Joomla! Documentation™

The recommended way to update Joomla! is to use Components Joomla! Update

Warning!

Note! The methods discussed in this article apply to old, outdated and unsupported versions of Joomla! and are to be used entirely at your own risk!

In some cases it may not be possible to use the Extension Manager: Update method to update your site. One reason for this might be that you are using a non-standard distribution (for example, a distribution with a different default language installed). Another reason might be that you don't have a reliable Internet connection to support automatic installation.

In this case, you can still do an easy installation using the Extension Manager: Install screen. Like the Update screen, this method will do the database updates automatically and will completely update your system without any further steps.

Step 1: Make sure you have a current backup of your site

In many cases, your host will make periodic site backups.

Step 2: Locate the update file

Locate the required archive file (for example, .zip, .tag.gz, or tar.bz2 archive) for your version. If you are updating to an x.x.0 release (for example, from 1.7.3 to 2.5.0), this will normally be a file like Joomla_2.5.0-Stable-Update_Package.zip. If you are updating within the same release series (for example, 2.5.0 to 2.5.1), then the file will be named something like Joomla_2.5.0_to_2.5.1-Stable-Patch_Package.zip.

At this point, you have three options:

1. Install from URL
2. Install from Directory
3. Upload Package File

Install from URL is the easiest to do. With this option, the upgrade archive is loaded directly by the server, so it works well even if your local computer has a slow or unreliable Internet connection.

Install from Directory is the safest method if the server itself has a slow Internet connection. With this method, you use FTP to load the unpacked update files into a temporary folder on the server. Then you point to that directory on the server for the installation.

Upload Package File is fairly simple, but it requires that you have a good connection between your local computer and the server.

The screen below shows the Extension Manager: Install screen with the three options labeled.

Install from URL

This option is the easiest if the archive file is available on a Website.

1. In the Extension Manager: Install screen, enter the URL for the archive file in the Install URL field.
2. Press the Install button.

The system will work for a period of time - up to two minutes or more for a full version update. Then a message indicating a successful installation will display.

Install from Directory

This option requires that you unpack the archive file in a directory on your server. This is the best method if you have a slow Internet connection or you are experiencing timeouts during the update process.

1. Unpack the archive file in a temporary directory on your local machine.
2. Upload all the files in this directory (for example, using FTP) to a temporary directory that is visible to the Web server. For example, you can create a sub-directory under the tmp directory in your Joomla root. For this example, let's say the directory on the server is /home/myuser/myjoomla/tmp/upgrade250).
3. In the Extension Manager: Install screen, enter the full path of the temporary directory (on the server) from step 2 (for example, /home/myuser/myjoomla/tmp/upgrade250).
4. Press the Install button.

The system will work for a short time (perhaps a minute or less, depending on your server). Then a message indicating a successful installation will display.

Upload a Package File

This option requires that you first download the archive file to your local machine.

1. Download the file to your local computer.
2. In the Extension Manager: Install screen, click the Browse button next to the Package File field and browse to the archive file.
3. Press the Install button.

The system will work for a period of time - up to two minutes or more for a full version update. Then a message indicating a successful installation will display.

1. Congratulations! At this point, your site is updated.

Important: Clear your browser cache and check that your site is working correctly. See below Checking Your Site.