How to Downgrade WordPress to an Older Version

When you download the most updated version of WordPress, it has enhanced security and features the newest plugins and themes. However, Updated WordPress versions sometimes have compatibility issues or bugs that disrupt your website’s functionality. With disruption comes the need to downgrade. Therefore, knowing how to downgrade your WordPress site correctly is essential. This article will help you through the procedures to downgrade your WordPress installation swiftly and safely, going over each step in detail to guarantee a smooth transition. Before the various methods of WordPress version downgrades, let us look at why WordPress version downgrades are important. 

Why a WordPress Version Downgrade Is Important

Downgrades to earlier WordPress versions are important for the following reasons;

• Restoring Compatibility: Downgrading to an older version can restore compatibility with your themes and plugins, preventing functionality issues or parts of your website from becoming unusable.
• Maintaining Stability and Performance: If recent updates cause instability or slowdown, switching to a previous version can help keep your website’s reliability and performance.
• Addressing Critical Bugs or Security Flaws: Downgrading to a stable version can temporarily resolve critical bugs or security vulnerabilities not detected during beta testing.
• Ensuring Familiarity and Usability: You can continue using a version you are comfortable with, ensuring smoother site management and user experience.

Methods of WordPress Version Downgrades

There are three ways to downgrade your WordPress version, which are

1. Manually
2. Using a plugin
3. Restoring from a backup

How to Downgrade a WordPress Version Manually

Downloading the Old Version

1. Identify the specific WordPress version you want to downgrade to.
2. Visit WordPress.org and look for the download archives area.
3. Locate and download the desired WordPress version.

Uploading the Old Files

1. Use an FTP client to access website files.
2. Create a backup of your existing WordPress core files (excluding the wp-content folder).
3. Upload and replace the existing WordPress core files in your site’s root directory.

Updating the Database Version

1. Use phpMyAdmin or similar to access your database.
2. Locate the wp_options table.
3. Find the row where the option_name is db_version.
4. Update the option_value to match the downgraded WordPress database version. You can find this in the  wp-includes/version.php file of the downloaded WordPress version. 

Testing and Verification

1. Login to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Thoroughly test your website to ensure everything functions correctly (core functionalities, theme compatibility, plugin compatibility, content display).

How to Downgrade a WordPress Version Using the WordPress Plugin

The WP Downgrade plugin is another way to downgrade your WordPress version. This plugin allows you to downgrade to any version of your choice. This downgrade method is highly recommended to avoid using an outdated version for too long. This plugin is also one of the simplest to use. This is how to use it.

1. After downloading and installing the WP Downgrade plugin, go to the Admin panel on the left side and click Plugin.
2. A drop-down menu will appear. Click on Add New.
3. Type “WP Downgrade” into the search box.  Searching will bring up more plugins that you find helpful.
4. To activate the WP Downgrade plugin, go to its page and click on the “Install Now” button.
5. Click Settings on the left-hand admin panel and select WP Downgrade to open the main settings page.

Note: You must create a backup for your website before using this method. Something could go wrong since WordPress was not designed initially to be downgraded.

How to use the WP Downgrade Plugin

The WP Downgrade plugin is straightforward to use. It has a textbox where you can input the version number of the WordPress you choose to downgrade to. 

If you use version 6.0 and wish to revert to 5.0, you only have to input it in the textbox. Using this method, you can also go back to version 6.0.

1. Enter the WordPress version of your choice in the text box.
2. Ensure the version is correct, then click the “Save Changes” button.
3. Select the “Up-/Downgrade Core” option.
4. This will take you to WordPress’s Updates area. Click the “Re-install Now” button.
5. Your WordPress version will now be restored to the one you used previously. After reviewing these steps again, you can switch to a different version of WordPress.

How to Downgrade a WordPress Version by Restoring From a Backup

Restoring from a backup is one of the safest and easiest ways to downgrade your WordPress version. However, some prerequisites are needed to make this possible. 

The prerequisites are as follows:

1. Reliable backup system: Ensure your backup is comprehensive, contains all required files and database information, and is corruption-free.
2. Identify the correct backup: Locate a backup before the WordPress upgrade issue.
3. Loss of Data: It is possible to lose new and old data, such as posts, media, or pages. 
4. Plugin and Theme Compatibility: New themes and plugins might not be compatible with older WordPress versions.
5. Testing Environment: Before you deploy your website to go live, restore and test the backup on a staging environment to check its functionality and compatibility.

You can use several backup sites to test and restore your data while downgrading your WordPress Version. They include Hostinger, MyKinsta, and Duplicator Pro. Each of these sites and plugins has its own method of WordPress backup.

Using the WP Rollback Plugin

The WP Rollback plugin is the most helpful tool for rolling back old theme or plugin versions. It is straightforward to use. If an updated theme or plugin gives you a tough time or has compatibility issues, the WP Rollback plugin is here to troubleshoot.

How to Rollback a Plugin

• Navigate to the Plugin section of the admin dashboard.
• Find the desired plugin and click the Rollback link.
• Select the desired version, typically before the latest version.
• Go to the bottom right corner and click the Rollback button.
• A status page will show progress.
• Click Activate Plugin to activate the rolled-back plugin.
• Go to the Plugins page to return to the Plugin page.

How to Rollback a Theme

• Navigate to Appearance > Themes in the WordPress admin dashboard.
• Click on the desired theme and select Theme Details.
• Go to the bottom right corner and click the Rollback button.
• Select the desired version, typically before the latest version or the previous version used before the update.
• Preview the site after theme rollback to ensure it works properly.

Conclusion

While not ideal, downgrading WordPress can help restore compatibility with themes and plugins, maintain website stability, and address problems. This article has discussed three major ways of downgrading your WordPress version: manually downgrading, utilising a plugin like WP Downgrade, or restoring from a backup. Each approach has its own actions and considerations, so select the most appropriate for your situation. Remember to back up your website before downgrading!