Unless it’s a security update that could affect my site, I don’t update WordPress, themes, and plugins right away!
Often, updates come with bugs or can create conflicts with other components. I learned it the hard way several times in the past.
I usually wait at least a week before updating anything, and it works out great! If there are any bugs or conflicts, they are usually solved by then.
I haven’t had a problem related to updates for years, I think. At least not serious ones.
I hope I didn’t jinx it now. :)
Therefore, I like to have control over what and when I update.
Unfortunately, SiteGround (affiliate link) has a pretty annoying tool that forces WordPress to auto update.
Why do they have this tool?
Although it’s annoying for me and probably others, it is useful for them and inexperienced WordPress users.
A lot of webmasters don’t perform updates for a long period of time, exposing themselves to security breaches.
And if they get hacked, they usually blame the hosting company and leave bad reviews wherever they can. :)
So, it’s understandable why they have this tool in place. They should allow you to disable it if you want, though.
Anyway, let’s see how you can delay or skip the WordPress auto updates in SiteGround.
Access the WP Auto Update Tool in cPanel
Log in to your site’s cPanel and access the WP Auto Update tool, which is currently in the WordPress Tools section.
If you don’t know your cPanel’s login info in order to access it via https://yourdomain.com/cpanel (replace yourdomain.com with your own domain name), then:
- Log in to your SiteGround account;
- Go to the My Accounts tab;
- Click on the Manage Account button found next to the domain name;
- Click on the Go to cPanel button.
Skip the WordPress Auto Update in SiteGround
Once you’re in the WP Auto Update tool, you can simply click the Skip Current Update button.
Note that SiteGround only allows you to skip the current update for WordPress, not future ones as well.
So, you’ll have to repeat this process on the next update.
Delay the WordPress Auto Update in SiteGround
SiteGround also lets you delay the automatic update for up to 72 hours.
You can set this by clicking on the Autoupdate settings link.
You can delay both major and minor updates.
You can also completely disable the auto updates for plugins. It won’t force updates on those after that.
What About Disabling Auto Updates in WordPress? Or Contacting Them to Disable the Tool?
Disabling automatic updates in WordPress via code won’t have any effect on SiteGround’s auto update tool.
SiteGround just overrides that rule.
I also contacted them, but they said they won’t be able to disable it, so I should just skip the WordPress auto updates using the tool in cPanel.
So, guess we’ll just have to delay the auto updates or hit that skip button. :D
That’s a Wrap
I hope you found this guide useful!
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But you can simply turn off all automatic SiteGround updates by adding the following line to wp-config.php:
define( ‘AUTOMATIC_UPDATER_DISABLED’, true );
From this article in the SiteGround documentation:
https://www.siteground.com/tutorials/wordpress/auto-updates/#How_to_completely_disable_the_WordPress_autoupdates
Hi Clay,
If you read the top of that page, SiteGround say that their autoupdater overrides the one built into WordPress. That directive in the wp-config.php file only disables the WordPress autoupdater, not the SiteGround one. We’ve learnt this the hard way!