Have you ever updated WordPress to newest version, and now noticed that your website having some problems? Be Normal, Dont Take any tension. Lot of the times, the issue caused due to a plugin or theme which is not compatible with the newest update of WordPress. Sometimes, issue caused due to WordPress update itself. Whatever the case, one of the instant solution is to take your website back to normal, by downgrading WordPress back to the previous version. I try to avoid plugins and themes that don’t get updated regularly because that causes Compatibility Issue after updating WordPress.

Before you go across the process of downgrading WordPress, I’ll suggest you to check if a plugin is causing the issue or not. If it is, you can disable that plugin till there’s an update for it which makes it Compatible with you current WordPress Version. If it’s a problem with your theme, it is entirely a different story. At that moment, you’ll want to consider downgrading your version of WordPress.

Before downgrading, I’d immensely recommend you to have a backup of your website, just in case, if there is any Problem occured and everything gets screwed up. I’ve never run into that issue but I always have the feeling, so always I have a backup of my Website. There are alot of backup plugins for WordPress and your hosting provider might/should be able to provide you the latest backup they have of your website.

The main and very important thing you need is a previous WordPress release whom you want to downgrade. You can download any version of WordPress from here –> WordPress releases. Only downgrade down to the one version down to the newest one. Don’t go staright back to version 1.1.

How to downgrade WordPress to an older version.

Manual WordPress Downgrade Tutorial

After you’ve took a backup of your website and downloaded the WordPress version you want to downgrade to, it’s time to downgrade Wordpress.

STEP 1: Deactivate All Plugins

The first step you have to do is login to your WordPress Dashboard and then Click on Installed Plugins. Here deactivate all of the plugins Installed.

 

STEP 2: Logout Of WordPress

After Deactivating all your plugins successfully, logout of WordPress Account.

STEP 3: Use An FTP Client and Locate Your Website’s WordPress Files

At this step, you have an FTP client. An FTP client allows us to access all of the files on our website. I use FileZilla, It is very popular FTP Client. It is free to use. In your FTP client Account, Detect your Website’s WordPress files.

 

STEP 4: Delete the WP-ADMIN and WP-INCLUDES Folders

Now, You have to delete both the wp-admin and wp-includes folders. Don’t do anything with wp-content folder!! All of the other files will overwrited in the next step of Downgrading.

STEP 5: Transfer Files from Previous WordPress Version to Website with FTP Client

Go into the folder where you have the WordPress version you want to downgrade to via your FTP Client (Like Your File Explorer). Upload everythingint folder except the wp-content folder. After all the files have been uploaded, your downgrade process is finished.

STEP 6: Update your WordPress DataBase

Login to your WordPress Dashboard. You will be requested to update your Website’s WordPress database. Click on “Update WordPress Database” and after that click on continue to login.

When you’re logged in, you see that you’re running the version of WordPress that you have downgraded to.

If your theme isn’t compatible with the current version of WordPress, contact your theme developer and let them know about that issue. If there’s no support offered for your theme, then switch to a different theme that updated on a regular basis.