Knowing which version of WordPress your website is running on is important for several reasons. As a webmaster with over 15 years of experience managing WordPress sites, I always recommend keeping track of your WordPress version.
Here‘s why it matters and how you can easily find this information.
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Why You Should Check Your WordPress Version
Before we dive into the different methods for checking your WordPress version, let‘s look at why it‘s so important to know this information:
Security Updates and Bug Fixes
WordPress powers over 43% of all websites on the internet. With such widespread use comes the attention of hackers looking to exploit vulnerabilities.
WordPress releases security patches with each new point release. So staying on top of updates is crucial for protecting your site.
For example, WordPress 5.0 had over 20 security fixes alone! Failing to update left sites vulnerable to attacks.
Outdated WordPress sites get hacked every day. Don‘t be a statistic! Know your version and make sure you‘re running the latest for security.
Avoid Compatibility Issues
Before installing new plugins, themes, or performing updates, it‘s wise to check your current WordPress version.
Some plugins and themes require a certain minimum WordPress version. Running an outdated WordPress core can prevent plugins/themes from functioning properly:
Likewise, updating plugins or themes can sometimes cause conflicts if your WordPress core install is too far behind:
Knowing your version ahead of time helps avoid these mishaps.
Easier Troubleshooting
Debugging site issues is much easier when you know your exact WordPress version.
Oftentimes bugs arise due to conflicts between the WordPress core, plugins, and themes. Knowing the versions provides helpful context for troubleshooting.
Some common questions when troubleshooting include:
- Is this a newly discovered bug? Or was it fixed in a recent update?
- Is there a version conflict between my plugin and theme?
- Does this error occur in the latest version of WordPress?
Understanding your current versions allows you to better target solutions for site problems.
Smoother Site Maintenance
Tasks like migrating WordPress to a new host or performing backups are much simpler when you know your versions ahead of time.
For example, when moving hosts, you‘ll likely want to install the same WordPress version on the new server. And having version numbers allows you to easily re-install plugins and themes on the new site.
Bottom line – knowing your current WordPress version saves you time and headaches down the road.
Now let‘s look at the easy methods for finding this information…
Checking Your WordPress Version in the Admin Dashboard
The quickest way to check your WordPress version is by logging into your website‘s admin dashboard.
Once logged in, there are two simple ways to find your version number:
Look at the very bottom of your dashboard page. Next to the text "Thank you for creating with WordPress," you‘ll see your current version number:
This footer only shows the version when logged into the admin dashboard. Regular site visitors won‘t see it.
Check the Right Dashboard Widget
Your version is also conveniently displayed in the "At a Glance" widget on the right of your dashboard:
This is the same version shown in the footer, just even quicker to access without scrolling down.
So if you‘re already logged into your WordPress dashboard, finding your current version takes only a few seconds!
Using Site Health to Check Your WordPress Version
The Site Health tool provides an overview of your WordPress installation, including the current version.
To use it:
- In your WP dashboard, go to Tools > Site Health
- Click the Info tab
- Your version is shown under the WordPress section:
Site Health also shows your PHP version, plugins, theme info, and more. It‘s great for diagnosing any issues or errors on your site.
Finding Your Version from wp-login.php
What if you want to check a site‘s WordPress version but don‘t have admin access?
No worries, the wp-login.php file reveals the version too.
To use this little trick:
- Visit
yoursite.com/wp-login.php - Right click and choose "View Page Source"
- Press CTRL + F and search the page for "ver="
For example, stylesheet links may look like:
<link rel=‘stylesheet‘ id=‘dashicons-css‘ href=‘https://example.com/wp-includes/css/dashicons.min.css?ver=5.8.2‘ type=‘text/css‘ media=‘all‘ />
<link rel=‘stylesheet‘ id=‘admin-bar-css‘ href=‘https://example.com/wp-includes/css/admin-bar.min.css?ver=5.8.2‘ type=‘text/css‘ media=‘all‘ /> This reveals the site is running WordPress version 5.8.2.
Checking via Source Code
Similar to the login page, you can view the source of any page on a site to find the WordPress version.
WordPress adds a "generator" meta tag to all sites:
<meta name="generator" content="WordPress 5.8.2" />To find it:
- Visit any page and right click
- Choose "View Page Source"
- Press CTRL + F
- Search for ‘generator‘ in the code
Site owners can remove this tag, but if present, it will show the current version.
Finding Your Plugin and Theme Versions
To find your installed plugin and theme versions, you‘ll need access to the WordPress dashboard:
Checking Plugin Versions
- In your WP dashboard, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
- The version number displays below each plugin name
Checking Theme Versions
- Go to Appearance > Themes
- Mouse over your active theme and click "Theme Details"
- The version number will display here:
Some plugins and themes also append version parameters to scripts/stylesheets. Viewing the page source and searching for ?ver= can sometimes reveal additional version information.
Keeping Your WordPress Core Updated
Now that you know how to easily check your WordPress version, let‘s talk about keeping it updated.
Based on my experience managing hundreds of WordPress sites over the past 15+ years, keeping your WordPress core updated is critical for security and performance.
But with updates coming out frequently, it can be overwhelming to stay on top of.
Here are some best practices I‘ve developed for managing WordPress core updates efficiently:
1. Enable Automatic Background Updates
WordPress allows you to enable automatic background updates for new security and maintenance releases:
This takes care of crucial updates by automatically applying them in the background without any effort.
However, automatic updates won‘t cover major WordPress releases – so further action is required when new versions come out.
2. Sign Up for Notification Emails
When new major releases happen, WordPress will email subscribers to let them know.
To get on the list:
- Go to WordPress.org
- Click "Meta" and scroll down to the subscription form
This way you‘ll stay in the loop whenever important new releases are available.
3. Use a Staging Environment
Before updating WordPress live, it‘s wise to test changes on a staging environment first.
A staging site is an exact copy of your live site, kept separate for testing purposes.
There are various WordPress staging plugins that automate the process of copying your site to a test server.
This lets you preview how updates affect your site, plugins, and theme before going live. Staging catches any issues before visitors see them.
4. Maintain Backups
Of course, it‘s always crucial to maintain recent backups of your WordPress site.
That way if an update causes problems, you can easily roll back to a previous version.
Use a secure cloud backup plugin that archives your WordPress install and database. Then you can restore your site if needed.
Conclusion
I hope this guide provided several useful methods for checking your current WordPress version. Please feel free to reach out if you have any other questions!
Keeping your WordPress site updated is one of the most important things you can do as a website owner. Following the tips above will help you stay secure, avoid issues, and breeze through updates like a pro.
Now go forth and update those WordPress sites! Your visitors will thank you.
