Most website owners never think about the software that runs their website behind the scenes. But one important piece of it, PHP version 8.1, stops getting security fixes on 31 December 2025. If your website still runs on it, now is the time to plan an upgrade.
What Is PHP?
PHP is the programming language that WordPress, and many other websites, are built with. It runs on your hosting server, which is the computer that stores your website and sends it to visitors. Every time someone opens a page, PHP puts that page together.
Like phones and computers, PHP gets new versions over time. Each version is looked after for a few years, and then support stops.
What Happens After 31 December?
Your website will not suddenly stop working on 1 January. It will keep running as it does today. The difference is that if anyone finds a new security weakness in PHP 8.1, it will not be fixed. Over time, that makes websites on 8.1 an easier target for hackers.
There are other knock-on effects too. Plugins (add-ons that give WordPress extra features) and themes gradually stop supporting old PHP versions. Some hosting companies also move customers off old versions or charge extra to keep them.
How to Check Your Version
There are two easy ways to find out which PHP version your website uses:
- In WordPress: log in, go to Tools, then Site Health, then the Info tab. Open the section called Server and look for "PHP version".
- In your hosting control panel: most hosting companies, through cPanel or their own dashboard, show the PHP version and let you change it. Look for a setting called something like "PHP version" or "PHP manager".
If it shows 8.1 or anything older, such as 7.4 or 8.0, your website needs attention. Versions older than 8.1 already stopped getting security fixes some time ago.
How to Upgrade Safely
Changing the PHP version is often just one click, but doing it without preparation can break a website. A plugin written for an older version might stop working and take the page down with it. Follow these steps in order:
- Take a full backup of your website and its content, so you can go back if anything goes wrong.
- Update your plugins and themes first. Newer versions are more likely to work with newer PHP. Remove any plugins you no longer use, and look for replacements for any that haven't been updated in years.
- Test on a copy of your website. Many hosts let you make a private copy, often called a staging site, that the public can't see. Switch the copy to the new PHP version and click through your important pages, forms and checkout.
- Switch the live website to PHP 8.2 or newer once the copy works well. PHP 8.2 is itself only supported until the end of 2026, so if everything works on 8.3 or 8.4, those give you more time before the next upgrade.
- Check again afterwards, and keep an eye on contact forms and online orders for a few days.
How We Can Help
At IDM2, we look after WordPress websites for businesses across Melbourne and Australia. Our hosting and maintenance care plans include keeping PHP, WordPress, plugins and themes up to date, with backups and testing done for you. If you are not sure which version your website runs, or you would like us to handle the upgrade before 31 December, get in touch with our Port Melbourne team.