Sometimes you need to find WordPress version you have installed on site. Knowing which version of WordPress you’re running is crucial to ensure that your website is up to date with latest version releases.
If you have an older version of WordPress installed, you should update as each update comes with security fixes and new features. In this post, I will show you various methods in which you can find your WordPress version.
Why does the WordPress version matter?
- Security – One of the biggest reasons why products, tools, software get updates is to prevent security leaks. New threats are constantly detected.
- Glitches – Fixing bugs and problems is another reason.
- New Features – Adding new features is an important part of newest versions. For example, WordPress version 2 doesn’t have responsive support. Each major update often comes with significant improvements to make building a website easier, safer and more efficient.
- Incompatibilities – Some plugins may be incompatible with your current version of WordPress. This happens a lot, especially when trying to use tools that are more than two years old.
You can see latest WordPress version by visiting the WordPress.org website. Use download section if you can’t update your website from your site dashboard.
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How To Find WordPress Version You Have Installed?
There are couple methods to find WordPress version which you have on your website.
#1. Check Version From Admin Area
Login to the admin area of your WordPress site. On the dashboard page, scroll down to the bottom. You will see ‘Thanks for creating with WordPress’ text. Next to it (on the right), you will see WordPress version number.
On the same dashboard page, you can also find your WordPress version number in the At a Glance admin widget.
#2. Current Version In Dashboard Updates Section
In your admin dashboard go to Dashboard > Updates. You should see the version you’re using listed toward the top of the page.
The Updates page lets you know whether you’re up-to-date.
#3. Looking At The Footer
Take a look at the footer of any page in your WordPress dashboard. You should see the version of WordPress you’re using on the right. The version number will probably not be listed in the dashboard of sites within a Multisite network, and it isn’t shown on mobile devices or smaller browser window sizes.
#4. Find WordPress Version By Looking For Generator Tag
In some cases, you may not be able to see the version information in WordPress admin area. Maybe you don’t have administrator access, or you are trying to find out WordPress version of a site you don’t own or control.
Please note that below methods may not work on every website. If site owner implemented security features to hide this information, then you will not be able to see it. Visit the website in a browser window. Right click on any empty area on the screen and select View Page Source from the browser menu.
This will load the site’s source code in the browser window. Press CTRL+F and then search for ‘generator.’
If it is a WordPress site, and if the site owner hasn’t disabled version information, then you will be able to see a tag like this:
<meta name="generator" content="WordPress 4.4.2" />
This meta tag is used by WordPress to show that a site is created using WordPress. Many site owners remove WordPress version number, so this tag may not show up on some WordPress sites.
#5. Viewing Readme File
Each WordPress installation adds a readme.html file in the website’s root folder. Unless the site owner has disabled access to this file, you can access it by adding readme.html at the end of the site’s URL. The readme file will show you the WordPress version on top.
#6. Viewing Login Screen
WordPress login screen also contains information in the source code that would reveal the WordPress version of a website. However, this method would only work if the WordPress site owner hasn’t disabled access to the login page or admin area via .htaccess.
Simply add wp-login.php to a WordPress site’s URL. Example: When the page loads, right click on any empty area on the screen. Select View Page Source from the browser menu. This will open the login screen’s source code. Press CTRL+F and search for ‘ver=.’
#7. Looking At Version.php File
If the administration interface is unavailable or you cannot log in, you can still determine the WordPress version by checking the version.php file.
To do this navigate to the wp-includes directory in the directory where you installed WordPress. You can do this several ways:
- From the command line using SSH.
- From cPanel using the File Manager (cPanel vs vDeck).
- From an FTP client.
In the wp-includes directory, open the version.php file in a text editor or viewer. Locate the $wp_version variable. This variable’s value contains the current WordPress version.
Find WordPress Version Summary
Knowing the version of WordPress can help you determine strategies for security protocols, updates, plugins, etc. There are also many plugins which display WordPress version and other data from its settings.
If you want to make sure your site doesn’t publicly display your version of WordPress, try using a plugin like All In One WP Security. There are also many security plugins that can hide the version you’re using such as MalCare (see MalCare review), Hide My WP or iThemes Security (check iThemes Security review).
Hope above-mentioned methods helped you find WordPress version of your site. If you have any other method, let me know in comments below.
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Thanks for sharing the guide, it is very detailed with each step.
Thanks. If you have any questions just let me know.