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Plugin updates

A plugin update is a newer version of a plugin you have installed. WordPress checks regularly whether updates are available and shows them on the Plugins screen and under Dashboard › Updates. An update that’s available isn’t installed yet.

Why it matters

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Updates fix bugs, keep plugins working with new versions of WordPress and PHP, and close security holes. Once a flaw in a plugin is published, sites still running the old version are an easy target.

Not every update is urgent, and not every one is risk-free. A large update can change how a plugin behaves. The number of pending updates is a sign of how far behind a site is.

What influences it

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WordPress: The most common reason for pending updates is that nobody installs them: automatic updates are off for most plugins unless someone switches them on. WordPress looks for updates twice a day, so a new release can take a few hours to appear. Plugins from outside the WordPress.org directory get their updates from their own source, often only with a valid license.

Network: The server has to reach WordPress.org, or the plugin’s own update server, to find updates. A firewall or a failing connection can keep updates from appearing at all.

Cache: WordPress stores the result of each check. Until the next check, a brand-new release doesn’t show up.

In Permo

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The Updates available card is in System info, tab WordPress, under Plugins. It counts the active plugins for which WordPress knows a newer version:

  • Yellow from one, with a link to the updates screen.
  • Green with Up to date when WordPress has checked and found none.
  • No color with WordPress hasn’t checked for updates yet.

The Active plugins list further down names the newer version for each plugin, with the status Update available; the filter Update shows only these. Inactive plugins don’t count. The information comes from WordPress’s own update check, so a plugin from outside the directory appears only if it reports its updates to WordPress. Under Changes, System info records each plugin update.

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Sources