How to Stop WordPress Auto Updates: A Complete Guide

WordPress, one of the most popular content management systems (CMS), regularly releases updates to enhance security, improve performance, and introduce new features. While these updates are beneficial, there are scenarios where you might want to disable them. For instance, auto-updates can sometimes cause compatibility issues with themes or plugins, leading to site malfunctions. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps to disable auto-updates for both WordPress core and plugins.

Disabling WordPress Core Auto Updates

Using the wp-config.php File

The wp-config.php file is a critical configuration file in your WordPress installation. By adding a specific line of code, you can disable automatic updates for the WordPress core.

  • Step 1: Access your site’s files via FTP or your hosting control panel’s file manager.
  • Step 2: Locate and open the wp-config.php file in the root directory of your WordPress installation.
  • Step 3: Add the following line of code:
PHP
define('WP_AUTO_UPDATE_CORE', false);
  • Step 4: Save the changes and upload the modified file back to the server.

This code disables all automatic updates, including major and minor updates.

Using Filters in functions.php

Alternatively, you can disable automatic updates by adding filters to your theme’s functions.php file.

  • Step 1: Access your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Appearance > Theme Editor.
  • Step 2: Open the functions.php file of your active theme.
  • Step 3: Add the following code to the file functions.php inside your theme folder:
PHP
add_filter('automatic_updater_disabled', '__return_true');
add_filter('auto_update_core', '__return_false');
  • Step 4: Save the changes

These filters will effectively stop automatic updates for the WordPress core.

Disabling Plugin Auto Updates

WordPress also offers the capability to enable or disable automatic updates for individual plugins. Here are two methods to achieve this:

Using the WordPress Dashboard

  • Step 1: Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
  • Step 2: Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
  • Step 3: For each plugin, you will see a link labeled “Enable Auto-updates” or “Disable Auto-updates” next to it. Click on “Disable Auto-updates” to turn off automatic updates for that specific plugin.
  • This method is straightforward and allows you to control updates for each plugin individually.

Using a Plugin

If you prefer a more centralized approach, you can use a plugin designed to manage updates.

  • Step 1: Install and activate the “Companion Auto Update” plugin from the WordPress repository.
  • Step 2: Once activated, go to Dashboard > Updates Options.
  • Step 3: Under the “General” tab, you can disable all updates or customize settings for specific plugins.
  • Easy Updates Manager provides a user-friendly interface to manage updates for your entire site, including plugins, themes, and the WordPress core.

Conclusion

Disabling automatic updates in WordPress can be crucial for maintaining site stability, especially if you have a complex setup with numerous plugins and customizations. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can easily take control of your site’s update process, ensuring that updates happen on your terms. Whether you choose to modify configuration files, use built-in WordPress settings, or leverage a plugin, you have the flexibility to manage updates in a way that best suits your needs.

Author: Rene Hermenau

I'm René Hermenau, founder of WP STAGING. I've been building WordPress infrastructure software since 2013 and writing code on GitHub since 2011. My repos live at github.com/rene-hermenau. WP STAGING started as a small developer project solving the same problem I kept hitting on client work: there was no fast, safe way to clone a WordPress site for staging or migration without breaking serialized data, file paths, or media references. Today we are a team of more than 10 people. The free plugin runs on hundreds of thousands of WordPress installations, and the Pro version powers backup, migration, and staging workflows for agencies, hosting platforms, and ecommerce stores. I'm still hands-on with the codebase and technical architecture. Our releases are built as a team, but many of the core architectural decisions are ones I helped design, test, and evolve over the years: how we handle large database exports, how we keep memory usage flat on multi-GB sites, and how we make migrations atomic against partially written tables. "When you touch code, leave it 10% better than before and write a test." If you're stuck on a WP STAGING question, the docs are at wp-staging.com/docs. If you hit a bug, file it on GitHub at github.com/wp-staging. Our team reads everything that lands there.