What to Do Before Updating Joomla
Make a complete restorable backup
Back up the Joomla files and database together and verify that you know how to restore them. A backup you cannot restore is not a sufficient rollback plan for a core update.
Record the current environment
Note the current Joomla, PHP, and database versions and the target Joomla release. For a major upgrade, compare the target release with Joomla's current technical requirements and confirm your hosting environment can meet them.
Inventory third-party extensions
Open System → Manage → Extensions and identify third-party components, modules, plugins, templates, packages, and libraries. Check the developer's current compatibility information for anything essential to the site.
Review the Pre-Update Check
Open the Joomla Update component and resolve required settings or compatibility warnings. Treat extension compatibility results as a high-level aid rather than an absolute guarantee because the results depend on metadata supplied by extension developers.
Update or remove incompatible dependencies
Apply extension updates in the order their developers recommend. Replace or remove unsupported extensions before the core update when required. Do not assume an extension is Joomla 6 compatible merely because it worked on Joomla 5.
Check major-upgrade compatibility plugins
For the Joomla 5.4 to 6.x path, current Joomla documentation requires Behaviour - Backward Compatibility 6 to be installed and enabled and the older Joomla 5 Behaviour - Backward Compatibility plugin to be disabled before the Live Update.
Test on a representative staging copy
Run the same update on staging first. Test login, Administrator, frontend pages, menus, templates, forms, email, scheduled tasks, integrations, and other functions that matter to the site.
Choose a low-risk production window
Perform the production update when you can monitor the site and restore the backup if necessary. Avoid starting immediately before an important campaign, event, deadline, or period when the person who can restore the site is unavailable.
Need More Help with Joomla?
Still having trouble? Open a support ticket with QuantaCade Support and we'll be happy to help where we can.
Support priority is given to QuantaCade products, services, and customers. However, we're also happy to assist fellow Joomla users with general Joomla questions and troubleshooting when possible.
QuantaCade is an independent Joomla extension developer and is not official Joomla support. Some issues involving third-party extensions, hosting environments, server configurations, or other systems outside our development control may be beyond what we're able to resolve.