How to Check Your PHP Version on WordPress and WooCommerce

After the October 2026 PHP security release, WordPress.org asked every site owner to check their PHP version. It takes about a minute.

Method 1: inside WordPress

1. Log in to the WordPress admin.
2. Open Tools, then Site Health.
3. Click the Info tab.
4. Expand Server and read the PHP version.

Method 2: your hosting panel

Look for “PHP”, “Select PHP version” or “Software” in cPanel, Plesk or your host’s dashboard.

What the number means

• 8.2 or newer: supported. Make sure it is the latest security release.
• Older than 8.2: no longer receives security fixes from the PHP project. Plan an upgrade now.

Before you update

1. Take a full backup and store it off the server.
2. Update on a copy of your site if you can.
3. Update plugins and themes first.
4. After switching, place a test order, pay, refund and check emails.

Not sure or not comfortable?

Send us your website address and we will check the version, plugins and risks for you.

Why the PHP version matters so much

PHP is the programming language that runs on your web server and builds each page of a WordPress or WooCommerce store before it reaches the customer. Your theme, your plugins, your checkout and your admin all run on it. When the language itself has a serious flaw, every site running that version is exposed, no matter how carefully the store was built or how strong its passwords are. That is why the October 2026 security release was treated as urgent, and why WordPress.org asked owners to check their version rather than wait for a WordPress update that was never going to come.

For a store owner the practical lesson is simple. You do not need to understand the flaw to protect yourself. You need to know three facts about your server: the PHP version, whether it is a supported release, and whether the latest security fix is applied. Everything in this guide is built around finding and acting on those three facts.

Understanding PHP version numbers

PHP versions look like 8.3.36. The first two numbers (8.3) are the branch, and the last number (36) is the patch level inside that branch. Security fixes arrive as patch updates, so being on branch 8.3 is not enough. You need the newest patch for your branch.

The PHP project supports only recent branches with security updates. Releases older than 8.2 no longer receive security fixes from the project. If your Site Health screen shows 7.4, 8.0 or 8.1, your store is running a language that nobody is patching centrally. Some hosts apply their own backported fixes to older branches, but you must ask them directly and get the answer in writing, because you cannot see it from the version number alone.

A quick way to read your result:

• 8.2 or newer, latest patch: you are in good shape. Keep updating when new releases appear.
• 8.2 or newer, older patch: you are on a supported branch but missing recent fixes. Ask your host to update.
• Older than 8.2: plan an upgrade immediately and ask your host what protection, if any, they provide in the meantime.

What to do if the Site Health page does not show PHP

Some owners open Tools, then Site Health, and find that the Info tab is missing or empty. This usually has one of three causes. Your user role may not be an administrator, a security plugin may be hiding the screen, or the host may restrict information about the server. In each case you have good alternatives.

1. Ask the person who set up the site to log in and read the value for you.
2. Open your hosting control panel and look for a section named PHP, Software, MultiPHP Manager or Select PHP Version.
3. Contact your host’s support and ask in plain words: “Which PHP version does my account use, and is the October 2026 security fix applied?” Keep their reply.
4. If you have a developer, ask them to confirm the version from the server itself.

If you cannot find out who your host is, look at your domain registrar account, your payment records for hosting and the nameservers shown in a domain lookup tool. That usually identifies the company within minutes.

How to upgrade PHP safely, step by step

Upgrading is easy to do and easy to do badly. A careless upgrade can take a store offline, so follow a careful order.

Step 1: Take a full backup. Back up both the files and the database, and store a copy away from the server. If anything goes wrong you can return to a working store in minutes instead of hours.

Step 2: Update WordPress, your theme and your plugins first. Old plugins are the most common reason a store breaks after a PHP upgrade. Updating them first removes that risk before you change the language underneath.

Step 3: Remove what you do not use. Every inactive plugin is code that can still be attacked. Delete plugins and themes you no longer need before upgrading.

Step 4: Test on a copy if possible. Many hosts offer a staging site with one click. Switch the staging copy to the new PHP version and browse it the way a customer would.

Step 5: Switch the live site during a quiet period. Choose the hours when you normally get the fewest orders and keep the old setting noted so you can switch back if needed.

Step 6: Test the money path. Add a product to the cart, pay with each method, receive the confirmation email, then refund the test order. Check the admin order screen, stock levels and any courier or accounting links.

Step 7: Watch the logs for a day. Ask your host for the error log, or install a monitoring tool, and look for warnings that appear after the change.

Common problems after a PHP upgrade

• A white screen or critical error message. Usually an outdated plugin or theme. Switch the PHP version back, update the plugin, then try again.
• Checkout buttons that do nothing. A payment plugin that needs an update. Contact its developer or replace it with a maintained one.
• Missing images or slow pages. A caching or image plugin that needs its settings refreshed after the change.
• Emails stop arriving. Your mail plugin or SMTP settings may need to be reconnected.

None of these are a reason to delay an upgrade. They are reasons to prepare for it.

When your store is too old to upgrade easily

Some stores were built years ago on a theme that the author no longer maintains, with plugins that never received an update. When you try to move such a store to a modern PHP version it breaks, and fixing it becomes a project of its own. If you are in that position, you have two sensible choices. You can pay a developer to modernise the theme and plugins, or you can rebuild the store on a platform designed to be maintained. Compare the cost of repair and the cost of rebuilding before you decide, and remember that a repaired old store still carries the same maintenance burden next year.

What a good hosting arrangement looks like

The best protection is to make version checks someone else’s recurring job. A good arrangement has a named person responsible for patching, automatic backups stored off the server, a test routine after every change and a written response time for emergencies. If your current host cannot promise these, consider a managed plan or a technical partner who can.

Quick checklist to save

1. Open Tools, Site Health, Info, Server and write down the PHP version.
2. Compare it with the supported branches and the October 2026 fixed releases.
3. Ask your host for written confirmation of the security fix.
4. Take a backup and update plugins and themes.
5. Upgrade PHP on a copy, then on the live site.
6. Place and refund a test order.
7. Review logs for a day and keep your notes for the next time.

Get help from NNT Mart

If you would rather not do this yourself, send us your website address. We will identify what the store runs on, read the PHP version and list the risks and fixes in plain language. If your store is too old to upgrade comfortably, we can also move it to a faster, safer platform, with an Android and iOS app on the same orders and stock if you want one. Use the contact form or WhatsApp on this page and we reply within minutes.

How NNT Software can help

If you cannot see your PHP version, or the upgrade breaks your theme or plugins, NNT Software can take over: back up the site, test the upgrade on a copy, fix compatibility problems and switch the live site during a quiet window. If the store is too old to repair economically, we will say so and quote a rebuild on NNT Mart instead.