Overview: How to Forcefully Update or Reinstall a WordPress Plugin
This guide explains How to Forcefully Update or Reinstall a WordPress Plugin step‑by‑step and why it matters for security, uptime, and performance. It’s written for small and medium businesses that rely on Blackhawk MSP for proactive, managed IT support in the Bay Area and beyond.
- ✅ Clear, actionable steps
- ✅ Best‑practice notes from our MSP engineers
- ✅ Links to related services and help
Tip: If you’re short on time, contact us — we’ll handle this for you and verify everything is working.
The WordPress plugin is not working correctly, or you want to reinstall it without losing data or removing the plugin.
You can do this with both active and inactive plugins.
1. Log in to the WordPress dashboard.
2. From the Dashboard menu, go to Plugins and click on Plugin File Editor.
3. From the drop-down menu of Select plugin to edit, choose the plugin and click on Select.
4. In the file editor, locate the version line: Version: 1.7.2Change it to:Version: 1.7.1
Only change the version from a higher to a lower number.
5. Scroll down and click on Update File. Then go back to the Installed Plugins list. There should be an update for the plugin you edited. Click on Update now.
You have forcefully updated/reinstalled the plugin without losing data.
Video tutorial temporarily unavailable while we refresh links. If you need more help, please call us at 1-925-218-4000.
Need help? Blackhawk MSP can do this for you, verify success, and document the change. Call 1‑925‑218‑4000 or open a ticket.
