--- title: "WordPress updates: why you shouldn't install them right away" description: "WordPress updates can break your site. Here's why you should wait before installing them, what goes wrong, and how to fix it when it does." author: "Andrea Tendero" date: "2026-07-29T12:00:00.000Z" url: "https://freshjuice.dev/blog/wordpress-updates-why-you-shouldnt-install-them-right-away/" --- # WordPress updates: why you shouldn't install them right away July 29, 2026 • Written by [Andrea Tendero](https://freshjuice.dev/authors/atenlotrad/) WordPress has recently launched another update, and several users have experienced a lot of issues after installing it. This isn’t new. WordPress has always had a lot of issues, especially when an update is first launched. This is normal — updates for any software or platform are usually released with some bugs. But why launch them if they cause so much trouble? That’s why many developers recommend waiting a couple of months before installing the latest updates to prevent your website from going bonkers. Here’s why you should do the same, why these issues happen, and how to avoid or fix them. ## Why do WordPress updates break your site? WordPress updates are (allegedly) designed to improve security, performance, and functionality, but they can also create unexpected issues. In most cases, the update itself isn’t the problem — it’s how it interacts with the rest of your website. Here are the most common reasons WordPress updates can break your site. - **Plugin conflicts.** Probably the most common reason an update goes wrong, and another justification for us hating plugins. When WordPress is updated, certain technical requirements and changes can affect how plugins work. If a plugin hasn’t been updated to support the latest version of WordPress, it can create compatibility issues that may break features or even your entire site. - **Incomplete updates.** Sometimes things go wrong during the update process — a server timeout, not enough memory, or a lost connection. If any of these happen, the update may fail and break your site. To reduce the risk, make sure you have a stable connection and that your hosting environment has enough resources before starting. Otherwise, you could leave your website in an unstable state or stuck in maintenance mode, with some files updated while others are not. - **PHP mismatches.** As well as checking your memory and connection, another key element is your site’s PHP version. Every WordPress release comes with minimum PHP requirements. If your hosting provider is running an outdated PHP version or your site isn’t configured correctly, the update may fail or certain features may stop working. To check your PHP version, go to your hosting provider’s dashboard and compare it with the minimum requirements listed [in the WordPress release notes](https://wordpress.org/news/category/releases/?utm_source=freshjuice.dev) before installing the update. - **Database issues.** A WordPress website stores most of its content and settings in a database. Sometimes updates include changes to the database structure, and if the update isn’t completed correctly — due to a server timeout or low memory — your website may experience errors, missing content, or broken functionality. - **Custom code incompatibility.** If you have any custom code in your theme, plugins, or snippets, a WordPress update may no longer support it. Features can stop working or generate unexpected errors until the code is updated. - **API errors.** If your site relies on third-party apps like a CRM, analytics software, a booking system, or a payment gateway, a WordPress update may affect how those integrations work. Some features may stop working until the integration, plugin, or API connection is updated to support the new version. Just as you check your plugins and PHP version, verify that your third-party APIs and integrations are compatible before updating. All the issues listed above are the most common ones you should check whenever an update goes wrong, but other issues can also appear depending on your website’s configuration. If none of these seem to be the problem, don’t panic. Review your error logs, test your plugins and theme, or ask your hosting provider for help before making further changes. ## Reasons to not update WordPress immediately While updating WordPress is important to keep your website secure and up to date, installing a new version the moment it’s released isn’t always the best idea. Waiting a little longer can save you from compatibility issues, unexpected bugs, and hours of troubleshooting. Here’s why. 1. **Prevent your site from crashing.** Not every update is synonymous with failure, but there’s a higher chance of something going wrong if you install it immediately after release. Waiting a couple of months gives developers time to identify and fix issues, so you can install a more stable version instead of dealing with the first wave of bugs. Avoid being the “beta tester” of the update — wait until bug fixes and compatibility patches have been released. 2. **Avoid spending hours fixing issues.** If you install an update and something goes wrong, you’ll likely spend hours trying to fix it. Even if it only takes a couple of hours, that’s still valuable time you could have spent on something else. In some cases, you may even need to hire a developer, which means additional costs. And you definitely don’t want that to happen on a weekend. 3. **Prevent downtime and lost sales.** Besides the time spent fixing the issue, it can also have a direct financial impact. If your website is down, even for a couple of hours, you could lose potential customers and sales until everything is back online. If it happens during the weekend, it’s even worse — technical support may be limited or more expensive. By waiting a couple of months, you let other users test the release first and benefit from the bug fixes and compatibility patches that follow. 4. **Protect your website’s performance.** As marketers, we know that any technical issue can affect your website’s overall performance, and WordPress update issues are no exception. Every time a site goes down or experiences errors, it can negatively impact the user experience, increase bounce rates, and even affect your SEO if the problem lasts long enough. We’ve covered [how ranking drops happen and how to diagnose them](https://freshjuice.dev/blog/common-causes-search-engine-ranking-drop/). Waiting a little before installing the latest update reduces the chances of running into these issues and helps keep your website performing at its best. 5. **Reduce the risk of compatibility issues, critical bugs, and other unexpected errors.** Your site going down is sometimes the least worrying consequence of installing a WordPress update too soon. Even if your website stays online, you may still experience plugin or theme incompatibilities, critical bugs, or other unexpected issues that affect your site’s functionality over time. By waiting for the update to be tested and patched, you reduce the chances of running into these problems and can install a much more stable version. 6. **Save yourself time and stress.** Last but not least, save yourself from freaking out and having to work overtime just to get your site up and running again. This may seem like the least important reason on the list, but unexpected stress is never a good thing, especially when it comes from an issue that could have been prevented. Waiting a little before updating can save you a lot of headaches and let you focus on what actually matters instead of fixing a broken website. ## How to fix it If you already rolled the update and you’re regretting every decision you made, don’t worry — it’s fixable. But before trying to fix the problem, first you have to identify what went wrong. Start by checking your site in an incognito or private browsing window to rule out browser caching or user-specific issues. If the problem persists, enable WordPress debug logging — preferably on a staging site, or by logging errors instead of displaying them on a live site — to identify any PHP errors or warnings that may be causing the issue. Once you’ve identified it, you can decide what to do. - **Remove the .maintenance file:** The .maintenance file can be left behind if the update process is interrupted before it finishes. When this happens, your website may get stuck in maintenance mode even though the update failed. Connect to your site through your hosting file manager or FTP and delete the .maintenance file. In many cases, this is enough to bring your website back online. - **Fix the issues or incompatibilities:** We’ve already covered the most common issues a WordPress update can cause — third-party integrations, APIs, plugins, themes, PHP versions. Before updating, read the update notes and check that none of these will cause a problem. If you already updated, review each of these elements until you identify the issue, then update the incompatible component or revert the WordPress update if necessary. - **Update plugins and themes:** Check that your plugins and themes are compatible with the latest version of WordPress and, if possible, update them before installing the WordPress update. If you didn’t do it beforehand, update them afterwards — many developers release compatibility updates shortly after a new WordPress version launches. - **Revert the update and restore a backup:** If nothing seems to work and you have a recent backup, restoring it is usually the fastest way to get your website back online. You can then wait until a more stable version of WordPress is available or until the incompatible plugin or theme has been updated before trying again. - **Check your PHP version:** As mentioned before, always check your PHP version before running a WordPress update. Go to your hosting provider’s dashboard, check which PHP version your website is using, and compare it with the minimum requirements listed in the WordPress release notes. If necessary, update your PHP version before trying the WordPress update again. - **Contact your hosting provider:** This should be your last option. If you’ve tried everything above and your website is still experiencing issues, contact your hosting provider. They can review your server logs, identify problems related to your hosting environment, and help you get your website back up and running. What do we actually recommend? Get rid of WordPress. We’ve been using the platform for a very long time, and we know there are much better options out there — one of them being HubSpot. We [compared WordPress and HubSpot side by side](https://freshjuice.dev/blog/hubspot-vs-wordpress-which-one-is-better/), and the difference in maintenance alone is worth looking at. Nowadays, WordPress may seem like an easy, free, and straightforward option for creating a website, and there’s no denying it’s one of the most popular CMSs available. However, in our experience, it can bring more headaches than benefits in the long run, especially if you rely heavily on plugins and frequent maintenance. If you’re starting fresh, [choosing the right platform](https://freshjuice.dev/blog/how-to-choose-right-website-platform/) matters more than most people think. ## How can I safely perform WordPress updates without breaking my site? Don’t get us wrong. When we talk about WordPress updates causing problems, that doesn’t mean it always happens. In fact, there are several easy ways to reduce the risk and safely perform a WordPress update without breaking your site. These are our tricks: - **Read the update notes to ensure compatibility.** Every time a WordPress update is released, there’s an official guide with all the technical details — new features, changes, known issues, and anything that may affect compatibility. Check it first and make sure everything is compatible with your site, or make any necessary changes before updating. However, this doesn’t include every possible incompatibility, especially those related to third-party plugins and themes. That’s why you should also perform additional checks and follow other preventive measures before updating your site. - **Do the update on a staging site first.** You want to be in control of any possible outcome, and updating a staging site lets you identify issues before they affect your live website. This gives you time to prepare, fix potential problems, and prevent complications before rolling out the update. - **Check for plugin incompatibilities.** Plugin incompatibilities are one of the main problems with WordPress updates, so it’s key to check if the plugins you have installed are compatible with the latest update. Read both the WordPress update guide and the plugin documentation to verify compatibility. If they aren’t compatible, wait until they are or replace the ones that aren’t. If all plugins are compatible, update them in small batches to make it easier to identify any issues and keep your site running smoothly. - **Use an MCP integration.** We’re using AI for everything, and this shouldn’t be an exception. An AI assistant connected to your WordPress site through the Model Context Protocol (MCP) can help you determine if your site is ready for the latest WordPress update. It can review your site’s setup, identify potential compatibility issues with plugins or themes, and let you know what to take care of before rolling out the update. You only have to set up the integration and ask the AI assistant if your site is ready for the update and why. - **Make a backup before updating.** Another wise and crucial step is to make a full backup in case anything goes wrong. You should be doing this anyway — backups are essential regardless of any update. That way, if something breaks after installing the new version, you can quickly restore your site and minimize downtime. And remember, avoid enabling automatic updates. While they can be convenient, they don’t give you the chance to verify compatibility or test changes before they go live. Updating manually gives you much more control over the process and helps you prevent unexpected issues. ## Conclusion Even though WordPress is one of the most widely used CMSs, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t come with its fair share of issues. Its updates are one of them, and they can make your website crash if you’re not familiar with the technical side of website management. Besides, the platform requires constant updates and maintenance, which can become frustrating — especially when many of the changes aren’t immediately noticeable from a user’s perspective. That’s one of the reasons why we prefer other platforms like HubSpot, which generally require less maintenance and offer a more streamlined experience. However, if you don’t want to change your CMS and prefer to stick with WordPress despite its quirks, don’t panic if your site crashes after an update. In most cases, the issue is fixable. Better yet, you can avoid many of these problems by following the preventive steps we covered in this article: check for plugin and theme incompatibilities, verify your PHP version, make a backup, and ensure your hosting environment has enough resources before updating. - [#CMS](https://freshjuice.dev/tags/cms/), - [#WebsiteMaintenance](https://freshjuice.dev/tags/website-maintenance/), - [#WebDevelopment](https://freshjuice.dev/tags/web-development/)