Fix : WordPress Plugin Update Not Working

Abhishek Ghosh

By Abhishek Ghosh June 13, 2017 10:35 pm Updated on June 13, 2017

Fix : WordPress Plugin Update Not Working

This is another common complain – WordPress plugin update not working after upgrading the version, do you have bug? You did something reading from some of us as trick to hide notification & now forgot it. That is very common. Here is how to proceed step by step to fix WordPress plugin update not working issue. Plus we are giving you extra tips for managing plugin updates.

WordPress Plugin Update Not Working : Checklist

There are many questions to ask you :

Are you hosted on shared server or own VPS/Dedicated/Cloud server?
Do you have the habit of tweaking?
Other things like Themes, Plugins getting updated?
What exactly issue you are facing? Like most plugin is remaining in old version and not notifying, You are facing error while updating plugin etc
Do you use reverse proxy?

WordPress Plugin Update Not Working : Step 1

First check wp-config.php file for any codes like :

add_filter( 'allow_minor_auto_core_updates', '__return_true' );
add_filter( 'auto_update_plugin', '__return_true' );

1 2	add_filter( 'allow_minor_auto_core_updates', '__return_true' ); add_filter( 'auto_update_plugin', '__return_true' );

May be you added some codes in that file from here :

https://codex.wordpress.org/Configuring_Automatic_Background_Updates

1	https://codex.wordpress.org/Configuring_Automatic_Background_Updates

Make sure that wp-cron.php is not disabled via wp-config.php file.

Step 2

This is only for VPS/Dedicated/Cloud server. If your FTP root is at /var/www/html, then you should look at the owner and permission of the wp-content and wp-content/plugins directory. We know that you checked many times, still there is nothing wrong to check. If you have vsFTD installed, temporary disable it. Relax security so that port 80, 443 can be easily be reached.

Step 3

Try these codes on wp-config.php, please change the values of /var/www/html/, username, password, Change.To.Your.Server.IP :

define('FS_METHOD','direct');
define('FS_CHMOD_FILE', 0755);
define('FS_CHMOD_DIR', 0755);
// define('FS_METHOD', 'ftpext');
define('FTP_BASE', '/var/www/html/');
define('FTP_CONTENT_DIR', '/var/www/html/wp-content/');
define('FTP_PLUGIN_DIR ', '/var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/');
define('FTP_USER', 'username');
define('FTP_PASS', 'password');
define('FTP_HOST', 'Change.To.Your.Server.IP');
// define('FTP_SSL', false);

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define('FS_METHOD','direct');

define('FS_CHMOD_FILE', 0755);

define('FS_CHMOD_DIR', 0755);

// define('FS_METHOD', 'ftpext');

define('FTP_BASE', '/var/www/html/');

define('FTP_CONTENT_DIR', '/var/www/html/wp-content/');

define('FTP_PLUGIN_DIR ', '/var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/');

define('FTP_USER', 'username');

define('FTP_PASS', 'password');

define('FTP_HOST', 'Change.To.Your.Server.IP');

// define('FTP_SSL', false);

define('FS_METHOD', 'ftpext'); is commented out as define('FS_METHOD','direct'); is active. You can uncomment and test. FTP_HOST is important for reverse proxy.

Step 4

Still not working? Then you have some PHP snippet added via theme’s functions.php file, some plugin which helps to add PHP snippet like our theme functions.php file plugin to add snippet. There can be this kind of one or both lines :

remove_action('load-update-core.php','wp_update_plugins');
add_filter('pre_site_transient_update_plugins','__return_null');

1 2	remove_action('load-update-core.php','wp_update_plugins'); add_filter('pre_site_transient_update_plugins','__return_null');

remove them or uncomment them.

Step 5

Still not working? First install this plugin :

https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-rollback/

1	https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-rollback/

Then this plugin :

https://de.wordpress.org/plugins/wp-updates-notifier/

1	https://de.wordpress.org/plugins/wp-updates-notifier/

If you are not getting email for update, troubleshoot it. If you are receiving emails of plugin update but you can not update plugins then install this plugin :

https://wordpress.org/plugins/companion-auto-update/

1	https://wordpress.org/plugins/companion-auto-update/

Step 6

Still not working? Check any tight security. On a different host install a fresh WordPress and temporarily move site (only change files like wp-config.php, things inside wp-content directory etc. Do not change – wp-admin, wp-includes of fresh installation).

Step 7

Still not working? Within 6th steps your issue should get fixed. Now if still there is issue, of course there is reason of unknown. Reasons can be missing PHP package to problem with corrupted MySQL database. You should take the matter seriously, ask on WordPress forum, StackExchange.

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Fix : WordPress Plugin Update Not Working

WordPress Plugin Update Not Working : Checklist

WordPress Plugin Update Not Working : Step 1

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WordPress Plugin Update Not Working : Checklist

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