as it sounds.
