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You can enable automatic updates for WordPress plugins from Plugins → Installed Plugins. Click Enable auto-updates beside each eligible plugin, or select several plugins and use the bulk action. This opt-in control has been available since WordPress 5.5.
Enable automatic updates in the WordPress dashboard
- Sign in to your WordPress Admin area.
- Open Plugins → Installed Plugins.
- Locate the plugin you want to update automatically and find the Automatic Updates column.
- Click Enable auto-updates.
- Repeat for each plugin you want covered.
The link changes to Disable auto-updates after the setting is enabled. Use that link whenever you want to return the plugin to manual updates.
Enable updates for several plugins at once
- On Plugins → Installed Plugins, select the checkboxes for the plugins you want to include.
- Open the bulk-actions menu above the list.
- Choose the action to enable automatic updates.
- Click Apply.
To reverse a bulk selection, choose the disable-automatic-updates action and click Apply.
When WordPress runs updates and how it reports them
By default, WordPress schedules plugin and theme automatic updates twice per day. The Plugins screen shows the time remaining until the next scheduled update. WordPress emails site owners after successful updates, failed updates, or a run with mixed results, so check the site’s administrative email when an update does not complete cleanly.
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Prepare a rollback before switching updates on
Automatic updates reduce the time a vulnerable or outdated plugin remains installed, but an update can still conflict with a theme, another plugin, or custom code. Make a current backup and verify that you can restore it before opting in. WordPress recommends regular automatic backups; a reputable backup plugin or managed backup service can provide the rollback path if the site becomes unstable.
If “Enable auto-updates” is missing
Check the WordPress version
Plugin auto-update controls were introduced in WordPress 5.5. On older installations, update WordPress itself before looking for the toggle.
Check for a host or plugin policy
On WordPress 5.5 and newer, a hosting configuration or another plugin can disable the feature. Temporarily review management, security, or update-control settings and ask the host whether automatic plugin updates are restricted at the server level.
Confirm how the plugin was installed
The core toggle is not universal. Plugins installed from an external ZIP file may not display update notices unless the author provides an updater. Many premium plugins use their own updater and account connection instead of WordPress.org’s standard update system, so follow that vendor’s update controls.
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Fix automatic updates that never run
Inspect Site Health and WP-Cron
- Open Tools → Site Health in WordPress Admin.
- Review the status and recommended items for scheduled events or WP-Cron errors.
- Resolve blocked loopback requests, cron failures, or hosting restrictions identified there, then wait for the next scheduled update window.
Because the default schedule runs twice daily, a corrected cron problem may not produce an immediate update. You can also check the plugin’s update status and the notification email for the specific failure.
Use WP-CLI instead of the dashboard
Administrators with shell access can manage the same setting with official WP-CLI commands:
wp plugin auto-updates enable <plugin>
wp plugin auto-updates enable --all
wp plugin auto-updates disable <plugin>
wp plugin auto-updates status <plugin>enable <plugin>opts in one named plugin.enable --allopts in all eligible plugins.disable <plugin>removes the opt-in for one named plugin.status <plugin>reports that plugin’s current automatic-update state.
Dashboard or WP-CLI: which workflow fits?
| Consideration | Dashboard | WP-CLI |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | Uses a browser and WordPress Admin | Requires shell access and command-line familiarity |
| Scope | One plugin or a selected bulk set | One named plugin or all eligible plugins |
| Auditability | Visible setting and admin notices | Command output plus shell or server logs |
| Failure diagnosis | Admin email and Tools → Site Health | Command output, cron checks, and server logs |
What automatic plugin updates do—and do not—cover
The setting is an opt-in preference for each eligible plugin; it does not force every update source to use WordPress’s built-in updater. External-ZIP and many premium plugins may require the developer’s own updater, license connection, or separate account settings. Keep those plugins on their supported update path and include them in your backup and testing plan.
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