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How to Check Your WordPress PHP Version and Plan the Upgrade

Updated October 30, 2026 · 7 min read

Your WordPress site's PHP version has an end date. Check yours. The PHP project publishes an end date for security fixes on every release branch, listed on its Supported Versions page. Once that date passes, the branch gets no new security fixes from the project. Below you'll find how to read your version, look up its date and test the upgrade on a copy before the live site changes.

What is PHP, and why does its version matter for WordPress?

PHP is the language WordPress runs on, and its version decides whether the layer under your site still gets security fixes. WordPress core, your theme and each plugin are PHP files. Your host runs them with one PHP version, picked by the host or by whoever set up the account. Keeping plugins updated doesn't patch PHP itself: if the PHP underneath is past its end date, new flaws in it stay open, however current your plugins are.

When does security support for your PHP version end?

The PHP project's Supported Versions page lists the security-support end date for each branch, so look up yours there. Find the row that matches the first two numbers of your version, such as 8.2 for 8.2.35.

Write that date down. If it has passed, plan the upgrade now. If it is less than a year away, schedule the work for a quiet month rather than your busiest season.

Set a reminder 90 days before the date in a shared calendar, and have it email you and whoever looks after the site. It has to land in an inbox someone reads; a sticky note or a reminder app on one laptop is easy to miss.

How do you find your site's PHP version?

The simplest way is the WordPress dashboard: Site Health shows the PHP version your site actually uses. Your hosting control panel shows it too, and with SSH you can check from the command line.

From the WordPress dashboard

  1. Log in as an administrator.
  2. Open the Tools menu and choose Site Health.
  3. Switch to the Info tab.
  4. Expand the Server section and find the PHP version line.
  5. Write down the full number, for example 8.2.35.

Menu and tab names can shift slightly between WordPress versions; look for the server details in Site Health.

From your hosting control panel

Look for a PHP settings page, which may be called PHP Version, PHP Selector or something close. If you can't find it, open a support ticket and ask which PHP version the site runs and which newer versions you can switch to.

From the command line

If you have SSH access to the server, connect and run these commands in the server's shell:

php -v
wp --info

The second command needs WP-CLI on the server. Keep in mind that the command-line PHP can differ from the PHP that serves your website. If the two disagree, trust Site Health.

From your own computer on macOS or Linux, you can also ask the site directly:

curl -sI https://www.example.com | grep -i '^x-powered-by'

Replace the address with your own. Many hosts hide this header, so no output only means the version isn't shown. It does not mean the site has no PHP.

How do you test a newer PHP version without breaking the live site?

Test on a staging copy first, with a fresh backup stored away from the server. Switch the live site only after the copy works.

  1. Take a fresh backup of the files and the database, and store a copy outside the hosting account. Open the archive once to confirm it is readable.
  2. Make a staging copy, a private second copy of the site on a test address or subdomain. Your host may offer a staging tool, or you can use a backup plugin that clones sites.
  3. On staging, update WordPress, the theme and every plugin. Delete plugins you no longer use.
  4. Switch PHP on staging to the newest version your host offers that your plugins support. WordPress.org lists the PHP version it recommends on its Requirements page.
  5. Work through the checklist below and read the PHP error log.
  6. Switch the live site in a quiet hour. Note the old version so you can switch back.

What should you do when an old plugin breaks?

Find a maintained update or a replacement for the plugin and fix it on staging. One plugin is not a reason to keep the whole site on old PHP.

  • Open the PHP error log in your control panel. The error usually names the plugin's folder.
  • If the log is unclear, disable plugins on staging one at a time until the error stops.
  • Check the plugin's page in the WordPress.org directory or on the vendor's site for the last update date and the minimum PHP version.
  • If a newer release exists, install it on staging and test again.
  • If the plugin looks abandoned, ask the developer about their plans. Failing that, set up a maintained plugin that does the same job, on staging first.
  • If a freelancer wrote custom code, send them the exact error line from the log.

If the live site breaks after the switch, set PHP back to the old version in the control panel. If that isn't possible, restore the backup from step 1. Then go back to staging and keep working there.

What does a ready-to-use upgrade checklist look like?

Copy this into a note or a ticket. Tick each line on staging, then again on the live site.

PHP UPGRADE CHECKLIST
[ ] Current PHP version: ______ (Site Health, Info tab, Server)
[ ] Security support ends: ______ (php.net/supported-versions.php)
[ ] Shared calendar reminder 90 days ahead, emailed to two people
[ ] Fresh backup of files and database, copy stored off the server
[ ] Backup archive opened and checked
[ ] Staging copy created
[ ] WordPress, theme and plugins updated on staging
[ ] Unused plugins deleted
[ ] Staging switched to PHP version: ______
[ ] Home page and three busiest pages load
[ ] Admin login works; editor saves a draft
[ ] Contact form delivers a test message to an inbox you read
[ ] Checkout or booking completes in test mode
[ ] Image upload works
[ ] PHP error log shows no new errors
[ ] Live site switched in a quiet hour; old version noted
[ ] Live site re-tested with this same list

How does this work at PomeloHost?

A PomeloHost KVM VPS gives you full root access, and choosing and updating PHP is your job there: the VPS is self-managed unless you add the managed option. Every VPS plan includes a weekly backup stored outside the data center, and VPS plans also include snapshots. Our backups do not replace your own, so keep the fresh off-site copy from step 1 anyway. PomeloHost web hosting works for any website, including WordPress, and puts sites, email and domains in one control panel.

What should you do this week?

Open Site Health, write down your PHP version and look up its end date on php.net. Then set the shared calendar reminder. If the date is close or already behind you, book an hour for a backup and a staging test while you can still choose the hour.

Frequently asked questions

Does updating WordPress also update PHP?

No. WordPress updates change WordPress core files, not the PHP version your host runs. PHP belongs to the server, and you or your host switch it in the control panel or on the server itself. That's why a fully updated WordPress site can still run on a PHP branch that is past its security end date.

Should I jump straight to the newest PHP version?

Pick the newest version that your theme and every plugin support, using the minimum and tested PHP versions on each plugin's page. If one plugin lags, test the newest version on staging anyway and step back one version only if you have to. Either way, stay on a branch the PHP project still lists for security fixes.

Can I stay on an old PHP version if my site still works?

The site may keep loading, but once a branch passes its end date, the PHP project stops fixing new security flaws in it. A page that loads tells you nothing about flaws nobody is patching. Treat the end date as your deadline and finish the staging test before it passes.