You can switch your WordPress.com site between the latest stable version of WordPress and the most recent beta version. Testing a beta version lets you check how upcoming features and changes will affect your site’s WordPress version before the next major release.
This feature is available on sites with the WordPress.com Business and Commerce plans. If you have a Business plan, make sure to activate it. For free sites and sites on the Personal and Premium plans, upgrade your plan to access this feature.
You can switch the WordPress version on either your live site or a staging site. Testing on a staging site first is recommended, since beta releases may contain bugs that could affect features like checkout, user registration, or plugin compatibility.
To switch the WordPress version used on your site, follow these steps:
- Visit your Sites page.
- Click the site you want to update. To test changes on a copy first, create a staging site and open it instead.
- Click the Settings tab.
- Scroll down to the Server section.
- Click WordPress.
- Use the dropdown to select the WordPress version you want and click Save.
Before the version changes, your site is backed up automatically — this usually takes a few minutes. Once the switch completes, your site runs the version you selected. If you selected the beta, your site will automatically update to each new beta release as it becomes available. There may occasionally be a short delay between a beta release being published and its availability on WordPress.com.
After changing the WordPress version on your site, either from the latest to beta or reverting from beta to the latest, you may be asked to update your database with a prompt that says “Database Update Required.”
This means that the version of WordPress that has been selected requires some changes in the database. To make these changes, click the “Database Update Required” button. In most cases, this is entirely safe. In case of any issue, you can always restore a backup of your site.
Beta versions are released before the final stable version and may contain bugs. Running a beta on your live site could affect features like checkout, user registration, or plugin compatibility. We recommend testing on a staging site first, especially if your site handles transactions or account logins.
If you do switch your live site to the beta version, WordPress.com automatically creates a backup before the switch. You can always restore your site from that backup if you run into problems.
You can switch your site from the beta version back to the latest stable release of WordPress at any time. To do this, use the same dropdown menu you used to enable the beta version. Click the dropdown and select Latest, followed by the Save button.
The WordPress project encourages all users to share feedback and report bugs. If you encounter an issue or have suggestions, you can submit a ticket on the Make WordPress Core site.
