How to Update a Premium WordPress Theme (and Its Bundled Plugins) Safely

On this page

1. Why theme updates matter
2. Step 1: Check how your theme updates
3. Step 2: Protect your customisations
4. Step 3: Back up and use staging
5. Step 4: Update the theme, then bundled plugins
6. Step 5: Test
7. Bundled plugins out of date?
8. If the theme is abandoned

Premium themes often don't update as simply as free ones from WordPress.org. Many sites I look after were running themes years out of date, with bundled plugins full of known vulnerabilities, because nobody knew how to update them safely. Here's how.

Why theme updates matter

• Security fixes, for the theme and its bundled plugins
• Compatibility with new WordPress, PHP and WooCommerce versions
• Bug fixes

See why WordPress sites get hacked.

Step 1: Check how your theme updates

• Activate the licence or purchase code in the theme's settings to enable automatic updates
• Marketplace themes may need the marketplace's updater plugin
• Otherwise, download the latest version from your account and upload it manually

Step 2: Protect your customisations

If anyone edited the theme's files directly, an update will overwrite those changes. Customisations belong in a child theme. If there isn't one, have a developer move the custom code into a child theme before updating.

New to child themes? See child themes explained.

Step 3: Back up and use staging

Take a full backup, then test the update on a staging copy, especially for big version jumps; see staging sites explained.

Step 4: Update the theme, then bundled plugins

1. Update the theme
2. Follow the theme's prompts to update its bundled plugins (sliders, page builders, theme core plugins)
3. Update other plugins
4. Clear caches and regenerate any page builder CSS

Step 5: Test

• Homepage, key pages, header and footer
• Forms, WooCommerce and any special features
• Mobile layout

Bundled plugins out of date?

If the theme hasn't shipped updates for a bundled plugin with a known vulnerability, consider buying your own licence for that plugin so you can update it directly, or replacing it.

If the theme is abandoned

A theme with no updates for a long time is a growing risk. Options include moving to a well-maintained lightweight theme while keeping your design, or a planned redesign; see redesigning on a budget and choosing a premium theme.

Want it handled for you? Theme updates are part of WordPress maintenance.