Like with all WordPress developers, I also have a local WordPress install running on XAMPP albeit an older version – 3.8 to be precise. I really do not know the reason for my reluctance to update it.
Few days ago, I decided to put an end to my procrastination and update it to the latest WordPress version. Rather than automatically update it via the dashboard, I chose to do it manually.
WordPress codex has a great guide on how to carry out the manual update of which I followed.
At the end of the update, I was able to login to the dashboard and perform my administrative duties but the front-end was blank (white screen of death).
After hours of troubleshooting I decided to restore the backup of the older WordPress and do the update my own way.
Below are the steps I took in manually updating WordPress unscathed.
- Before updating WordPress, ensure you have the files and database backed up.
- Download and install the latest WordPress version.
- Upload the old wp-content folder and merge it with the new wp-content folder, overwriting existing files.
- Do NOT delete your existing wp-content folder. Do NOT delete any files or folders in your existing wp-content directory (except for the one being overwritten by new files).
- Edit and update the wp-config.php file with your MySQL database details.
- Visit your main WordPress admin page at /wp-admin. You may be asked to login again. If a database upgrade is necessary at this point, WordPress will detect it and give you a link to a URL to update your database to be compatible with the latest code.
- If no database is required, you would be told to continue to WP dashboard.
- If you are using a custom URL structure otherwise known as pretty URL, under Settings menu, go to the permalink page and click on save changes.
Rule of thumb: deactivate all plugins before updating WordPress.
Voila! You’ve successfully updated WordPress to the latest version.