J4.x

Fix "Reinstall Joomla! core files" in 4.4.0 broke Installation and backend login

From Joomla! Documentation


Errors reported[edit]

For a short amount of time when having an up-to-date Joomla 4.4.0 installation reinstalling the core files via the updater leads to a broken Joomla 5.0 page. This lead to a broken installation without the chance to login.

Versions affected[edit]

General Information

This pertains only to Joomla! version(s): 4.4.0

What is the cause[edit]

Due to a miss-configuration of the update server Joomla! 5.0 files were shipped instead of Joomla! 4.4 packages. As the database was not updated in the process and new classes were introduced, the page breaks.

How to fix[edit]

  • Download the latest Joomla! 4.4.0 Upgrade Package (.zip) (not Full Package) from The official download page
  • Unzip the ZIP file locally
  • Connect via FTP client to your server and copy the full content over your broken website
  • Delete the file administrator/cache/autoload_psr4.php
  • (optional) Clean your cache
  • Try to login into your website again

If you have access via SSH to your server you can alternatively execute the following steps:

  • Connect to your server via SSH
  • Download the Upgrade Package: 
    wget https://downloads.joomla.org/cms/joomla4/4-4-0/Joomla_4-4-0-Stable-Update_Package.zip
  • Unzip the ZIP file: 
    unzip Joomla_4-4-0-Stable-Update_Package.zip
  • Confirm, that you want to overwrite the existing files
  • Delete the autoload PSR4 file 
    rm -f administrator/cache/autoload_psr4.php
  • (optional) Clean your cache
  • Try to login into your website again
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