PHP is the programming language WordPress is written in, and every WordPress website runs on a particular version of it, set by the host. On 31 December 2026, PHP 8.2 reaches the end of its life: after that date the PHP project stops releasing security fixes for it.
PHP 8.2 stopped getting regular bug fixes at the end of 2024 and has only had security patches since. Once those stop too, any new vulnerability found in it will stay unpatched for good.
Why it matters
A website on an unsupported version of PHP is an easy target. Attackers know which versions no longer get fixes, and they look for sites still running them. It also becomes harder to keep everything else up to date, because plugin and theme developers drop support for old PHP versions and their updates stop installing.
The supported versions are PHP 8.3, which gets security fixes until the end of 2027, and PHP 8.4, which is fully supported until the end of 2028. PHP 8.5 is the newest release. Each new version is usually a little faster as well, so upgrading tends to make sites quicker.
How to upgrade safely
Changing the PHP version is a single setting on most hosting, but switching it on a live site without testing is how things break. A safe upgrade looks like this:
- Take a full backup of the files and the database, so you can roll back.
- Update WordPress, your theme and your plugins first. Older versions are the most likely to fail on newer PHP.
- Switch a staging copy of the site to the new version and test the important pages, forms and checkout.
- Check the error log for warnings, and fix or replace anything that isn’t compatible.
- Switch the live site over, then keep an eye on the error log for a few days.
Most well-maintained sites move up without any trouble. The ones that struggle are usually running abandoned plugins or custom code that hasn’t been touched in years, and it’s better to find that out now than after an attack.
What we’re doing
If we host your website, you don’t need to do anything. Updates are part of our managed hosting, so we’ll test your site on a supported version of PHP and make the switch before the deadline. If your site is hosted elsewhere and you’re not sure which version it runs on, get in touch and we’ll check it for you.
