How to update plugins without breaking your blog

Updating plugins can be a little nerve-wracking, especially if you’ve had a problem before.

Ideally, you click the update button when you see it, and your blog only improves. That’s not always how it works though. Updating could do something as small as losing the functionality, to as big as the dreaded “White Screen of Death” where you can’t even access your blog.

If you’re a developer or have a lot more time and know-how to use FTP, you can fix that quickly enough (though it’s still a pain).

Otherwise, how do you update your plugins without fear?

By the use of another plugin!

There is a fantastic little plugin called WP Rollback. It’s the UNDO button for your blog.

Once you install it, on your plugins page, you’ll see a little link under each plugin that says “Rollback.”

Now all you have to do is open blog in a SEPARATE tab from this (so you have your plugins page open in one, and you are looking at your homepage in another).

You’re ready to start updating! When an update is available, you’ll see the yellow bar underneath it, with a link that says “Update now.” Just click that link and DO NOT REFRESH OR CLOSE THE PAGE.

Once you clicked update, click over to the other tab you have your blog open in and refresh that one. Does everything look good? Still there and functioning? Sweet! You’re good to go.

On the rare occasion that things don’t look good, or you even got the “White screen of death” just click back to the tab you have your plugins on, find the one you just updated (the one that broke your blog), and click “Rollback.” It will uninstall the update and everything should be back to normal!