1. Helpcenter - Cloud86
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Plesk: Changing PHP version

If your Website/CMS (Content management system) is built with PHP, like WordPress, then there are different versions of PHP that you can use for this. By default we set one of the latest PHP versions, but if your website is built with an older PHP version this can lead to problems.

In the Plesk Control Panel you can change the PHP version used by your website. By always using the latest version you are assured of the latest security updates. In addition, new versions often bring new functionality that can make your website faster.

Older PHP versions are eventually phased out and no longer updated. This makes your website vulnerable. So it is important to regularly update the PHP version of your website. Before changing PHP versions, it is a good idea to make sure you are up to date with all the updates and have a recent backup.

Login on Plesk Control Panel

  1. In My Cloud86 (link), click in the left menu on My Services.
  2. Click the 3 dots behind the web hosting package you want to see in Plesk and click View Details.
  3. Under the heading Manage Webhosting (middle of the page), click on Websites & Domains.
  4. You will now be automatically logged into the Plesk Control Panel.

For the full manual with images, follow Login to Plesk

Modify PHP Version

  1. Before you update the PHP version check if the plugins and theme support the new version. If in doubt, you can check their documentation. For updating plugins and themes see also WordPress: Update Plugins, Theme and WordPress Core.
  2. In Plesk, under the domain/website you want to change the PHP version of, click PHP. In this example, we are going to change PHP version of the domain cloud86example.com.
  3. In the new menu, click on the version behind PHP version to choose the version you want to use. Remember the old version, for when you want to go back. In the example, we click PHP 8.3.6 and then click OK at the bottom.
  4. Right now you have changed the PHP version of the website. Always check in another browser or with incognito mode that the website is still online and working, the same browser may still have the website sitting in cache, making it look like everything is fine but the website is not working.

Troubleshooting

If you update PHP version and the website no longer works, it can be useful to know why it stops working. In this case, with WordPress Websites, you can use the built-in debug tools, see the tutorial at learn.wordpress.com (link).

For updating your own PHP code, you can use the following link to see what you need to do to move from one PHP version to a higher PHP version (link).

If you need some help, you can always reach our support desk by email support@cloud86.io and on weekdays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm you can also reach us by phone and via the chat in My Cloud86.