You can check for the most recent updates and update WHMCS quickly and easily from directly within the Admin Area.

You can access this feature at Utilities > Update WHMCS.

Checking for Updates #

The system automatically checks for updates periodically. When an update becomes available, a notification will appear in the Admin Area.

You can also check for updates manually by clicking Check for Updates. You may need to do this to see recent releases prior to the next automated check.

Updating WHMCS #

If you see a An update is available message, you can click Update Now to begin an automatic update.

Requirements for Automatic Updates #

WHMCS has several system requirements for automatic updates:

• A PHP memory limit of at least 128 MB.
• At least 250 MB of free disk space.
• The PHP allow_url_fopen setting is enabled.
• The PHP max_execution_time setting is 60 seconds or more.
• The PHP Zip Extension or the proc_open PHP function are enabled.
• The PHP open_basedir setting includes the entire WHMCS document root.

Verifying the Upgrade #

After the update finishes, check to ensure that WHMCS is working properly. We recommend testing all of the important features and functions in WHMCS, like logging in as a client and as an admin, viewing products, submitting support tickets, and placing new orders.

We also recommend monitoring the alert messages at Configuration () > System Health for the 24 hours following the update:

Update Settings #

You can also configure settings for your update channels, set a maintenance message to display during updates, and specify the directory to use for staging update files.

Update Channel #

You can choose the update channel for your WHMCS installation. This setting indicates the least-stable version that you want to use for updates.

WHMCS ships new updates using the following update channel options:

Patch and Maintenance Release Updates #

If you are on a WHMCS version that is in Long-Term Support and we issue a patch for that version, you can perform an update to apply the patch without moving to a newer WHMCS version.

To do this:

1. Select the Current Version update channel.
2. Click Check for Updates to refresh the available version.
3. Proceed with your update as usual.

You may wish to change this setting back to Stable after updating to ensure that future checks display the most recent stable version.

Temporary Update Path #

The temporary path allows you to stage files during an update. For security reasons, ensure that this directory is outside of the public document root, like the attachments, downloads, and templates_c directories.

• The path must be an absolute path (for example, /var/www/html/update_temp instead of ~/update_temp).
• The PHP user must be able to write to this path.

Maintenance Message #

Use this option to set a message to display to other admins and users whenever an update is in progress.

Update File Changes #

During the update process, WHMCS will update all of the core files to ensure that WHMCS continues to work correctly. This includes updating the default templates and order forms.

Updates overwrite the following files:

• Language Files (~/whmcs/lang and ~/whmcs/admin/lang)
• Default Templates (~/whmcs/templates/six and ~/whmcs/templates/orderforms)
• WHMCS-Supplied Modules (~/whmcs/modules/)
• Core WHMCS Files

When you initiate an update at Utilities > Update WHMCS, WHMCS will scan the default template directories. You will see a warning if the scan finds any customizations that updating would overwrite.

Customizations to Open-Source Files #

We provide some WHMCS files as open-source code, in order to allow customization (for example, the /aff.php file). Make certain that you back these customizations up before performing updates and restore them manually after the update is complete.

Preserving Customizations #

When you customize parts of WHMCS, make certain to use the recommended methods:

• Copy the desired files if you want to customize a theme or template. Make certain that you do not store your customizations in the default template folders.
• Use override files if you want to customize a locale.
• Ensure that you create a uniquely-named copy of any modules that you customize.
• Ensure that you create override files for any changes to the shipped dist.whois.json and dist.additionalfields.php files. To avoid overwriting your customizations, you must store changes in the appropriate override files.

Troubleshooting #

You can find the log of Automatic Updater actions in the WHMCS database. Review the tblupdatelog table for the most recent entries (the highest id values).

Checking for Updates #

You may encounter the following common issues while checking for available WHMCS updates:

Updating #

You may encounter the following common issues while updating or when an update fails:

After Updating #

You may encounter the following common issues after you finish applying an update:

Last modified: 2025 February 6