> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.fastcat.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Updates & PHP Settings

> Keep WordPress core current, and tune PHP memory, upload size, and execution time.

Everything on this page lives on your site's **WordPress** tab in the panel.

## Updating WordPress core

Click **Update WordPress core** and we queue the update for you: WordPress is updated, the database schema is migrated, and core file checksums are verified afterwards.

<Note>
  A fresh safety backup is always taken first. If you're at your backup limit, the panel asks you to delete an old restore point— or to continue deliberately without one. See [Backups](/wordpress/backups).
</Note>

### Automatic minor and security updates

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Automatic" icon="shield-check">
    Minor and security releases (5.9.1 → 5.9.2), checked daily, backed up first.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Manual" icon="hand">
    Major core versions, plugins, and themes— you decide when.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

New sites have automatic minor/security updates switched **on**. You can turn them off at any time from the WordPress tab; existing sites keep whatever setting they already had.

There's a second, separate choice for what happens when your backup slots are full:

* **Off (default)**— the update is held and we email you. Nothing changes until you free a slot.
* **On**— minor and security updates proceed even without a fresh backup, so you're never left on an unpatched version.

<Tip>
  Plugin and theme updates stay in your hands because they're where compatibility breaks. Take a restore point first, then update them from inside WordPress as usual.
</Tip>

## PHP runtime settings

The **Runtime settings** card exposes the three PHP limits people actually need:

| Setting            | What it affects                                                                                |
| ------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| PHP memory         | How much memory a single request may use. Raise it if you hit "allowed memory size exhausted". |
| Max upload size    | The largest file you can upload through the media library or a plugin importer.                |
| Max execution time | How long one request may run before it's stopped— imports, backups, and bulk jobs.             |

Saving restarts WordPress, so expect a few seconds of downtime.

<Warning>
  PHP memory choices are capped by your plan's memory allocation— the panel only offers values your site can actually honour. Need more headroom? Add capacity or move up a plan from the [Add-ons tab](/wordpress/plans-and-usage).
</Warning>

## Plugins and themes

The WordPress tab lists every plugin and theme installed on your site, with its version and status, so you can audit a site without logging in to WordPress. Installing, activating, and updating them happens inside WordPress itself.