Is my site on an old PHP or WordPress version?
Sign in to WordPress and read the version at the bottom of the At a Glance box on the Dashboard. Then open Tools, Site Health, Info for the PHP and database versions, and compare them with the support dates. If PHP is 8.1 or older, or WordPress isn't the latest major release, ask your host for an upgrade plan.
The short version
- WordPress version: Dashboard, then the At a Glance box.
- PHP and database versions: Tools, then Site Health, then the Info tab.
- Compare with the end-of-life tracker.
- Out of date? Ask your host or web team the questions below.
- No access to the dashboard? Your hosting control panel usually shows the PHP version too.
How do I check the WordPress version?
Sign in as an Administrator and go to the Dashboard. WordPress’s Dashboard guide says the line at the bottom of the At a Glance box tells you which WordPress version you’re running and which theme is active.
The Site Health Info tab shows the version too, under WordPress, then Version.
How do I check PHP and the database?
- Go to Tools, then Site Health.
- Select the Info tab.
- Expand Server. Look for the PHP version.
- Expand Database. Look for the database server and its version. It will say MySQL or MariaDB.
While you’re there, open the Status tab. If PHP is out of date, WordPress usually shows “Your site is running an outdated version of PHP, which requires an update” as a critical issue, per the Site Health guide.
If you can’t sign in to WordPress, look in your hosting account. Most control panels show the PHP version for each site. The label and menu differ from host to host.
How do I read the result?
As of October 31, 2026:
| What you found | What it means |
|---|---|
| PHP 8.4 or 8.5 | Fully supported. |
| PHP 8.3 | Security fixes only, until December 31, 2027. Plan the next move. |
| PHP 8.2 | Security fixes end on December 31, 2026. Upgrade now. |
| PHP 8.1 or older | End of life. No security fixes from the PHP project. Urgent. |
| WordPress 7.1.x | The current major release, the only one officially supported. |
| WordPress 7.0 or older | Not officially supported. Fixes arrive only as a courtesy. |
| MySQL 8.4 or 9.7, MariaDB 10.11 or newer | In line with what WordPress recommends. |
| MySQL 8.0 or older, MariaDB 10.6 or older | Past the end of community support. Ask your host. |
The PHP dates come from PHP.net. The WordPress rule comes from WordPress.org’s supported versions page, and its requirements page recommends PHP 8.3 or newer and MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.11 or newer. MySQL 8.0 itself moved to Oracle’s sustaining support in April 2026, and MariaDB 10.6’s community support ended in July 2026 (MariaDB). The full list, with more systems, is in the end-of-life tracker.
What should I ask my host or web team?
Copy these into an email:
- Which PHP version does my site run, and when does it stop getting security fixes?
- Is the server’s PHP patched for the October 21, 2026 critical PHP flaws (CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619)?
- Which database version does my site use, and is it still supported?
- Who updates WordPress, plugins and the theme, and how often?
- Do you test updates on a staging copy before the live site?
- Are there backups from before each update, and how far back do they go?
- If you plan to change the PHP version, when, and how will you test the site first?
Don’t send passwords or login details by email. If your host needs to verify you, use their own sign-in or support process.
What are the common mistakes?
- Reading the version on a staging or old copy instead of the live site. Check the address bar.
- Assuming the host upgrades PHP for you. Some do, some leave sites on the version they started with.
- Changing the PHP version yourself on the live site. Test on a copy first; see which PHP version your site should run for the safe order.
- Ignoring the database. It’s easy to forget, and it has its own support dates.
What if I can’t find the version?
If you don’t see Site Health under Tools, your account may not be an Administrator. Ask whoever set up the site. If the dashboard won’t load at all, see what a critical error means.
How long does it take?
The check takes about five minutes. Getting answers from a host usually takes a day or two.
How does E-3 handle this?
E-3 keeps the sites it hosts on supported PHP versions, so E-3 hosting clients can simply ask us instead. For hosted sites, monitoring tracks each site’s PHP version, waiting updates, known plugin vulnerabilities, and disk and database space. Updates are tested on a staging copy first. If you want to know where your site stands, ask us.
Related questions
Next step
- WordPress for owners: the complete guideEvery guide in this topic, in order.
- Website careUptime monitoring, tested updates, daily backups and security alerts.
Still stuck? Ask E-3 for an answer from our help guides.
Rather we handled wordpress for owners for you?
It’s part of what we do every week for small businesses, as part of managed wordpress hosting. Start with a free check of your site and profile, or call and ask.