Title: Updating PHP
Last modified: December 30, 2025

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# Updating PHP

 *  [rustyg](https://wordpress.org/support/users/rustyg/)
 * (@rustyg)
 * [5 months, 2 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/updating-php-7/)
 * I have PHP 7.4.33 and when my host updated me to cloudflare, it now has enabled
   me to update to PHP 8.0-8.2. If I select, .0, .1 or .2. The only problem is, 
   anytime I select anything above 7.4, it goes to an error page and says I need
   to come to the forums for support.
 * I am on the WP 6.9, but everything breaks after updating my PHP. What should 
   I do?

Viewing 10 replies - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)

 *  [Moses Cursor Ssebunya](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mosescursor/)
 * (@mosescursor)
 * [5 months, 2 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/updating-php-7/#post-18770424)
 * your site is breaking because something in WordPress is **not PHP-8 compatible**.
   
   One plugin, theme, or custom snippet on your site is using deprecated or removed
   PHP functions. When PHP hits a fatal error early, WordPress can’t load → you 
   see the “go to forums for support” error. WordPress core itself supports PHP 
   8.x, but not all plugins and themes do.Do you mind sharing the Exact error, or
   screenshot after thisEdit wp-config.php and temporarily add:define( ‘WP_DEBUG’,
   true );define( ‘WP_DEBUG_LOG’, true );define( ‘WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY’, true );
 *  [Kris – WPMU DEV Support](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wpmudevsupport13/)
 * (@wpmudevsupport13)
 * [5 months, 2 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/updating-php-7/#post-18770438)
 * Hi [@rustyg](https://wordpress.org/support/users/rustyg/)
 * Apart from the debug method mentioned above, you can also try to switch to the
   desired PHP version, navigate to FTP or file manager (/wp-content/plugins/), 
   and rename each plugin one by one, each time checking that the site will load
   fine. With that,t you will narrow down which plugin causes the issue. Note to
   rename back each plugin folder. The second note to consider is that maybe your
   theme is not ready for that PHP version, and if it is outdated or not supported
   anymore, you would need to consider changing the theme.
 * **Before any of the above tests or debugging, I recommend a full site backup 
   or running those tests on the staging site.**
 * Kind Regards,
   Kris
 *  Thread Starter [rustyg](https://wordpress.org/support/users/rustyg/)
 * (@rustyg)
 * [5 months, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/updating-php-7/#post-18771830)
 * [@mosescursor](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mosescursor/) i have been 
   trying for a few days, but my CPanel backend doesn’t allow me to edit the file
   or download it for some reason. I kind of get stuck and it never lets me edit
   the file. Is it because WP is currently running and it locks the file from editing?
 *  Thread Starter [rustyg](https://wordpress.org/support/users/rustyg/)
 * (@rustyg)
 * [5 months, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/updating-php-7/#post-18771832)
 * [@wpmudevsupport13](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wpmudevsupport13/) I 
   also installed a PHP Compatibility checker and it has already shown me a few 
   that are not supported for 8.0. I think this is the route I will go.
 *  Thread Starter [rustyg](https://wordpress.org/support/users/rustyg/)
 * (@rustyg)
 * [5 months, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/updating-php-7/#post-18771833)
 * [@wpmudevsupport13](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wpmudevsupport13/) Ok,
   it was a plugin called SecureInvites and now I can open it back up, but now, 
   when I try to go back and edit a post I was working on, it blanks out the entire
   screen. I can go back and select Preview instead and it shows me the text I typed
   out, but will not let me go back and edit?
 *  Moderator [threadi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/threadi/)
 * (@threadi)
 * [5 months, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/updating-php-7/#post-18771954)
 * If you get a blank page when editing content, there is a server-side error. The
   reason for the error should be visible in the error log. You can find it in your
   hosting area. If necessary, the support of your hosting can help you.
 * Alternatively, you could also enable debugging in WordPress. How to do this is
   described here: [https://wordpress.org/support/article/debugging-in-wordpress/](https://wordpress.org/support/article/debugging-in-wordpress/)–
   also here the support of your hosting can help you if necessary to edit the file
   accordingly.
 * In both cases you should be able to see what the cause is in the logfile.
 * Note: it must be possible to edit `wp-config.php`. If something is blocking editing
   here, then it is your hosting provider. WordPress itself does not block anything
   here. Contact your hosting provider’s support team if you have any questions 
   about this.
 *  [Nebu John – WPMU DEV Support](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wpmudevsupport14/)
 * (@wpmudevsupport14)
 * [5 months, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/updating-php-7/#post-18771977)
 * Hi [@rustyg](https://wordpress.org/support/users/rustyg/),
 * What you’re seeing is likely the White Screen of Death (WSOD), which occurs when
   PHP stops executing and WordPress does not display any error message, leaving
   the page blank.
 * As [@threadi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/threadi/) mentioned in the 
   above response, you should be able to find an error in the logs.
 * Best Regards,
    Nebu John
 *  Thread Starter [rustyg](https://wordpress.org/support/users/rustyg/)
 * (@rustyg)
 * [4 months, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/updating-php-7/#post-18788838)
 * [@threadi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/threadi/) I found this error in
   my logs:
   (it seems to repeat)
 * [21-Aug-2025 14:42:49 America/Chicago] PHP Fatal error: require(): Failed opening
   required ‘ABSPATHwp-includes/version.php’ (include_path=’.:/opt/alt/php73/usr/
   share/pear’) in /home/rusty/public_html/wp-settings.php on line 34
   [27-Aug-2025
   03:05:16 America/Chicago] PHP Warning: Use of undefined constant ABSPATH – assumed‘
   ABSPATH’ (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/rusty/
   public_html/wp-settings.php on line 34[27-Aug-2025 03:05:16 America/Chicago] 
   PHP Warning: require(ABSPATHwp-includes/version.php): failed to open stream: 
   No such file or directory in /home/rusty/public_html/wp-settings.php on line 
   34[27-Aug-2025 03:05:16 America/Chicago] PHP Fatal error: require(): Failed opening
   required ‘ABSPATHwp-includes/version.php’ (include_path=’.:/opt/alt/php73/usr/
   share/pear’) in /home/rusty/public_html/wp-settings.php on line 34[27-Aug-2025
   03:05:54 America/Chicago] PHP Warning: Use of undefined constant ABSPATH – assumed‘
   ABSPATH’ (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/rusty/
   public_html/wp-settings.php on line 34[27-Aug-2025 03:05:54 America/Chicago] 
   PH[25-Dec-2025 00:59:05 UTC] PHP Warning: Use of undefined constant ABSPATH –
   assumed ‘ABSPATH’ (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/
   rusty/public_html/wp-settings.php on line 34[25-Dec-2025 00:59:05 UTC] PHP Warning:
   require(ABSPATHwp-includes/version.php): failed to open stream: No such file 
   or directory in /home/rusty/public_html/wp-settings.php on line 34[25-Dec-2025
   00:59:05 UTC] PHP Fatal error: require(): Failed opening required ‘ABSPATHwp-
   includes/version.php’ (include_path=’.:/opt/cpanel/ea-php73/root/usr/share/pear’)
   in /home/rusty/public_html/wp-settings.php on line 34[31-Dec-2025 14:43:15 UTC]
   PHP Warning: Use of undefined constant ABSPATH – assumed ‘ABSPATH’ (this will
   throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/rusty/public_html/wp-settings.
   php on line 34[31-Dec-2025 14:43:15 UTC] PHP Warning: require(ABSPATHwp-includes/
   version.php): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/rusty/
   public_html/wp-settings.php on line 34[31-Dec-2025 14:43:15 UTC] PHP Fatal error:
   require(): Failed opening required ‘ABSPATHwp-includes/version.php’ (include_path
   =’.:/opt/cpanel/ea-php74/root/usr/share/pear’) in /home/rusty/public_html/wp-
   settings.php on line 34[15-Jan-2026 08:02:49 UTC] PHP Fatal error: Uncaught Error:
   Undefined constant “ABSPATH” in /home/rusty/public_html/wp-settings.php:34Stack
   trace:
 *  Thread Starter [rustyg](https://wordpress.org/support/users/rustyg/)
 * (@rustyg)
 * [4 months, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/updating-php-7/#post-18788841)
 * specifically line 34 says:
   “require ABSPATH . WPINC . ‘/version.php’;”but the
   entire section says:global $wp_version, $wp_db_version, $tinymce_version, $required_php_version,
   $required_php_extensions, $required_mysql_version, $wp_local_package;require 
   ABSPATH . WPINC . ‘/version.php’;require ABSPATH . WPINC . ‘/compat-utf8.php’;
   require ABSPATH . WPINC . ‘/compat.php’;require ABSPATH . WPINC . ‘/load.php’;
 *  Moderator [threadi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/threadi/)
 * (@threadi)
 * [4 months, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/updating-php-7/#post-18788853)
 * `ABSPATH` is an essential constant that WordPress uses in many places. It is 
   initially defined in the `wp-config.php` file. Take a look at this file via FTP.
   It should contain a section like this:
 *     ```wp-block-code
       /** Absolute path to the WordPress directory. */if ( ! defined( 'ABSPATH' ) ) {	define( 'ABSPATH', __DIR__ . '/' );}
       ```
   
 * If not, add it _before_
 *     ```wp-block-code
       /** Sets up WordPress vars and included files. */require_once ABSPATH . 'wp-settings.php';
       ```
   
 * and then save the file again.

Viewing 10 replies - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)

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## Tags

 * [php](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/php/)
 * [WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/wordpress/)

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 10 replies
 * 5 participants
 * Last reply from: [threadi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/threadi/)
 * Last activity: [4 months, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/updating-php-7/#post-18788853)
 * Status: not resolved

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