A plugin update broke a feature or the layout.
Plugin updates can rightfully break, often via deprecated hooks or incompatibilities. Rollback first, debug after.
Try this first
- 1Roll back to the previous version via WP Rollback (free plugin) or via SFTP by replacing the plugin directory with the older release from wordpress.org.
- 2Confirm the site works again. Then decide whether to stay back or make the new version compatible.
- 3Read the plugin changelog. Major versions often announce breaking changes; you may need to adjust theme or custom code.
- 4Check your theme or custom code for deprecated hooks. add_action on a removed hook fails silently.
- 5Open a ticket with the plugin author if the fault is theirs. Good plugin authors respond fast; bad ones point at the door.
- 6Going forward, run plugin updates on staging first. Not every plugin is reliable enough for auto-updates in production.
When to bring us in
Working with paid, business-critical plugins (WPML, ACF Pro, WP Rocket)? Use their support and keep licenses active. An expired license means no security updates.
See also
- WordPress, plugins and theme have gone 6+ months without updatesOut-of-date WP is the number-one entry for malware. Don't just hit 'update all', back up first.
- Theme update broke the layout or threw a fatal errorThemes overwrite custom CSS on update unless you use a child theme.
- WordPress shows a blank screen after a plugin install or updateWSOD (white screen of death) is usually one crashing plugin. You isolate it.
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