How to know what version of WordPress you have?

WordPress constantly improves its software, and each version brings new features, performance improvements, and security tweaks. Therefore, having the latest version of WordPress is crucial to keep a website safe from malicious threats and to ensure compatibility with different tools.

To keep users informed about current and future updates, WordPress provides a . That said, you may still be wondering where to find the kernel version that powers your website. There are a few ways to find out.

In this article we will talk about four methods to find out what version of WordPress you have without going too deep into the technical aspects of the website.

Why check the current version of WordPress?

with the latest version of the software is necessary to ensure that they work perfectly and are safe from cyber attacks.

The version of WordPress used on the site affects its compatibility with plugins and themes. If you update WordPress regularly, you will be able to use newer themes and plugins without any problem as they are developed to work with the latest version of WordPress.

However, the most important reason to check the current version of WordPress is to keep the site secure, as most of the WordPress vulnerabilities are related to the core of the software. This is because every new version of WordPress fixes previous bugs in the code.

Checking the version of WordPress and making sure it is the latest version will help you avoid these issues. Now, let’s learn how to find out which version of WordPress you’re using.

Four methods to check the current version of WordPress

There are several ways to find out what version of WordPress a website is using. The first is through the WordPress admin area, which requires a login to the control panel.

If it is impossible to log in due to an error and you need to check the WordPress version to resolve it, the page’s source code can store the information.

You can also check the version of WordPress by opening the file version.php of your web hosting account or, if you use , simply in the WordPress section in hPanel.

Let’s look at four methods to find out the version of WordPress used on a site.

Method 1 – Check the WordPress version in the admin area

The first and most convenient method is through the desktop. Simply , and go to the section of updates located in the left bar. Here, you will clearly see which version of WordPress you are using, and also the latest version of WordPress available.

If you find that you don’t have the latest version, make sure to make one of your site, before proceeding to upgrade to the latest version.

addition to the page updates, you can also find the version in use by scrolling down any page in the admin area to the footer. You should be able to see the text Thank you for creating with WordPressand right in front of it, the current version of WordPress.

Please note that this information is only available for WordPress version 4.1.5 and later. Mobile views are also not supported as of yet.

Method 2 – Check the WordPress version in the page code

There is a possibility that you cannot log in to the WordPress admin area or you lack the necessary credentials to do so. This means that you will not be able to find WordPress version information using the Option 1. But don’t worry: there is another method, albeit less reliable.

Typically, WordPress sites carry version information in an HTML meta tag. This tag is inserted by default into the site by the WordPress template, but can be disabled by the site administrator if they are security conscious. Still, it’s worth a try if you don’t have access to the admin area.

To find the version via the meta tag, simply open the website in your browser. Now, right click anywhere on the site and select the option View source code. This will open a new tab in your browser, which contains the HTML code for the page.
Now just type CTRL + F either COMMAND + F if you’re using a Mac. This will open the browser’s search tool. Write generator in the search field and see if anything comes up. If the site administrator hasn’t disabled the “generator” meta tag, you’ll see the tag like this:

< meta name="generator" content="WordPress 4.8" />

As stated above, displaying your version of WordPress for all to see like this is a serious security situation. If this is your own site, you should quickly disable this tag so it doesn’t appear. If you can’t see this tag, it means the theme you’re using is already hiding it, which is good in terms of keeping your site secure.

You can follow these steps to disable the “generator” meta tag from appearing in the page source code:

Access your WordPress admin dashboard.
go to Appearance -> Editor.
Select your current template and choose the file functions.php to edit it.
Paste the following code at the bottom of the file:

remove_action(‘wp_head’, ‘wp_generator’);

Save the changes by pressing the button update file.

Method 3 – Check version in version.php file

An alternative to the two methods mentioned above involves diving into the source files of your WordPress site. This is the most reliable method, but it also takes the most time.

Connect to your hosting account through the file manager of your web hosting provider or through a .
Once connected, navigate to the WordPress installation directory (usually this is public_html) and open the folder wp-includes.
Here, look for a file called version.php and open it. This file contains the version of your WordPress installation on the line 16which should look like this:

Method 4 – Check WordPress version in hPanel

There is an easy way to see the WordPress version in hPanel. In the WordPress section, choose Board. The WordPress information is located on the right side. You may have to scroll down to find it.

conclusion

Knowing your version of WordPress can be important if you plan to update to the latest version available, or if you want to get a plugin or theme that works on specific versions of WordPress.

In this tutorial, we have shown you four easy methods to find out what version of WordPress you currently have installed. If you want to prevent your WordPress version from being visible to the whole world, we recommend checking out our tutorial on and using plugins like and .

We hope this tutorial has been useful to you. Check out our tutorials for more related guides.

Gustavo is passionate about creating websites. He focuses on the application of SEO strategies at for Spain and Latin America, as well as the creation of high-level content. When he is not applying new WordPress tricks you can find him playing the guitar, traveling or taking an online course.