Your support helps keep this blog running! Secure payments via Paypal and Stripe.
Maintaining a WordPress Multisite network involves regular updates to the core system, themes, and plugins. Updates are essential for security, performance, and compatibility, but without a careful approach, you risk downtime or broken functionality. This guide walks through the safest workflow.
Why Updates Matter
WordPress, themes, and plugins frequently receive updates that include security patches, bug fixes, and performance improvements. Skipping updates increases your risk of exploitation: outdated software is one of the most common vectors for attacks.
In a Multisite environment, one site’s vulnerability can impact the entire network, so disciplined maintenance is critical.
Best Practice Workflow
Always Back Up First
Before any update, create a full backup of your database and files. This allows rollback if something goes wrong. Backups can be done via your hosting control panel (cPanel, Plesk), or plugins like UpdraftPlus or Jetpack Backup.
Use a Staging Environment
A staging (clone) of your live network is the safest place to test updates. Run updates there first to check for conflicts or broken functionality before pushing changes to production. Many managed hosts provide one-click staging.
Update in a Logical Order
Generally, update the WordPress core first, then themes, then plugins. Testing in staging after each step helps identify conflicts.
Tip
If you have more than 10 plugin updates available, I recommend updating them one by one. This helps avoid server timeouts, especially if your server has limited resources (PHP timeout and memory usage). Updating plugins one by one also helps identify the cause of any ‘White Screen of Death’ errors.
Upgrade the Network After All Updates Are Complete
After updating the WordPress core, themes, and plugins, a WordPress Multisite network upgrade may still be required. This step updates the database structure for each site in the network to ensure full compatibility with the new WordPress version.
In the Network Admin Dashboard, you may see a notice prompting you to “Upgrade Network | Database Update Required.” This process runs database upgrades across all sites and should be completed immediately after core updates. It will take a few minutes. You will need to click on the “Upgrade Network” button.
Failing to run the network upgrade can lead to:
- Inconsistent behavior between sites
- Database-related errors
- Plugin or theme incompatibilities
The upgrade process is usually quick and does not affect site content, but it should always be performed after backups are confirmed and preferably during a maintenance window.
Completing the network upgrade ensures that all sites in the Multisite environment are fully aligned with the latest system changes and operating as intended.
Minimize Risk on Live Sites
Schedule updates during low-traffic periods to limit user impact. For busy networks, consider weekly maintenance windows for minor updates and monthly windows for major updates.
Network-level Updates for Multisite
In WordPress Multisite, only a Super Admin can update themes or plugins across the network. Updating a theme in network admin applies it to all sites that use it. Always review affected sites after updates.
Audit and Reduce Bloat
Fewer themes and plugins mean fewer points of failure. Remove inactive or unused components to improve security and performance.
Additional Safety Measures
Limit Who Can Install or Activate
Restrict plugin/theme installations to trusted Super Admins; limiting permissions reduces the risk of unvetted code running on the network. I strongly recommend this limitation.
Monitor Security Alerts
Subscribe to security advisories. Known vulnerabilities in plugins (e.g., CVEs) are often disclosed publicly. Applying updates promptly reduces exposure. You can use the SolipWP Pro plugin to monitor security alerts effectively.
Use Tools for Controlled Updates
Plugins like Easy Updates Manager allow you to manage auto-updates for core, themes, and plugins selectively.
Summary
Updating a WordPress Multisite network safely comes down to planning and testing: backups, staging testing, structured update order, and monitoring. With these practices in place, you keep your network secure and stable without surprises.
Don’t risk downtime or security issues.
Contact me today to keep your WordPress network secure and up to date.
✔ Regular core, theme, and plugin updates
✔ Full backups before every update
✔ Staging environment testing
Your support helps keep this blog running! Secure payments via Paypal and Stripe.
