WordPress is founded on an online community that is enthusiastic about the latest and greatest online technologies. Although this is fantastic for always having an improved version of this open-source content management system (CMS), it can prove to be tedious for those trying to keep up with the latest.
How do you know if you have the latest available version of WordPress? The answer to this question is very important, as the tedious problems you may have encountered may very well be solved in the latest version of WordPress.
The simplest way to find the version of WordPress you are running is at the bottom of every admin page, or in your Dashboard (2.7 and above).
After you log in to your WordPress site, and are greeted with the main Dashboard, scroll to the very bottom. In the footer of your dashboard, look at the right corner. In small letters, the version of WordPress you are using will be noted.
If for some reason you are struggling with the former method, you can also look in the file: wp-includes/version.php on your server. This useful file will indicate the current version of WordPress that you are running.
Always check Dashboard Updates to see if there are newer and improved versions or upgrades available from WordPress. Always having the latest available version will ensure you encounter the least amount of problems, and the latest features and will help you have a streamlined WordPress experience.
We recommend having your webmaster backup your website and database before upgrading in case you run into issues with customization to your WordPress theme, or certain plugins used are not compatible with latest version of WordPress and alternatives must be found to replace current plugins.