Updating a plugin manually is very simple. It's a basic maintenance task, it won't require any particular technical skill. If you manage your own site(s), it's a good idea to get familiar with it, as you will probably encounter more plugins that don't update automatically.


There are two ways to manually update a plugin. Whichever you choose, make sure that you first take a backup of your site before proceeding. You should always take a backup before updating any plugin or theme, whether you do it manually or automatically.


Updating the plugin via WordPress control panel

This method requires more steps, but it's easy to follow:

  1. Download the latest version of the plugin you want to update.
  2. Go to WordPress Admin > Plugins.
  3. Find the plugin to update and deactivate it.
  4. When the page reloads, find the plugin again and delete it. Your settings will be preserved.
  5. Go to WordPress Admin > Plugins > Add new.
  6. At the top of the page, click on Upload.
  7. On the page that shows up, click on Choose file, then select the ZIP file you downloaded in step 1. 
  8. Click on the Install button. You should see a page indicating that the plugin has been installed successfully. 
  9. At the bottom of the page, click on Activate plugin. The plugin will reactivate.
  10. Go to the plugin options page (for example, WooCommerce > Currency Switcher Options our Currency Switcher), to check that all the settings are correct, then you will be ready to go.


Updating the plugin via FTP

This method requires you to upload the plugin files using an FTP client, such as FileZilla.

  1. Download the latest version of the plugin you want to update.
  2. Extract the ZIP file you downloaded. You should get a folder with the plugin name. For example, for our Currency Switcher, the folder will be named woocommerce-aelia-currencyswitcher.
  3. Connect to your site via FTP.
  4. On the remote site, go to folder wp-content/plugins.
  5. Upload the whole folder you downloaded locally to the remote site. If the application asks you if you wish to overwrite it, choose Yes.
  6. Go to the plugin options page (for example, WooCommerce > Currency Switcher Options for our Currency Switcher), to check that all the settings are correct, then you will be ready to go.


As indicated, installing and updating plugins is a task that is worth knowing if you wish to manage your own site(s). It's also important that you know how to take backups and how to verify that they work properly, as it's not unheard of that new versions of plugins cause issues that require reverting the site to a previous version (WooCommerce itself can cause a few surprises, when you update it).


If you would rather not perform maintenance tasks yourself, we could also do that for you as part of our paid services.