How to Roll Back WordPress to an Older Version (The Easy Way)

BySheilla Luciana

Sometimes when you update WordPress, things break. A feature stops working, or your site looks weird, or something just doesn’t work right anymore. Don’t panic! You can go back to the old version that was working fine. Here’s how.

Before You Start: Backup Your Site

Before rolling back WordPress, make sure you have a complete backup of your site. Most hosting providers offer automatic backups, but if you’re not sure, check with your host or use a backup plugin like UpdraftPlus.

Step 1: Install the Plugin

  1. On your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add Plugin.
  2. In the search box, type: WP Downgrade.
  3. Then, look for “WP Downgrade | Specific Core Version“. Click Install Now, then activate.

Step 2: Tell It Which Version You Want

  1. On the left menu, choose Settings > WP Downgrade.
  2. You’ll see a box that says “WordPress Target Version”. Type in the version number you want to go back to (for example 6.8.3).
  3. Click Save Changes.

Step 3: Roll Back

  1. Click the blue button that says “Up-/Downgrade Core”. It will take you to a page that looks like the normal update screen.
  2. Click the button that says “Re-install version 6.8.3” (or whatever version you chose).
  3. Wait for it to finish and don’t close the page. That’s it! You’re done. You can deactivate and remove the WP Downgrade plugin at this point.

Step 4: Turn Off Auto-Updates

  1. On the left menu, choose Dashboard > Updates.
  2. Look for a line that says “This site is automatically kept up to date with each new version of WordPress”.
  3. Click “Switch to automatic updates for maintenance and security releases only”. This won’t stop ALL updates, but it prevents major version updates.

Remember to turn auto-updates back ON once the problem is fixed. You don’t want to miss important security updates forever. Just go back to the same settings and reverse what you did.

When Should You Roll Back?

Roll back when something broke right after you updated WordPress. For example, if a feature you use every day suddenly stopped working, your theme looks messed up and nothing fixes it, or you’re getting error messages you’ve never seen before.

When Should You NOT Roll Back?

Don’t roll back if the problem was already there before you updated, you’re just trying to avoid updates in general (updates are usually good!), or someone told you to update because of a security issue.

Is It Safe?

The older version was working fine before, so going back to it is totally safe. Just remember that rolling back is a temporary solution, not a permanent one. You’ll want to update again once the problem gets fixed, usually within a few days or weeks.

How Long Can I Stay on the Old Version?

A few days to a few weeks is totally fine. Think of it like this: you’re waiting for whoever caused the problem to fix it. So my recommendation is to stay on the rolled-back version only until the compatibility issue is resolved, which usually happens within days or weeks.