How to Change Your PHP Version

PHP is the programming language WordPress and most websites run on. Newer PHP versions are faster and still get security fixes; old ones stop getting them. Blue Arctic lets you choose a supported PHP version for your hosting account. Switching takes a minute, but check first that your site works with the new version, so nothing breaks.

Check before you switch

1. Find your current version and write it down. You’ll need it if you have to switch back. In WordPress, go to Tools → Site Health, click Info, open Server, and read PHP version. Note what the PHP column under Websites in cPanel shows for the domain as well.
2. Check what WordPress recommends at wordpress.org/about/requirements. As of November 2026 it recommends PHP 8.3 or greater.
3. Update WordPress, your theme and your plugins first. Old plugin versions are the most common reason a site breaks after a PHP change. See how to update WordPress safely.
4. Check each plugin’s page or its developer’s site for the PHP versions it supports. If a plugin hasn’t been updated in over a year, ask its developer whether it works with the new version, or replace it.
5. Make a backup (see how to download a backup).

Change the version in cPanel

1. Log in to cPanel. If you can’t log in, open a support ticket.
2. Click Websites in the sidebar.
3. Find your domain and click its version in the PHP column. This opens the domain’s Settings tab. (You can also click Manage next to the domain and open Settings.)
4. In the PHP Version menu, choose the new version. Inherit (System default) means the server’s default version, which we set. If a save button appears, click it.

If you see a Select PHP Version icon instead of a sidebar, click it and choose the new version from the list near the top. That tool changes the version for every site on your account that uses it, so check each site afterwards. You can also type PHP in cPanel’s search box (Ctrl+K or Cmd+K). If you can’t find a PHP version setting, open a support ticket and tell us the domain and the version you need.

How to tell it worked

1. In WordPress, go back to Tools → Site Health → Info → Server. PHP version shows the new version, and so does your domain’s PHP column in cPanel.
2. Open your site in a private browser window (one that doesn’t use saved data: Incognito in Chrome, InPrivate in Edge, Private Window in Safari or Firefox) and click through a few pages, your contact form, any shop pages and the admin area.
3. If you have other websites on the account, check them the same way.

Troubleshooting

• The site shows a critical error after switching: switch back to the version you wrote down straight away, then update or replace the plugin named in the error. See how to fix a WordPress critical error.
• The version you want isn’t listed: it isn’t available for your account. Open a support ticket to ask.
• A feature stopped working but there’s no error: a PHP extension (add-on module) your site needs may be off in the new version. Open a support ticket with your domain, the PHP version and, if you know it, the extension’s name, and ask us to turn it on.
• A domain has no PHP Version menu: it’s an alias of another domain and uses that domain’s version. Change the version on the main domain.
• Site Health still shows the old version: wait a minute, clear your site’s cache (see how to clear your WordPress cache) and reload. If it still shows the old version, open a support ticket.

Still need help?

Open a support ticket from the Client Portal at my.bluearctic.com (see our support page). Include your domain, the PHP version you switched from and to, the exact error text, a screenshot and what you already tried. Never include your password.