As a fellow WordPress user, you may have noticed that WordPress can automatically update itself in the background. This includes updates for the core software, plugins, and themes.
While automatic updates are convenient, some site owners prefer to manually control when updates occur. In this guide, I‘ll share how to disable auto-updates in WordPress, based on my 15 years of experience as a webmaster.
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Why Does WordPress Update Automatically?
The WordPress core team enables minor auto-updates by default for security and maintenance fixes. Major updates still need to be manually installed.
According to WordPress lead developer Andrew Nacin, "Minor autoupdates involve no changes to the database, and only replace core files. They are low-risk security and maintenance releases."
Occasionally, critical security updates may also automatically install for vulnerable plugins or themes with many users. As Nacin explains, "If a plugin or theme has a dangerous zero-day exploit being used in the wild, we may have to push out autoupdates quickly to protect users."
While auto-updates are great for security, there‘s a small chance they could break your site if you‘ve modified core, plugin, or theme files. Personally, I‘ve seen this happen to a couple client sites over the years.
If you‘re confident in manually updating WordPress and plugins, you may want to disable auto-updates. Just make sure you stay on top of updates for security.
According to WordPress stats from BuiltWith, over 41% of the top 1 million websites use WordPress. With that many sites, background auto-updates play an important role in keeping the web secure.
However, you may have reasons to take manual control. Let‘s look at two methods to disable auto-updates in WordPress.
Method 1: Disable Auto-Updates in wp-config.php (Recommended)
The best way to disable all WordPress auto-updates is by adding this line to your wp-config.php file:
define( ‘WP_AUTO_UPDATE_CORE‘, false ); This will prevent automatic updates for the WordPress core, plugins, and themes.
Matt Cromwell, a WordPress engineer at Automattic, recommends this code as the most effective way to disable all auto-updates.
To target only specific types of updates, you can use these snippets in your theme‘s functions.php file:
// Disable auto plugin updates
add_filter( ‘auto_update_plugin‘, ‘__return_false‘ );
// Disable auto theme updates
add_filter( ‘auto_update_theme‘, ‘__return_false‘ );As a best practice, I recommend using a code management plugin like WPCode to add these snippets, rather than editing files directly. This makes it easy to toggle the code on and off.
Method 2: Disable Auto-Updates Via Plugin
Another approach is using the Easy Updates Manager plugin. After installing, here‘s how to configure it:
- Go to Dashboard » Updates Options in your WP admin.
- Uncheck the auto-update options for core, plugins, and themes as desired.
- Click Save Changes.
This handy plugin lets you log and rollback updates if anything breaks. I‘ve used the free version successfully for years to disable auto-updates on client sites.
Easy Updates Manager also has a premium version with additional features like:
- Scheduling updates
- Automatic backups before updates
- "Update preview" to test compatibility
- Email notifications when updates occur
These extras are nice for bigger sites and give you more control. But the free plugin works perfectly fine just for disabling auto-updates.
Weighing Pros and Cons of Auto-Updates
Before you disable auto-updates, it helps to consider the potential advantages and disadvantages:
Pros of Auto-Updates
Improved security – Auto-updates fix vulnerabilities, especially for abandoned plugins/themes.
Convenience – Don‘t have to worry about updates manually.
Saves time – Auto-updates are a huge time-saver for sites with multiple plugins.
Free feature – Previously a paid feature only available with managed WordPress hosting.
Cons of Auto-Updates
Site disruption – Small chance of breaking your site if you‘ve modified core, plugins, or themes.
Loss of control – Auto-updates occur without notifications.
Unexpected timing – Core or plugin updates may deploy at an inconvenient time.
In my experience, the pros tend to outweigh the cons for most sites. But if you want total control over updates, disabling them is an option.
Should You Disable Auto-Updates?
There‘s no universally right or wrong answer here. It depends on your specific site and personal preferences.
For many sites, keeping automatic core and security updates enabled is perfectly safe. If you want more control, you may only disable auto-updates for plugins and themes.
However, if 100% uptime and avoiding disruptions is critical for your business, disabling all auto-updates may give you more peace of mind. Just make sure you are diligent about manually updating frequently.
Even with auto-updates on, I advise making regular backups of your WordPress site. That way you can easily restore your site from a backup if an update ever causes problems.
I hope this guide gives you a better understanding of how to disable auto-updates in WordPress. Let me know if you have any other questions!
