Written by What Is Downgrade WordPress?
Downgrading WordPress means reverting to an earlier version of the WordPress software that powers your website. This may be necessary if you encounter compatibility issues with a newer version of WordPress or if a plugin or theme you rely on is incompatible with the latest version of WordPress.
Downgrade WordPress requires you to replace the current version of WordPress files with an earlier version, run the upgrade script, and reactivate your plugins and themes. However, downgrading WordPress should be done with caution and only after creating a backup of your website, as it may result in the loss of some data or features only available in the newer version of WordPress.
To downgrade WordPress, you will need to follow these steps:
1. Backup your website: – Downgrade WordPress
Backing up your website involves creating a copy of all your website files and database in a secure location. This is essential before performing any major changes to your website, such as updating or downgrading WordPress, to ensure that you can restore your website in case of any issues.
To back up your website, you can use a plugin like UpdraftPlus, BackupBuddy, or Jetpack Backup, which provide an easy and automated way to create backups of your WordPress site. These plugins allow you to schedule backups, choose the backup location, and restore your website from the backup in case of any issues. ( Downgrade WordPress )
Remember to regularly back up your website to ensure that you can restore it in case of any issues or security threats.
2. Download the old version of WordPress: – Downgrade WordPress
To download an old version of WordPress, you can follow these steps:
1. Go to the WordPress Release Archive: Visit the WordPress Release Archive page (https://wordpress.org/download/releases/) to access the different versions of WordPress available for download.
2. Choose the version you want to download: Scroll down the page to see the list of WordPress versions, and select the version you want to download. It is recommended to choose a version that is compatible with your plugins and themes.
3. Download the zip file: Once you have selected the version you want to download, click on the “Download” button next to it to download the zip file. Save the zip file to a location on your computer where you can easily find it.
4. Extract the files: After downloading the zip file, extract the files to a folder on your computer using a file compressions tool such as WinZip or 7-Zip.
Once you have downloaded and extracted the old version of WordPress, you can follow the steps to downgrade WordPress by replacing the current WordPress files with the older version files. ( Downgrade WordPress )
3. Deactivate plugins and switch to a default theme: – Downgrade WordPress
Before downgrading WordPress, it is recommended to deactivate all plugins and switch to a default theme. This will help you avoid any compatibility issues and ensure that your website functions correctly with the older version of WordPress. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard: Go to your website’s WordPress dashboard and log in using your username and password.
2. Deactivate all plugins: In the dashboard menu, go to the “Plugins” section and select “Installed Plugins.” Select all the plugins and choose the “Deactivate” option from the bulk actions drop-down menu. This will deactivate all plugins on your website.
3. Switch to a default theme: In the dashboard menu, go to the “Appearance” section and select “Themes.” Choose a default WordPress theme such as Twenty Twenty-One or Twenty Twenty, and activate it.
Once you have deactivated all plugins and switched to a default theme, you can proceed with the process of downgrading WordPress by replacing the current WordPress files with the older version files. ( Downgrade WordPress )
4. Delete current WordPress files: – Downgrade WordPress
Before downgrading WordPress to an older version, you need to delete the current WordPress files. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Log into your website’s hosting account: Log in to your website’s hosting account using the credentials provided by your hosting provider.
2. Access the file manager: Once you are logged in, navigate to the “File Manager” or “FTP Manager” section in your hosting account dashboard.
3. Navigate to the WordPress root directory: In the file manager, navigate to the root directory of your WordPress installation, which is usually named “public_html” or “www”.
4. Select and delete WordPress files: Select all the WordPress files and folders, except for the “wp-content” folder, and delete them. You can do this by selecting all the files and folders and clicking the “Delete” or “Remove” option in the file manager.
Note: It is essential to keep the “wp-content” folder as it contains all your themes, plugins, and media files.
Once you have deleted the current WordPress files, you can proceed with the process of downgrading WordPress by uploading the older version files. ( Downgrade WordPress )
5. Upload the old WordPress files: – Downgrade WordPress
To upload the old WordPress files after deleting the current WordPress files, you can follow these steps:
1. Download the old version of WordPress: Download the old version of WordPress that you want to install on your website from the WordPress Release Archive page (https://wordpress.org/download/releases/). Save the zip file to a location on your computer where you can easily find it.
2. Extract the zip file: Once the zip file has been downloaded, extract the files to a folder on your computer using a file compressions tool such as WinZip or 7-Zip.
3. Connect to your website via FTP: Use an FTP client such as FileZilla to connect to your website’s server. Enter your FTP login credentials to log in to your server.
4. Navigate to the WordPress root directory: In the FTP client, navigate to the root directory of your WordPress installation, which is usually named “public_html” or “www”.
5. Upload the old WordPress files: Select all the files and folders from the extracted WordPress folder on your computer and upload them to the root directory of your WordPress installation on the server, overwriting any existing files with the same names.
6. Update the wp-config.php file: If you have made changes to your wp-config.php file, copy those changes into the new wp-config.php file that comes with the older version of WordPress. This will ensure that your website’s configuration settings are correct.
Once you have uploaded the old WordPress files, you can proceed with the process of downgrading WordPress by running the upgrade script and reactivating your themes and plugins. ( Downgrade WordPress )
6. Run the upgrade script: – Downgrade WordPress
After uploading the old WordPress files, you need to run the upgrade script to ensure that the database is updated to match the older version of WordPress. To run the upgrade script, follow these steps:
1. Open your website in a web browser: Open your website in a web browser, and add “/wp-admin/upgrade.php” to the end of your website’s URL.
2. Log in to your WordPress dashboard: If you are not already logged in, enter your WordPress username and password to log in to your dashboard.
3. Run the upgrade script: Once you have logged in, the upgrade script will automatically run, and you will see a message that says “WordPress database updated successfully.” This means that the database has been updated to match the older version of WordPress.
4. Reactivate themes and plugins: In the dashboard menu, go to the “Plugins” section and select “Installed Plugins.” Select all the plugins and choose the “Activate” option from the bulk actions drop-down menu. Similarly, go to the “Appearance” section, select your theme, and click the “Activate” button to reactivate your theme.
After running the upgrade script and reactivating your themes and plugins, check your website to ensure that everything is working correctly. ( Downgrade WordPress )
7. Reactivate plugins and switch to your theme: – Downgrade WordPress
Once you have completed the downgrade process by uploading the old WordPress files and running the upgrade script, you can reactivate your plugins and switch to your preferred theme. Here are the steps:
1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard: Log in to your WordPress dashboard using your username and password.
2. Go to the “Plugins” section: In the WordPress dashboard menu, navigate to the “Plugins” section and select “Installed Plugins.”
3. Reactivate your plugins: Select the plugins that you want to reactivate, and click on the “Activate” button. You can also select multiple plugins and activate them at once using the bulk actions drop-down menu.
4. Go to the “Appearance” section: In the WordPress dashboard menu, navigate to the “Appearance” section.
5. Switch to your preferred theme: Select your preferred theme from the list of available themes and click on the “Activate” button. If your preferred theme is not available in the list, you can upload it by clicking on the “Add New” button and selecting the theme’s zip file.
6. Check your website: Once you have reactivated your plugins and switched to your preferred theme, check your website to ensure that everything is working correctly.
If you encounter any issues after reactivating your plugins and switching to your preferred theme, try disabling one plugin at a time to identify the one causing the issue. ( Downgrade WordPress )
