Normally, pending updates should be visible in the backend under „Updates“ or in the list of plugins. If this does not happen, there may be various reasons.
Check website status
Look under Tools > Website status to see if there are any messages from WordPress itself about external connections. WordPress recognizes possible problems when retrieving updates itself and documents them here.
A plugin controls the updates
Check whether you are using a plugin that controls the updating of plugins in your project. An example of this would be ManageWP. Check what needs to be done to the settings of this plugin to display updates from other plugins. If necessary, contact the support of the plugin that controls your updates.
The updates are deactivated
Check whether in the wp-config.php of your project the constant DISALLOW_FILE_MODS is set. You can access the file e.g. via FTPFTP File Transfer Protocol access. If you have any questions, please contact your hoster's support team.
A security plugin blocks external access
Security plugins can also influence plugin updates. These then usually prevent external access from WordPress, which is a plausible security criterion in some projects. Check whether you are using a security plugin that provides such a function. If you have any questions, contact the plugin's support team.
A firewall in the hosting blocks external access
If none of the above cases apply to your project, a firewall in the hosting can also prevent access from WordPress to external sources. Contact your host's support team for clarification.
Note for my commercial plugins
The commercial plugins I have developed (such as Personio integration) access the domain laolaweb.com for updates. This domain may need to be activated in upstream firewalls. The plugin already configures WordPress itself so that access is possible - no manual intervention is necessary here.
Download and install updates manually.
If the normal way of updating does not work, you can also update the plugins manually.
- Call up the relevant plugin page at wordpress.org.
- There you will find the „Download“ link at the top right to download the latest version as a ZIP file. Save this locally on your computer.
- In the WordPress backend, go to Plugins > Add plugin > Add and select the ZIP file downloaded in step 2. Confirm the upload.
- Confirm the overwriting of the existing plugin as the last step.
Note for my commercial plugins
For these you can go to https://laolaweb.com/plugins/plugin-lizenz-abfragen/ by entering the project domain or license to retrieve the current version. It is then also available there as a ZIP file.
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