WordPress: PHP does not meet minimum requirements

Before you start

Save the complete error message and its timestamp in a private note. Record which page or action triggers it and what changed immediately beforehand. A screenshot of a blank page gives a developer less to work with than the first relevant log entry.

Do not post passwords, customer information or complete server paths in a public support thread.

Back up both files and the database before changing anything. Check how you would restore that backupA backup is a separate copy of your website's files and database, so you can bring the site back after a mistake, a hack or a failed update. too. Prefer a restricted test copy using the same PHP version.

Disable real payments and outgoing customer emails on that copy. Change one thing per attempt and keep a note of it, so you can reverse an unsuccessful change without guessing what the previous setting was.

Minimum and recommended are different

WordPress publishes recommended server requirements. A particular WordPress release or plugin can also specify its own minimum PHP version. The plugin handbook documents the Requires PHP field for this purpose.

A recommended hosting setup and a package's enforced lower limit are different pieces of information.

Do not take a version number from an old blog post as a permanent rule. Read the requirement for the exact release you want to install. Review your themeA WordPress theme is a ready-made package that decides how your WordPress site looks and how its pages are laid out. Change the theme and the design changes. and essential integrations too.

A version may meet one plugin's minimum while another component still needs changes before it can run on that version.

Five steps to a repair

1. Save the complete message and identify what displays it. Is it WordPress itself, a plugin installation, a theme or a terminal command? Record the required PHP version and detected PHP version as two separate values. This prevents a comparison based on the wrong number.
2. Check the PHP version WordPress reports in Tools, Site Health, under server information. Compare it with the correct domainA domain name is the address people type to reach your website, such as yourcompany.com. It points visitors to wherever your site is hosted. in your hosting panel. If you cannot access WordPress, ask the host to confirm the effective version serving that domain.
3. Compare the result with the requirements of the exact package. Check whether the change was applied to the intended website, especially when multiple domains or test environments exist. Investigate a terminal error separately because that environment need not use the same PHP version.
4. Test a suitable supported PHP version with updated components on a copy of the site. Use the hosting guide to locate the setting. Do not bypass the version check by editing Requires PHP or a checking file. That does not change the code that needs the newer version.
5. Install the intended update after the test passes. Check administration, forms and the main visitor journey. Record the effective PHP version again after the change. This demonstrates that the intended environment was actually updated, rather than only a setting somewhere else.

If the message remains

First compare the version in the new message with the one shown before the change. An unchanged number may point to the wrong environment or an unapplied setting. A higher but still insufficient number calls for another comparison with the package requirement.

These are different next steps, not a reason to replace files at random.

When to get help

Use the help form below if an essential plugin and your theme have different compatibility problems, or you cannot create a test copy. Include the versions and the exact message. Ask for an update order with a recovery point.

Have the developer verify the feature you use the package for, not just whether installation is allowed.

Check the result

Repeat the exact action that failed first. Then check login, a form submission and the main journey through your website. For a store, use a test order without a real charge.

Read the log for fresh messages with a recent timestamp. A working homepage alone does not establish that every affected function works again.

Keep the version numbers, the change and the outcome with your maintenance notes. Agree who will check the next update. Stop if the same error returns after the suspected cause has already been addressed.

Revisit the diagnosis instead of changing an increasing number of settings together. The aim is a repeatable repair that someone else can understand and verify.