Downgrading WordPress allows you to revert your site to an earlier version when updates cause compatibility or stability issues. This guide explains how to safely downgrade WordPress core version step by step, minimize risks, and restore site functionality.

While WordPress updates are generally recommended for security and performance, some updates can temporarily break themes, plugins, or custom code. In these cases, rolling back to a previous version can be a practical short-term solution.

Because downgrading WordPress carries risks (such as security vulnerabilities or data inconsistency) it should be done carefully and only when necessary. This tutorial covers the safest downgrade methods to help you avoid data loss or further site issues.

Why You Might Need to Downgrade WordPress

Downgrading WordPress seems a bit counterintuitive at first glance. After all, updates are designed to patch security issues, add new features, and enhance the platform’s overall performance. However, there are times when the latest WordPress release brings significantly more problems than benefits. This is usually a result of using unmanaged plugins or themes, which, over time, start losing their compatibility with the newest WordPress releases.

Some of the most common reasons to downgrade WordPress are:

• Broken theme. Theme codes that went through extensive customization may break when due to unsupported features or outdated PHP versions. Now, we’d advise you to update your infrastructure as soon as possible, but until you’re ready, you will need to downgrade WordPress to a previous version.
• Performance drops. With the new WordPress release, a new minimum infrastructure is needed. Thus, your website will become noticeably slower, especially with the more resource-heavy features. Thus, downgrading WordPress is a quick fix.
• Plugin conflicts. After an update, some plugins may stop working, throw PHP errors, or disappear entirely from the dashboard. Thus, your website’s user experience will significantly drop, even if your overall website continues working properly. Regardless, you must downgrade WordPress to buy some time until you find suitable substitutes for a more permanent solution.
• Missing features. Sometimes, new WordPress releases remove features they no longer support. Unfortunately, if you haven’t updated your design in a while, your website may rely on one of those features. So, you will have to find a workaround. In the meantime, though, downgrading WordPress is a quick fix.

Who Are the Common Victims?

In our experience, the most common victims of new releases are tightly-niched websites. They usually have a rare plugin, like event mapping. However, the plugin creators may have stopped supporting this plugin (especially if it is free). Thus, the current version of WordPress has deprecated a function it relies on. So, your best option is to downgrade WordPress to a previous version until you find a new solution.

Downgrading WordPress is never the first recommendation, but it’s a practical and temporary fix in situations where uptime, usability, or business operations are affected.

Why You Should Avoid Downgrading WordPress

Downgrading WordPress is a quick fix for unexpected crashes caused by the new version. However, it’s not without risks. Most importantly, reverting back to a previous version is not a permanent solution. It’s like fixing something with duct tape – OK for a short-term solution, but a terrible idea for the long run.

In other words, downgrading WordPress should be your last resort. Each new WordPress release is designed to improve security, deal with known vulnerabilities, and enhance performance. By rolling back to an older version, you may reintroduce security flaws already patched.

So, if you’re handling customer data, online payments, or sensitive user information (e.g., medical records), downgrading WordPress will leave you exposed to known exploits. This means you are better off out of service for a couple of days than risk having a breach.

Furthermore, consider your plugins or themes that were upgraded over time. Reverting to a previous WordPress release can lead to compatibility issues, and you won’t lose just one function but your entire website.

So, even if you downgrade WordPress to a previous version, there’s no guarantee your website will work any better.

What to Know Before You Downgrade WordPress

If you’re determined to downgrade WordPress, you must consider a couple of measures before you start.

First and foremost, backup is non-negotiable. That’s not just our experience speaking. That’s common sense. While upgrading is mostly safe and rarely causes any significant issues, downgrading is almost sure to tilt the scale.

So, trust us. Backup your:

• full database
• themes
• plugins
• uploads
• media files
• trust the backup method you choose

If you’re using HostArmada, our one-click backup and restore system makes this step easy and fast.

Furthermore, never downgrade WordPress on your live website directly. Use a staging environment to test how this will affect your website. Ensure everything is working properly before you deploy the changes so everyone can see them.

HostArmada offers built-in staging tools that simplify the entire process.

Only after you have done the backup and staging test and everything is working is it time to start the real process.

If you want to test it offline, that’s also a great plan. Here’s how to install WordPress on localhost.

Method 1: Downgrade WordPress with a Plugin

⚠️ Warning: Downgrading WordPress should only be used as a temporary fix. Older WordPress versions may contain security vulnerabilities or compatibility issues, so you should troubleshoot the root cause and update back to the latest stable version as soon as possible.

This step allows you to select and install a specific WordPress core version without manually modifying files. Using a plugin to downgrade WordPress is by far the easiest and safest option for beginners. It automates most of the work, minimizes the risk of human error, and lets you focus on getting your site running smoothly again.

Several plugins can do the job, but in our experience, we can confidently say WP Downgrade is the safest option. It allows you to specify the exact version of WordPress you want and then handles the download and installation process for you.

Here’s how you can downgrade WordPress using WP Downgrade, step by step:

Step 1: Install the Plugin

1. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard.
2. Go to Plugins > Add New.
3. Search for “WP Downgrade | Specific Core Version.“
4. Click Install Now, then Activate.

Step 2: Choose Your WordPress Version

1. After activating, go to Settings > WP Downgrade.
2. In the field provided, enter the version you want to downgrade to.
   • Example: 6.3.2
   • You can find older versions in the WordPress Release Archive.

Step 3: Save and Downgrade

1. Click Save Changes.
2. The plugin will prepare WordPress to switch to that version.
3. Then, go to Dashboard > Updates.
4. Click Re-install WordPress – you’ll now be installing the version you selected.

Step 4: Verify Your Site

• After installation, check your site on both the frontend and backend.
• Confirm that the issue you were facing is resolved.

This method is quick and reliable for most users. However, if your problem persists or involves more complex issues (like plugin/theme incompatibility), a manual rollback might be necessary.

Method 2: Downgrade WordPress via FTP or File Manager

If plugins are not your style and you want to have more control over the process, you can always manually downgrade WordPress.

This method involves replacing your current core files with files from a previous WordPress release while keeping your themes, plugins, and media content untouched.

It’s a bit more technical than using a plugin, but it is still very doable, especially if your web host offers effortless access to your files through cPanel or FTP.

Follow the steps below to downgrade WordPress manually:

Step 1: Back Up Your Website (Again!)

• If you haven’t done it yet, stop here and create a full backup.
• Use a plugin like UpdraftPlus or your hosting provider’s built-in tools (HostArmada offers one-click backups via cPanel).

Step 2: Download the WordPress Version You Need

• Visit the official WordPress Release Archive.
• Download the .zip file for the version you want to downgrade to (e.g., WordPress 6.2.2).
• Extract the zip file to your computer.

Step 3: Connect to Your Site via FTP or File Manager

Option A: Using FTP (e.g., FileZilla)

• Enter your FTP credentials to connect to your site’s root directory. In our experience, it’s usually /public_html.

Option B: For HostArmada users, go to cPanel’s File Manager

• Log into your cPanel.
• Open File Manager.
• Navigate to the root directory of your WordPress install.

Step 4: Replace WordPress Core Files

• Delete the wp-content folder from the extracted WordPress folder on your computer. You don’t want to overwrite your themes, plugins, or uploads.
• Upload all remaining WordPress files and folders to your site directory.
• Overwrite existing files when prompted.

Step 5: Run the Downgrade WordPress Script

• Once the upload is done, log into your WordPress dashboard.
• If the database version needs updating, WordPress will prompt you to run the update script.
• Click “Update WordPress Database” and wait for confirmation.

Step 6: Check Your Site

• Visit both the frontend and backend.
• Test your plugins and theme functionality.
• Confirm that your issue has been resolved.

That’s how you downgrade WordPress. Now, sometimes that might be overkill, especially if you need just a tiny tweak. Sometimes, all you need is to revert a theme or a plugin to a previous version, which worked best for you. So, let’s talk about that as well.

How to Downgrade Themes and Plugins

Before you start, you must understand that downgrading a single theme or a plugin is much more likely to break your website. Previous versions of your plugins and theme may no longer be compatible with other plugins or the version of WordPress you chose. In other words, you might be opening Pandora’s box, so in our experience and expertise, we can’t think of a reason why you’d risk it. Still, if you’re determined to try it out, here’s how you do it.

Use the WP Rollback Plugin

The WP Rollback plugin is a simple tool that lets you revert any plugin or theme from the WordPress.org repository to an earlier version – right from your dashboard. For this:

1. Go to Plugins > Add New and search for “WP Rollback“.
2. Install and activate the plugin.
3. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
4. Next to compatible plugins, you’ll now see a “Rollback” option.
5. Click it, choose the version you want, and confirm.

You can do the same for themes under Appearance > Themes > WP Rollback.

Downgrade Theme or Plugins Manually

If your plugin or theme isn’t listed on WordPress.org or is custom-built, you’ll need to downgrade it manually.

1. Download the previous version from the plugin/theme developer’s site (or your own backup).
2. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins or Appearance > Themes in your dashboard.
3. Deactivate and delete the current version. (Don’t worry—your settings may be preserved.)
4. Upload the older version via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin or Appearance > Themes > Add New.
5. Activate and test thoroughly.

In many cases, the combination of downgrading your plugin/theme and rolling back the current version of WordPress solves the problem. But it’s essential to keep an eye on security—older versions may not receive updates or patches.

Now that you’ve successfully downgraded WordPress, you’d want to keep your work for the long run. So, it’s time to disable automatic updates.

How to Disable Automatic Updates

WordPress is pretty adamant that the most current version of WordPress is always the best. So, if you don’t take deliberate actions, WP will automatically update sooner or later, undoing all your work in the process.

To keep your chosen version in place, you’ll need to turn off automatic updates. Don’t worry—it’s easy and fully reversible.

Disable Updates via wp-config.php

In our experience, this is the cleanest method for disabling core updates. We strongly advise against turning off automatic updates for the various reasons we already mentioned about a thousand times. However, if you’re set to do it, this is what you must do:

1. Access your site’s root directory via FTP or cPanel File Manager.
2. Open the wp-config.php file.
3. Add the following line above the line that says “/* That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing. */“
   
define( 'WP_AUTO_UPDATE_CORE', false );
   
4. Save and close the file.

This disables all core updates but still allows you to update manually.

Disable Updates With A Plugin

If you are not comfortable touching the wp-config.php, you can always trust a plugin to do the job. Easy Updates Manager is, in our opinion, the best on the market, though if you have other preferences, go for it.

1. Go to Plugins > Add New in your dashboard.
2. Search for “Easy Updates Manager.“
3. Install and activate it.
4. Go to Dashboard> Updates Options.
5. From there, you can disable:
   • Core updates
   • Plugin/theme updates
   • Translation file updates

You can also customize which plugins or themes auto-update and which don’t.

Final Thoughts: Downgrade, Fix, and Upgrade Properly

Downgrading WordPress should be treated as a temporary stabilization step, not a permanent solution. While reverting to an earlier version can restore functionality, it does not address the underlying cause of compatibility or stability issues.

The priority after a downgrade is to identify and fix the root problem (whether it’s a plugin, theme, or custom code conflict) and test updates in a staging environment. Once compatibility is restored, upgrading back to the latest stable WordPress version is essential to maintain security and performance.

As a long-term strategy, regular backups, controlled updates, and routine compatibility checks help prevent the need for future downgrades. Proactive maintenance ensures your WordPress site remains stable, secure, and up to date without relying on rollbacks as a recurring fix.

Check out our WordPress hosting plans or follow our detailed guide if you’re just getting started on WordPress. 

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