Title: PHP Version
Last modified: June 4, 2024

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# PHP Version

 *  Resolved [Joe777](https://wordpress.org/support/users/joe777/)
 * (@joe777)
 * [1 year, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/php-version-123/)
 * I am currently running BNFW version 1.9.3, and the latest version of WP (version
   6.5.3). I can’t update BNFW to version 1.9.4 due to my PHP version of 7.4. I 
   have five WordPress sites, and four of them use BNFW. My hosting provider, fatcow.
   com, only supports PHP version 7.4. I am notified on the plugins page that BNFW
   1.9.4 won’t work with my version of PHP. This is the only plugin that gives me
   this message.
 * Is it possible to still upgrade to BNFW version 1.9.4, even though my PHP is 
   at version 7.4? Or, must I keep running 1.9.3 until fatcow updates PHP? It’s 
   not practical for me to move all of my sites to a different hosting service.
 * Thanks for your help.
 * The page I need help with: _[[log in](https://login.wordpress.org/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fwordpress.org%2Fsupport%2Ftopic%2Fphp-version-123%2F%3Foutput_format%3Dmd&locale=en_US)
   to see the link]_

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

 *  Plugin Author [Jack – BNFW](https://wordpress.org/support/users/voltronik/)
 * (@voltronik)
 * [1 year, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/php-version-123/#post-17803178)
 * Hi [@joe777](https://wordpress.org/support/users/joe777/),
    Thanks for your message.
 * Moving forward, BNFW will only support PHP 8.0+. There’s a bit more detail about
   it in this support thread: [https://wordpress.org/support/topic/bnfw-now-requires-at-least-php-8-0/](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/bnfw-now-requires-at-least-php-8-0/)
 * Not sure if this helps but it looks like you can update your PHP version on FatCow:
   [https://www.fatcow.com/help/article/how-to-change-your-php-version-foundation](https://www.fatcow.com/help/article/how-to-change-your-php-version-foundation)
 * If BNFW works for you, you don’t need to update it to 1.9.4 from 1.9.3 but I 
   recommend updating your version of PHP where possible moving forward anyway.
 * Let me know if you need any more help.
 *  Thread Starter [Joe777](https://wordpress.org/support/users/joe777/)
 * (@joe777)
 * [1 year, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/php-version-123/#post-17807898)
 * Thanks for your reply. And, thanks for BNFW. Sorry that I didn’t see that support
   thread before submitting this one. I searched and it didn’t turn up for me. I
   talked to fatcow before I submitted this question, and they told me that they
   don’t yet support PHP 8.0+. The link you gave me is not what I see on my fatcow
   interface. I think the link is in error. Here’s what I see: [https://www.fatcow.com/help/article/scripting-how-to-switch-your-php-version](https://www.fatcow.com/help/article/scripting-how-to-switch-your-php-version),
   or [https://www.fatcow.com/controlpanel/foundation/hosting](https://www.fatcow.com/controlpanel/foundation/hosting),
   or this video starting at 1:40: [https://www.fatcow.com/help/article/how-to-update-your-php-version-video](https://www.fatcow.com/help/article/how-to-update-your-php-version-video).
   My opinion is that you jumped the gun a bit by requiring PHP 8.0+ too soon. BNFW
   is the ONLY plugin that requires it (that I use anyway). But, it’s your opinion
   that counts, not mine, and I appreciate your plugin, and I will just stay with
   BNFW 1.9.3.
 * I was wondering: what happens if I run 1.9.4 with PHP 7.4? Will BNFW just quit
   working, or will there be limited functionality?
 * BTW: Here is the quote that I got from fatcow: “I I understand your concern about
   more plugins moving to version 8.0. We are actively working on making version
   8.0 available as soon as we can. We know it’s important to keep up with the latest
   plugin updates, and we are prioritizing the release of 8.0 to ensure our customers
   have access to the features and functionality they need. Please keep an eye out
   for our announcements regarding the 8.0 release timeline. In the meantime, let
   me know if there is anything else I can assist you with.”
 *  Plugin Author [Jack – BNFW](https://wordpress.org/support/users/voltronik/)
 * (@voltronik)
 * [1 year, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/php-version-123/#post-17808215)
 * Hi [@joe777](https://wordpress.org/support/users/joe777/),
    I appreciate your
   response.
 * I’ve personally used lots of plugins that require PHP 8.0 or higher. BNFW now
   requires some functions that PHP 7.4 doesn’t provide so will most likely break
   if you try and install it on PHP 7.4 or lower.
 * I would genuinely see the lack of PHP 8 support by your host as a red flag. PHP
   8.0 is 4-years old now and WP Engine, the largest managed WordPress host in the
   world, is providing long term support for PHP 7.4 far beyond PHP who have now
   stopped supporting it alltogether, but also require upgrading to PHP 8.0 minimum(
   8.2 recommended) moving forward. I would highly recommend trying to get onto 
   PHP 8.1 at least if you can somehow – you’ll probably see some nice speed improvements
   too. WordPress may be dropping support for PHP 7.4 this year too.
 * I appreciate some of this is just my opinion but hope you appreciate the perspective
   and that I’ve put a lot of thought into this decision.

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

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 * 3 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [Jack – BNFW](https://wordpress.org/support/users/voltronik/)
 * Last activity: [1 year, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/php-version-123/#post-17808215)
 * Status: resolved