cPanel Manual

How to Upgrade Your PHP Version in cPanel

Upgrade Your PHP Version in cPanel
Learn how to upgrade your website’s PHP version in cPanel, check that the change worked, and return to your previous version if an application has a compatibility problem. This guide covers both MultiPHP Manager and CloudLinux’s Select PHP Version.

1. Prepare your website before changing PHP

  1. Back up your files and database. Download a completed backup and check how it can be restored. If your account provides Backup Wizard, find it under cPanel → Files → Backup Wizard. Restoring a full cPanel account backup requires your hosting provider.
  2. Record your current PHP version. You will need it if you must switch back. Note whether the setting says inherit or native.
  3. Check your application’s requirements. For WordPress, review compatibility for WordPress itself, your theme and your plugins. For licensed software, also confirm the required PHP extensions and loader support with its developer.
  4. Test on a staging copy when available. Check any application updates there before changing the live site. Keep a record of changes so you can identify the cause if something stops working.
A newer PHP series can improve security and may improve performance, but compatibility depends on the software installed on your website.

2. Log in to cPanel and find the PHP tool

  1. Open the cPanel login link in your hosting welcome email. If your telaHosting service page offers Log in to cPanel, you can use that option instead.
  2. Use the cPanel search box to search for PHP, or open the Software section.
  3. Look for MultiPHP Manager or Select PHP Version. Follow the matching method below. If both appear and you do not know which one controls your site, ask telaHosting Support before changing either.

3A. Upgrade PHP using MultiPHP Manager

Use this method when MultiPHP Manager manages PHP for your domain.
  1. Open MultiPHP Manager.
  2. Find the domain you want to update. Search for it if several domains are listed.
  3. Read the domain’s current PHP version and record it.
  4. Select the checkbox beside that domain. Select only the website you intend to change.
  5. Open the PHP Version menu. Choose PHP 8.5, sometimes labelled ea-php85, if it is offered and your application supports it. Otherwise, choose a supported compatible version or contact Support.
  6. Click Apply and wait for the result.
  7. Refresh the domain list and check that the selected version appears beside your domain. Then complete the website checks below.
Remember: The system default displayed at the top is not necessarily your domain’s active version. A setting of inherit follows the applicable inherited configuration rather than selecting a specific version.
PHP tools in cPanel’s Software section. Select PHP Version is highlighted. Older interface reference; source: CloudLinux.

3B. Upgrade PHP using Select PHP Version

Use this method when your site is configured to use the CloudLinux PHP Selector. On standard configurations it can affect several websites in the same cPanel account; accounts with per-site isolation may offer separate domain settings.
  1. Open Select PHP Version.
  2. Record the version shown beside Current PHP version. If a domain selector is provided, confirm the website you are editing.
  3. Open the PHP version menu and choose the newest supported stable version compatible with your application. Select 8.5 if it is available and suitable.
  4. Click Set as current. Some interfaces use Apply instead.
  5. Confirm that the selected version is now shown as current.
  6. Check the required extensions for that version under Extensions. If you change an extension, use the save control if your interface provides one. Enable the extensions your application requires.
Choose the PHP version, use Set as current, and review required extensions. This vendor reference shows an older PHP version. Source: CloudLinux.
Choose the PHP version, use Set as current, and review required extensions. This vendor reference shows an older PHP version. Source: CloudLinux.
Some PHP Selector interfaces use Apply instead of Set as current. Select a supported version from your own account.
Some PHP Selector interfaces use Apply instead of Set as current. Select a supported version from your own account.

If the website still reports the old version: A domain-specific MultiPHP setting or PHP handler may override PHP Selector. Ask Support to check which configuration serves your domain; avoid switching between both tools repeatedly.

4. Verify the PHP upgrade on your website

  1. Open the website and test several pages, including a page that generates fresh content.
  2. Test login, search, forms, file uploads and other features your visitors use. For an online store, check the cart and use its supported test-payment process.
  3. For WordPress, open Tools → Site Health → Info → Server and read PHP version. This checks the PHP runtime serving WordPress.
  4. Clear relevant application or page caches if you are seeing an old cached page. Recheck your website after clearing them.
If your site has scheduled jobs or command-line scripts, confirm their PHP requirements separately. The PHP version used by a terminal or cron command may differ from the website’s version.

5. Restore the previous PHP version if needed

  1. Return to the same PHP tool you used for the upgrade.
  2. Select the same domain or account scope.
  3. Choose the previous version you recorded. Restore inherit or native only if that was the original setting.
  4. Click Apply or Set as current, then retest the site.
  5. Share the error message with Support or your developer so the compatibility problem can be resolved before trying again.
Changing PHP back does not undo application updates or database changes. Restore a backup only when those changes also need to be reversed. If the previous version is no longer available, contact Support.

Troubleshooting and frequently asked questions

The latest PHP version is missing. What should I do?

Your menu contains the versions installed and enabled for your account. Contact telaHosting Support to check availability. Uploading PHP installation files through File Manager will not upgrade the server’s PHP runtime.

The menu shows 8.5, not 8.5.12. Is that normal?

Yes. Hosting controls commonly show a release series, while the server administrator manages its patch updates. Selecting 8.5 alone does not prove that the latest security patches are installed. Ask Support to confirm the actual package or vendor security fixes when necessary.

My site shows a blank page, critical error or HTTP 500.

Restore the previous PHP selection first. If available, check cPanel → Metrics → Errors and your application’s error log for recent entries. A theme, plugin, extension or encoded application may need an update. Send Support your domain, the time of the change and the exact error.

Can I change PHP through WordPress Updates?

PHP runs on the hosting server. Change it through the hosting PHP controls or ask your hosting provider. WordPress Site Health can report the version in use.

Will this upgrade all my websites?

MultiPHP Manager targets the selected domain. Standard PHP Selector settings may apply across an account, while per-domain isolation can change that scope. Check which websites share the affected configuration before applying the change.

Where can I get help?

Sign in to the telaHosting Client Area and contact Support. Include the domain, current PHP version, version you tried and any error message. Keep passwords and private keys out of screenshots.

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