Set WordPress Hosting settings

WordPress Hosting Settings holds two things. The defaults fill in the forms for new and imported sites. The update policy decides which WordPress, plugin and theme updates install by themselves on every site.

Before you start

Anyone on the team can read the settings. To change them you need the Manage Settings permission. To change the update policy you also need access to every Application Hosting service on the account, because the policy covers every site.

Set defaults for new sites

1. Go to WordPress Hosting, then select Settings.
2. Under Defaults for New Sites, choose a Region, a Tier and a PHP Version, or No Default.
3. Enter an Admin Email, or leave it empty to use the email address of whoever deploys the site.
4. Select Save Settings.

The Create New Site and Import Existing Site forms start from these choices. You can still change them for each site.

Set the automatic update policy

1. Under Automatic Updates, choose what WordPress Core does:
   • Minor Releases: security and maintenance releases install by themselves, and major versions wait for you. This is WordPress’s own default.
   • All Releases: every release installs by itself, major versions included.
   • Off: nothing installs by itself, not even security releases. You update each site yourself.
2. Turn Update Plugins Automatically and Update Themes Automatically on or off. Plugins and themes installed later follow these too.
3. Select Save Settings.

The policy applies to all your WordPress Hosting sites, and every site deployed or moved in later follows it. It replaces the automatic update choices made in each site’s WP Admin. Saving again without changes applies it again, for example to a site that was stopped last time.

What you see afterwards

You see Settings saved. Applying the update policy to your sites. The Update Policy Status card shows the policy reaching each site. Select View Progress to open its progress page.

Each site ends up Applied, Not Applied or Skipped. A site is skipped when it isn’t running. A site whose site agent needs an upgrade is listed with the way to upgrade it.

To undo changes you haven’t saved, select Discard Changes.

If something goes wrong

• You can view these settings. Changing them needs the Manage Settings permission from your account owner.
• The update policy covers every site of the account, so changing it needs access to all of its Application Hosting services. Ask your account owner.
• Some settings were not accepted. Check the highlighted fields.
• The settings were saved, but applying them to your sites could not start. Save again to retry.