To update several WordPress plugins from the dashboard, go to Dashboard > Updates, select the plugins with available updates, and click Update Plugins. You can also select a subset under Plugins and use Bulk Actions > Update. For repeatable or multi-site work, run wp plugin update --all with WP-CLI. Whichever method you choose, keep a current backup, understand the maintenance window, and verify the result after WordPress finishes.
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Choose the right bulk-update method
WordPress offers three practical ways to update multiple plugins: the Updates screen, the Plugins list, and WP-CLI. Automatic updates are a separate policy that can run on a schedule after you enable them. The best choice depends on whether you need a one-time visual operation, precise row-by-row selection, or a repeatable command that can be logged and scripted.
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|---|---|---|---|
| Dashboard > Updates | One site and a visible, guided workflow | Select all available plugin updates or selected plugins | Review result messages and allow for the maintenance window |
| Plugins screen bulk action | Updating a chosen subset from the plugin list | Use the Update Available filter, select rows, then choose Update | Some externally installed plugins do not expose the normal updater |
wp plugin update --all |
Scripts, cron jobs, deployments, and multi-site administration | Exclude plugins, limit release types, pin a version, or preview with --dry-run |
Requires shell access and a tested operational process |
| Automatic updates | Reducing recurring manual work | Enable or disable selected plugins in bulk | Backups, cron reliability, and monitoring are essential for rollback |
Before you update: a safe preparation checklist
A bulk operation changes several pieces of code in one maintenance window. Prepare the site before clicking an update button or running a command.
- Confirm you can recover. WordPress recommends regular automatic backups before enabling plugin or theme automatic updates. A backup is useful only if it can be restored, so know where the files and database copy are stored and who can perform a rollback.
- Check access. Dashboard updates require an account with the capability to manage plugins. WP-CLI requires shell access to the WordPress installation and a working
wpcommand. - Note the maintenance window. WordPress temporarily enables maintenance mode while it downloads, unpacks, installs, and replaces plugin files. Avoid starting during a traffic peak or a critical game launch, event, or livestream.
- Record the current state. Note which plugins are active, which have updates, and any plugins you intentionally hold back. This makes it easier to identify the change that caused a later problem.
- Check available updates first. Do not assume that every installed plugin has a new version. The dashboard and WP-CLI can show a smaller change set than the total number of installed plugins.
- Plan verification. Decide which public pages, administrator screens, forms, logins, and game-related functions you will test immediately after the update.
Bulk update from Dashboard > Updates
The Updates screen is the clearest option for a one-site operation because it shows available updates in one place and displays status messages as WordPress works.
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- Sign in to WordPress with an account that can administer plugins.
- Open Dashboard > Updates.
- Find the Plugins section. WordPress lists plugins for which an update is available, whether each plugin is active or inactive.
- Select the plugins you want to change. Use the select-all control when every listed update is approved, or select individual checkboxes to create a smaller set.
- Click Update Plugins.
- Wait for the complete operation. WordPress enables maintenance mode, downloads each package, unpacks it, installs the new files, removes the old version, and then disables maintenance mode.
- Read the completion messages. The dashboard may report successful updates and identify a plugin that could not be updated.
- Open the site in a separate tab and exercise the checks you prepared. If a feature is broken, stop making further changes until you identify the failing plugin or restore the previous state.
The Updates screen documentation warns that the process can take time on some hosts: “The update process is starting. This process may take awhile on some hosts, so please be patient.” Do not refresh repeatedly or close the browser simply because the first status message remains visible.
What WordPress does during the dashboard operation
Maintenance mode prevents visitors from interacting with a site while files are being replaced. The documented sequence is:
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- Download the update package.
- Unpack the package.
- Install the new plugin version.
- Remove the old version.
- Disable maintenance mode.
If an operation appears stuck, first allow enough time for the host to finish the download and extraction. If the site remains in a maintenance screen after the operation has actually failed, use your host’s file manager or shell access to investigate the maintenance file and consult the host’s recovery procedure before deleting anything. A backup and a record of the failed plugin version make recovery safer.
Bulk update a selected subset from Plugins
Use the Plugins screen when you do not want to update every available plugin at once. This workflow is useful when you are deliberately separating a high-risk extension from routine updates or when you need to stage changes in smaller groups.
- Open Plugins in the WordPress administrator.
- Choose the Update Available filter to narrow the list to plugins with pending updates.
- Tick the checkbox beside each plugin you want to update. You can select several rows at once.
- Open the Bulk Actions menu.
- Choose Update, then click Apply.
- Wait for the updater to finish and read every result notice.
- Test the site and any plugin-dependent features before starting another batch.
This screen gives you row-level selection, but it does not guarantee that every plugin can be updated through WordPress. A plugin installed manually from a ZIP file or obtained from another source may display an update only when its author has supplied a built-in updater. If no update notice appears for that plugin, confirm the author’s update mechanism and license credentials rather than replacing files blindly.
Use WP-CLI for repeatable bulk updates
WP-CLI is the better fit when updates must be repeated, filtered, logged, or incorporated into a deployment process. The basic command updates all plugins with available updates:
wp plugin update --allRun it from the WordPress installation directory, or provide the appropriate path options used by your server’s WP-CLI setup. The command’s output identifies the plugins it processes and whether each update succeeds.
Preview the change set first
A dry run lets you inspect what WP-CLI would update without applying the changes:
wp plugin update --all --dry-runUse the preview to compare the proposed list with your change plan. It is particularly useful in deployment scripts and cron jobs, where an unexpected update should be detected before files change.
Exclude a plugin
To update everything except a named plugin, add --exclude:
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wp plugin update --all --exclude=akismetReplace akismet with the plugin slug you intend to hold back. Excluding a plugin is a deliberate exception: document why it is excluded and decide when it will be reviewed again.
Limit the release type
You can restrict the update set to minor or patch releases:
wp plugin update --all --minorwp plugin update --all --patchThese switches are useful when your policy allows maintenance releases first and requires a separate review for larger version changes. The command’s available controls also include --version=<version> when you need to pin a plugin to a specific version supported by that plugin.
Pin a specific version
To install a chosen version rather than the newest available release, specify the plugin and version:
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Understand maintenance mode in WP-CLI
WP-CLI’s documented update example enables maintenance mode before downloading packages and disables it after completion. If you wrap the command in your own script, preserve that ordering and add failure handling so an interrupted process does not leave visitors facing a maintenance screen indefinitely. Capture command output in your deployment or job log, and alert on a non-zero exit status.
Enable automatic updates for several plugins
Automatic updates reduce the number of manual sessions, but they shift responsibility to backups, scheduled tasks, and monitoring. WordPress documents a bulk action for enabling or disabling automatic updates on several selected plugins.
- Open Plugins in the dashboard.
- Select the plugins whose automatic-update setting you want to change.
- Open Bulk Actions.
- Choose the automatic-update enable or disable action shown by your WordPress version, then click Apply.
- Verify the resulting status in the plugin list instead of assuming every selected row changed.
The default automatic-update schedule documented by WordPress.org in 2023 is twice per day. The exact execution still depends on WordPress Cron and on the site’s traffic or server configuration. Automatic updates are therefore a policy choice, not an immediate “update now” button.
Control automatic updates with WP-CLI
The wp plugin auto-updates command family provides enable, disable, and status operations and is documented as available since WP-CLI 2.5.0.
# Enable automatic updates for all plugins
wp plugin auto-updates enable --all
# Show plugins with automatic updates enabled
wp plugin auto-updates status --all --enabled-only --field=nameUse status output as an audit check after changing policy. If only a subset should update automatically, target those plugin slugs instead of using --all.
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Why a plugin is missing from the bulk-update list
A missing row does not always mean WordPress is broken. Work through these explanations in order:
- No release is available. The plugin may simply be current, so it will not appear under Update Available.
- The plugin is external. Plugins installed from a ZIP file or another distribution source may rely on an author-provided updater. Without that updater, the standard dashboard cannot discover a new package.
- The update check has not completed. Reload the Plugins or Updates screen after confirming the site can reach its update service. Avoid repeatedly clicking while a check is still running.
- The plugin is intentionally excluded. Review any WP-CLI
--excluderules, deployment configuration, or management policy that omits it. - The plugin is inactive but still listed elsewhere. The Updates screen can upgrade active and inactive plugins; check that screen if the Plugins filter does not show what you expect.
For an externally supplied plugin, obtain the package and installation instructions from its author. Do not assume that uploading a directory with the same name is a safe upgrade: it can overwrite files without preserving the vendor’s updater logic or configuration.
Troubleshoot a failed or incomplete bulk update
The update stops partway through
Read the individual result message and identify the first plugin that failed. A timeout, insufficient disk space, failed download, or host restriction can prevent later rows from completing. Do not immediately rerun the entire batch; verify which plugins changed, correct the underlying host problem, and then update only the remaining items.
The site stays in maintenance mode
First confirm whether the update request is still running. If it has ended and visitors continue to see maintenance mode, use your hosting control panel or shell access to follow the host’s WordPress recovery procedure. Keep the backup and the update log available, because removing a maintenance marker without understanding the failed operation can conceal a partially installed plugin.
A plugin update breaks a feature
Reproduce the problem on the smallest affected area, then compare the plugin versions recorded before and after the batch. If the site has a tested backup, restore the affected files and database according to your recovery plan, or roll back the specific plugin version with the method supported by your host and plugin author. Leave the incompatible plugin out of the next batch and document the version that caused the issue.
Automatic updates never run
Automatic plugin updates depend on WordPress Cron tasks. Open Tools > Site Health and check for cron errors. Also verify that the plugin’s automatic-update status is enabled and that the server is not blocking scheduled requests. Fix the scheduling problem before enabling more automatic updates; otherwise the dashboard may show an enabled policy that is not being executed.
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- Confirm you are in the correct WordPress installation and that WP-CLI can load it.
- Check shell permissions for the WordPress files and the account running the command.
- Run the dry-run command to separate discovery problems from installation problems.
- Review the command output and exit status in the job or deployment log.
- Use the plugin slug, not a display name, for
--exclude, version pinning, or targeted updates.
Dashboard, Plugins screen, WP-CLI, or automatic updates?
Use the dashboard when you are updating one site and want a visible, guided operation. Choose the Plugins screen when you need to select a precise subset from the list. Choose WP-CLI when the same rules must run on multiple sites, in cron, or as a logged deployment step. Enable automatic updates only when your backup, cron, monitoring, and rollback process can support them.
A practical staged policy is to preview or review the available updates, update a small group, test the site, and then process the next group. For low-risk sites you may select all available updates in one dashboard operation; for sites with tightly coupled plugins, smaller batches make it easier to identify a regression.
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Post-update verification checklist
- Confirm the WordPress administrator reports success for every intended plugin.
- Check that no unexpected maintenance screen remains.
- Open the site’s home page and several high-value pages in a private browser window.
- Test authentication, forms, search, media uploads, and any plugin-powered game catalog, download, or community feature your site relies on.
- Review server, WordPress, and deployment logs for warnings or failed update attempts.
- Record the updated versions, skipped plugins, and any follow-up action.
- For automatic updates, verify the next scheduled run and confirm that cron errors are absent in Tools > Site Health.
Key commands at a glance
| Purpose | Command |
|---|---|
| Update every plugin with an available update | wp plugin update --all |
| Preview all available updates | wp plugin update --all --dry-run |
| Update all except one plugin | wp plugin update --all --exclude=akismet |
| Limit updates to minor releases | wp plugin update --all --minor |
| Limit updates to patch releases | wp plugin update --all --patch |
| Enable automatic updates for all plugins | wp plugin auto-updates enable --all |
| List plugins with automatic updates enabled | wp plugin auto-updates status --all --enabled-only --field=name |
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