The quickest way is to use cPanel's JetBackup 5 to restore the whole WordPress site, meaning the files and the database, to the same date before the update. In the vast majority of cases the site works again straight away and you can then look calmly for what went wrong. If you prefer to find the cause first, start from the error email WordPress sends and from the error_log file.
Why did the site break on its own
By default WordPress updates its core automatically. Minor security updates are applied automatically on every installation, and on newer installations major versions are applied automatically too. A major version change, for example from 5 to 6, needs the theme and plugins in versions compatible with the new release. If these were not updated along with it, visitors see an error or a broken layout.
Common causes:
- The theme or plugins do not have automatic updates enabled and stayed on an old version.
- A premium plugin, such as WPML, does not update because there is no active licence from the developer.
- You updated plugins and one of them changed the appearance, for example the font or the sorting in the shop.
This problem does not come from the hosting. It would happen in exactly the same way with any provider.
What does "There has been a critical error on this website" mean
It is the message WordPress shows when a plugin or the theme causes a PHP error that stops the page from loading. WordPress then sends an email to the site administrator's address, naming the plugin or theme responsible, with a link to log in using recovery mode. If you can't find the email, check your spam folder too. If it never arrived, go straight to the restore.
Restoring the whole WordPress site with JetBackup 5
This is the method we almost always recommend, because it brings the site back online without you needing to know the cause in advance.
### What you need before you start
- Access to cPanel. See the ways to log in to cPanel.
- The date and approximate time the update happened.
- If you run a shop, the orders placed after the update. Restoring the database deletes them. If you want to keep today's data, first export the database from phpMyAdmin with Export.
### Steps
- Log in to cPanel.
- Open JetBackup 5.
- Go to Restore & Download > Home Directory.
- Choose a backup dated before the update.
- Select the WordPress folder, usually the whole public_html.
- Click Restore and confirm.
- Go to Restore & Download > Databases.
- Select the WordPress database and a backup from the same date as the files.
- Click Restore and confirm.
- Wait for the jobs in the Queue to complete.
Files and database must go back to the same date. If you restore only one of them, WordPress may end up with files and database from different versions. You will find details on restore points and options in the JetBackup 5 guide.
### How you'll know it worked
Open the site in a private browsing window. If it loads normally, log in to the WordPress dashboard and check that the main functions work. If you use LiteSpeed Cache, purge the whole cache so that you don't see the old, broken version of the page.
How do I find what went wrong
Once the site works again, you can track down the cause before you repeat the update.
- Read the WordPress error email, if it arrived. It usually names the plugin or theme.
- Open cPanel > Metrics > Errors for the site's latest errors. See the guide to cPanel Errors.
- Open the error_log file in the WordPress folder with File Manager, usually inside public_html. Errors in the dashboard are written to the error_log in the wp-admin folder. The last lines usually show the file of the plugin that caused the problem.
- Then update the components one at a time, starting with the theme and the plugins, and leave the core until last if there was a major version change.
How do I update a plugin manually without taking risks
Some premium plugins don't update from the dashboard and the new version comes as a zip file. Before you upload it, keep a copy of the database.
- Open cPanel > Databases > phpMyAdmin.
- Select the WordPress database in the left column.
- Open the Export tab at the top.
- Click the Export button and keep the file on your computer.
- Open cPanel > File Manager.
- Go to the public_html > wp-content > plugins folder.
- Click Upload and upload the plugin zip.
- Right-click the zip and choose Extract, so that the new files replace the old ones in the plugin folder.
- Check the site.
Update one plugin at a time and check the site after each one. That way, if something breaks, you know immediately which one is to blame. If something goes wrong, restore the database and the plugin folder from JetBackup 5 with the steps in the previous section. For phpMyAdmin settings see the phpMyAdmin guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why didn't the restore fix the site?
If the error remains even after restoring files and database, the cause is not the latest update. It usually needs a coordinated update of the theme and plugins to versions that support the new WordPress release, which for premium plugins requires an active licence.
What do I do if the appearance didn't go back, for example the font?
Purge the LiteSpeed Cache and your browser cache. If you use Cloudflare, purge the cache there too. If the change remains, try a slightly older restore point.
What does "Update Failed: Download failed. cURL error 60" during an update mean?
WordPress cannot verify the certificate of the server it downloads the update from. The error does not concern your own site's SSL certificate, so issuing a new certificate does not fix it. Open a ticket so we can check it. Meanwhile, if the site broke from a half-finished update, restore an older backup and do the update manually, as described above.
Can you do the restore for me if I don't want to do it myself?
Open a ticket from the Client Area with the domain and the date you want the site to go back to, and we will do the restore, provided a copy from that date exists. A restore by us has no guaranteed time and may be charged. See how to open a support ticket.