Each new version of PHP comes with scores of improvements. Each year, the language gets faster, more secure, and more efficient. What’s more, older versions eventually get phased out and are no longer supported. Most web hosts will keep your sites running an acceptable version of PHP, but you may like to have a bit more control and stay ahead of the curve. Or, perhaps your application requires retooling to be compatible with newer versions. Either way, you have options on how to check and update your PHP: Control panel: The newer versions of cPanel introduced a tool called MultiPHP Manager, found in the Software area. It will display the current version running on each site, and provide an intuitive way to change it. Other control panels will follow a similar process. WordPress: In the menu on the left, navigate to Tools > Site Health, then select the Info tab and expand the Server section to see which version you are running. (Naturally, you can find plugins that will automatically display this information more prominently for you.) Command line: If you can create an SSH connection to your server, use a command line terminal with . The code should work on Linux, Windows, and macOS systems. Running updates is similarly easy.