A plugin says “requires WordPress 6.4 or higher,” a developer asks which version you’re running, or you just want to know if your site is still up to date. It’s a simple question—and fortunately, a simple answer: you can check your WordPress version in several places, with or without access to the dashboard. We’ll walk through these locations from easiest to most technical, and then discuss why that version number is more than just a piece of trivia.
On the dashboard: three spots
If you can log in, you’ll have the answer within ten seconds. The quickest place to check is the Updates screen: click on Dashboard in the menu, then Updates, and at the top it will literally show which version you’re running and whether a newer one is available. Second option: scroll all the way to the bottom of any dashboard screen; the version number is displayed in small gray text in the bottom-right corner. And the third option provides the most context right away: go to Tools, then Site Health, open the Info tab, and expand the WordPress section. There you’ll find the version along with other useful information, such as your PHP version (the programming language WordPress runs on) and your database version—exactly the information a developer or support representative would ask for.
Without the dashboard: via the files
If you can't log in—for example, because the site is down—and you want to know which version you're dealing with, you can check the version in a file. Open the file manager in your hosting control panel or connect via FTP (file access to your hosting), go to the wp-includes folder, and open the version.php file. At the top, you’ll see a line like $wp_version = ‘6.7.1’; and that’s your answer. This is the most reliable source available, because this file is literally where WordPress stores its own version number.
For advanced users, there’s an even faster way: log in via SSH and run `wp core version` using WP-CLI (WordPress’s command-line interface). This is handy if you manage multiple sites and want to check their versions all at once.
Why You Don't Want This to Be Visible from the Outside
There are also ways to determine the version from the outside, for example, via the meta-generator tag in a site’s source code or the version number included in file URLs. Good to know, but above all, a word of caution: if you can do that, automated attack scripts can too. They scan the web for sites running outdated versions with known security vulnerabilities. That’s why many security plugins hide the version number from external view, and that’s perfectly fine. However, the real solution to that risk isn’t hiding it but staying up to date: an up-to-date version has no known vulnerabilities to be found.
What the version number tells you
WordPress versions consist of two or three digits, and that difference is exactly what matters. The first two digits (6.7) indicate the major version, which includes new features. The third digit (6.7.1) is a maintenance release that almost always patches security vulnerabilities. Rule of thumb: if you’re behind on a maintenance release, you’re demonstrably running with known, published vulnerabilities, and updating is urgent. If you’re behind on a major version, you’ll miss out on features, and the risk increases that new plugin updates won’t work with your version. In practice, outdated software is the most common cause of hacked WordPress sites we encounter, so this version number is directly linked to your site’s security.
WordPress automatically installs minor updates by default, so they’ll be applied automatically on a healthy site. If you do see an outdated version during your check, update it using the safe procedure: first, make a backup (a copy of your site); then update; and finally, check again. That complete procedure, including what to do if an update causes something to break, is described in our A Complete Guide to WordPress Management, and you can read about how to set up that backup safety net in our A Complete Guide to WordPress Backups and Migration.
At Surver: With our managed packages, we handle updates for you, including a compatibility check beforehand. The version check described in this article is therefore mainly a reassuring spot check: you should always see the latest version there.
Be sure to check these two as well
While you’re looking at the Site Health screen, take note of two key pieces of information. The PHP version should be a recent one officially recommended by WordPress; an outdated PHP version slows down your site and causes error messages. And the list of plugins and themes awaiting updates often says more about your site’s health than the WordPress version number itself, because that’s exactly where most security vulnerabilities originate.
At Surver: You can easily switch PHP versions yourself in your hosting dashboard, and we always support the versions officially recommended by WordPress. If you’re unsure what’s best for your site, our support team is here to help seven days a week.
From checking to tracking
The version check is just a snapshot; what keeps your site healthy is the routine behind it. Make the check a regular part of your maintenance routine, along with updates and backups. If you’ve just started using WordPress and want to build those good habits from the start, our A Beginner's Guide to Creating a Website with WordPress get you started.
