How do you determine the version of WordPress a website is using without accessing the CMS Backend? The most effective approach is to log in to the “wp-admin” area and navigate to the “Updates” section. However, this method may not always be accessible. There could be various reasons for wanting to check the WordPress version of a website. Here are a few scenarios:
- You’ve been approached by a potential client, and you’re interested in evaluating the maintenance of their site by checking the WordPress version.
- You’re troubleshooting server errors and wish to determine if an older version of WordPress might be the culprit.
- You’ve encountered an unfamiliar issue and are curious to know if it’s related to a recent WordPress version.
- Alternatively, you may be looking for websites with outdated WordPress versions for exploitative purposes.
- At BlogsWizards, we aim to identify the WordPress version for inclusion in the upcoming free WordPress site scan reports we plan to offer soon.
Statistics on WordPress Versions
Certain charts on the WordPress Statistics page display the platforms utilized by individuals running WordPress.
Various Methods for Verifying the WordPress Version
We’ve identified five effective methods for determining the WordPress version of a website. While not foolproof, each method is reliable and listed below in increasing order of complexity:
- Readme file:
Check the readme.html file located at the root of a WordPress site (e.g., https://blogswizards.net/readme.html). - Feed generator tag:
If access to the readme.html file is restricted, inspect the source of the site’s RSS feed (usually found at https://blogswizards.net/feed/) for a <generator> tag. - Generator tag in HTML source:
Look for a <meta name=”generator” content=”WordPress x.x.x” /> tag in the HTML source of the webpage. - Version of included files:
Examine the HTML source of the site’s homepage for script includes, such as comment-reply.js, which may contain a version parameter (?ver=x.x.x).
- MD5 hash of publicly accessible files:
This method involves generating an MD5 hash of publicly accessible files, such as comment-reply.js, and comparing it to a library of known hashes for different WordPress versions.
For a quick result, refer to the readme.html file. BlogsWizards offers a comprehensive database and network connecting WordPress sites, themes, users, professionals, and industry benchmarks. Additionally, there are various WordPress version detection tools available online, such as “WordPress version checker” or “detect WordPress version,” offering features like a free WordPress site scanner, dashboard for tracking WordPress sites, directory of WordPress professionals, theme explorer, and more.
We welcome any additional insights or methods for checking the WordPress version in the comments below.
Frequently Asked Questions: Checking WordPress Version
To check your WordPress version, simply log in to your WordPress dashboard and go to the Updates section.
You can programmatically check the WordPress version by inserting the following code into your theme’s functions.php file:
function get_wordpress_version() {
global $wp_version;
return $wp_version;
}
$wordpress_version = get_wordpress_version();
Once this code is added, you can retrieve the WordPress version by calling the $wordpress_version variable.
