How to Update Joomla Safely (and What the Update Channel Does)
Maintenance · Joomla 4, 5, 6 · Updated June 1, 2026
✅ Verified on Joomla 5.4.6 / 4.4.14: the admin path and the “Joomla Next” update channel below match the live installs (we also ran a real 4.4 → 5 upgrade). Always back up and test first.
Keeping Joomla current is the single most important security habit. Here’s a routine that avoids nasty surprises.
Step 1 — Back up first (always)
Take a full backup of files and database before any update. Akeeba Backup is the community standard. If an update goes wrong, a backup is the difference between a 5-minute restore and a lost site.
Step 2 — Check requirements
Confirm your server still meets the target version’s requirements (PHP, MySQL/MariaDB) with our version & PHP compatibility tool. If the server doesn’t meet a new major version’s requirements, Joomla won’t even offer that upgrade.
Step 3 — Run the update
Go to System → Update → Joomla (the Joomla Update component). If an update is available, review it and click to install. Point releases (e.g. 5.3 → 5.4) are routine; the core updates and applies any database changes automatically.
Step 4 — Moving to a new major version
By default the updater only offers updates within your current major series. To jump to the next major (e.g. Joomla 4.4 → 5), open the component’s Options and set the Update Channel to Joomla Next. We verified that this is exactly what makes the next major appear.
For full major-version moves, see:
Step 5 — Test afterwards
Check the front end and admin, especially third-party extensions and your template. If you see “Update finished with errors”, the upgrade often still completed — verify the version, then run Extensions → Manage → Database → Fix.