Disable Automatic Updates

The Disable Automatic Updates function prevents WordPress from automatically updating plugins, themes, or WordPress core. This gives you complete control over when updates are applied to your site.

Overview

Automatic updates can occasionally break sites, especially with complex themes like Voxel. This function lets you disable auto-updates selectively for plugins, themes, and/or WordPress core.

Key Features

• Disable plugin auto-updates
• Disable theme auto-updates
• Disable WordPress core auto-updates
• Selective control (choose which to disable)
• Simple toggle configuration

Setup Instructions

Step 1: Enable the Function

1. Navigate to Voxel Toolkit → Functions in your WordPress admin
2. Find Disable Automatic Updates in the list
3. Toggle the switch to enable the function
4. Click Save Changes

Step 2: Configure Update Settings

Select which types of updates to disable:

Option	Description
Disable Plugin Updates	Prevents automatic plugin updates
Disable Theme Updates	Prevents automatic theme updates
Disable Core Updates	Prevents automatic WordPress core updates (major and minor)

What Gets Disabled

Plugin Updates

• Background automatic plugin updates
• Security updates for plugins
• Updates still appear in dashboard, just not applied automatically

Theme Updates

• Background automatic theme updates
• Parent and child theme updates
• Updates still appear in dashboard for manual application

Core Updates

• Major version updates (e.g., 6.4 to 6.5)
• Minor version updates (e.g., 6.4.1 to 6.4.2)
• Security patches
• Sets WP_AUTO_UPDATE_CORE constant to false

Security Warning

Disabling automatic updates means you are responsible for keeping your site updated. Outdated software can have security vulnerabilities. Make sure to regularly check for and apply updates manually.

Use Cases

Production Site Stability

Test updates on a staging site before applying to production to avoid unexpected issues.

Complex Theme Dependencies

Voxel and Elementor updates may need testing before applying. Disable auto-updates to control timing.

Managed Hosting

Some hosts provide their own update management. Disable WordPress auto-updates to avoid conflicts.

Best Practices

With Auto-Updates Disabled

• Check for updates at least weekly
• Create a backup before updating
• Test updates on a staging site first
• Apply security updates promptly
• Subscribe to security advisories for your plugins

Troubleshooting

Updates Still Happening

• Check if other plugins are forcing updates
• Verify function is enabled and specific update types are checked
• Check if hosting provider has their own update system
• Clear any caching

Can’t Re-Enable Updates

• Disable this function in Voxel Toolkit settings
• WordPress auto-updates will resume on next cron run