Sometimes the right answer is simply to put things back. This service reverts a plugin or theme to the version that was working, verifies the site returns to normal, and leaves you with a note on whether the update is safe to reapply. It is deliberately narrow: one component, one rollback, done quickly.
A note on doing this yourself
We are not going to talk you through a rollback, and that is deliberate. Restoring the wrong version, or restoring files while a plugin’s database changes stay in place, can leave a site in a worse state than the one you started with. Reverting host-level snapshots is riskier still, because it can silently discard orders and form entries created since the snapshot was taken.
Failed plugin or theme update rollback
An update broke the site and you want it reverted. We restore the previous working version of the plugin or theme, confirm the site is back, and tell you what to do before updating again.
- Full backup taken before we start
- If we can’t fix it, you get your money back
- We never ask for your own password
This or something else?
| You know which update broke it and want it undone | This fix covers it |
| You do not know what caused it | Fatal PHP error after update |
| Blank page with no recent update | White screen of death |
| Several plugins updated at once and now conflict | Plugin conflict diagnosis |
| The update failed halfway and files are damaged | Fatal PHP error after update |
What you are seeing
- Something stopped working immediately after an update you can identify
- The site may be down, or working but with one feature broken
- The plugin has no built-in rollback, or the option is greyed out
- You want the site back to how it was before deciding anything else
Common causes
- An update shipped a bug the developer’s own testing never caught on your specific server setup
- The new version requires a PHP or WordPress version higher than what’s actually running
- An automatic update applied itself with no one available to check the site right after
- Two plugins updated at the same time, so it’s unclear which one is actually responsible
- The update changed how the plugin stores its settings, and something else on the site still expects the old format
What we do
- Take a full backup before touching anything
- Confirm which version was running before the update
- Restore that version cleanly, keeping settings and data intact
- Prevent the same automatic update reapplying immediately
- Verify the site and the affected feature both work
- Send you a note on whether and when the update is safe to try again
What is included
- One plugin or theme restored to its previous working version
- Automatic updates paused for that component so it does not undo itself
- A short note on why it broke and what would need to change before updating
- The pre-fix backup, kept for 30 days
Not included
- Diagnosing which component caused the problem — buy the diagnosis fix for that
- Rolling back more than one plugin or theme, which we quote as a larger job
- Restoring a full site backup, which is a separate service
- Making the new version work, as opposed to reverting to the old one
- Recovering data that a plugin deleted during its own upgrade routine
Questions about this fix
Will I lose settings or content when you roll back?
Settings and content live in the database, not in the plugin files, so a version rollback leaves them alone. The exception is a plugin that changed its own data structure during the upgrade — we check for that first, and tell you before proceeding if it applies.
Can you roll back WordPress core as well?
We would rather not, and usually do not need to. Core rollbacks reintroduce security fixes you have already received. If core is genuinely the problem, the right answer is normally fixing the incompatible plugin or theme instead, and we will say so.
What stops it updating itself again tomorrow?
We pause automatic updates for that specific component as part of this fix. Everything else keeps updating normally, so you are not left running old code across the whole site.
How long can I stay on the old version?
Not indefinitely. Old versions stop receiving security fixes, so this is a breathing space rather than a solution. The note tells you what needs to change — usually a PHP version or a conflicting plugin — so you can update safely.
What if the old version is not available anymore?
For plugins from the WordPress directory, previous versions are archived and we can always retrieve them. For premium plugins it depends on the vendor, and if the version is genuinely gone we tell you before charging and suggest the next best option.
Related fixes
If this is the second time this year
A bad update breaking the site is a symptom of updates not being tested first. Care plans run every update on a staging clone before it reaches your live site, which is the actual fix for this happening again.
Your access, your rules
Create a separate admin account for us and delete it when we are done. For anything else, we get in touch and agree a method — never a form field on this site, never by reply to an email.
We back up first, always
Before anything is touched we take a full backup and keep it for 30 days. If a fix goes wrong, we put the site back exactly as it was.
If it is not what you bought
If the problem turns out smaller than what you ordered, we refund the difference. If it is bigger, we stop and send a quote before doing any extra work.
If we cannot fix it
You get back what we received. Diagnosis is on us — you only pay when the problem is actually solved. The payment processor takes its fee before the money reaches us, so we never hold it and it is not ours to return. That is true here as everywhere else.
If it comes back
Reply within seven days of delivery and we put it back on the bench at no cost. The fix is not finished until it holds.
What we are responsible for
If something goes wrong with a fix, our responsibility is limited to what you paid for it. We take a full backup first so mistakes can be undone, and we tell you before doing anything outside what you bought.