What it does
Updates lists every plugin, theme and core update pending across your fleet. A restore point is always created before a batch runs, so an update that breaks something can be undone from Restoring a site.
How to
- Select one or more pending updates and click Update selected, or click Update on a single row.
- The row itself becomes the progress indicator — it shows Updating… with a spinner in place of the action button while the batch runs.
- When the batch finishes: a succeeded item leaves the pending list and appears for a short while in a Recently updated strip; a failed item stays in the list, turns red, shows its error, and offers a Retry button.
- A toast summarizes the outcome — e.g. "2 updated, 1 failed" — once the batch settles.
A restore point is always taken automatically before a batch runs — you don't need to remember to create one yourself. Every batch remembers which point that was, so an undo from the Backups tab (or an automatic rollback under a scheduled update policy) restores exactly the state from before that batch.
Limits & defaults
| Setting | Default |
|---|---|
| Restore point | Taken before every batch, local and fast (incremental snapshot); recorded on the batch as its pre-update point |
| Rolling back | Manual batches: restore the pre-update point from the site's Backups tab. Scheduled batches: optionally automatic when the visual diff fails — see Scheduled updates |
| Concurrent batches | Only one running batch per site at a time — buttons disable with "A batch is already running for this site" |
| Requires | The site must be connected (paired and synced) to run updates |
| Permissions | Owner, admin and tech can run updates; viewer sees the controls disabled with a reason |
Troubleshooting
A row seems stuck on "Updating…"
The row stays in that state until the batch itself reaches a final status, not just until the click is acknowledged — give it a little longer, especially on shared hosting, before assuming it's stuck.
An update broke the site's layout
Open the site's Backups tab and restore the pre-update point that was taken right before the batch — see Restoring a site. For scheduled updates you can have this happen automatically when the screenshot diff exceeds the policy threshold: Automatic rollback.
An update failed
The row shows the specific error text next to Retry — most failures are host-side (execution time limits, a plugin's own update conflicting with another). Retry re-runs just that item.
The button is disabled and says "Your role can view but not change sites"
You're signed in as a Viewer — see Team & roles matrix.