Start with the exact version you have
Record Joomla’s version, PHP and database versions, the active template and every installed extension. Include custom integrations, scheduled tasks and code changes. Updating within a supported release series and moving between major versions can require different preparation.
Use the official migration and update hub to find the route for your starting version. Do not assume a website several major versions behind can jump directly to the newest download. An old release may require intermediate stages or a planned rebuild.
Create a backup you can actually restore
Take a consistent copy of the site’s files and database, keep it independently of the live server and test restoration on an isolated environment. Record the restore steps and who can perform them.
An updater reporting success cannot tell you whether a booking extension still works. A usable backup gives you an alternative when the application’s behaviour changes. Our backup and restore guide explains the recovery checks.
Rehearse on a protected copy
Build a staging site with a representative environment and current data. Block public access appropriately and prevent real customer emails, payment requests and scheduled integrations from firing.
Check each extension developer’s stated support for the target Joomla and PHP versions. Replace or remove unsupported extensions deliberately. A missing compatibility declaration is a reason to investigate, rather than proof that the extension works or does not work.
Use the Joomla Update component
For an ordinary supported update, open the Joomla Update component from the dashboard notification or the System dashboard. Confirm the proposed release and review any pre-update information that Joomla presents. The separate check screen is not shown for every patch update.
Follow the official procedure for your release, resolve relevant compatibility problems, then run the update on staging. Do not overwrite the installation with a fresh-install package or force an unsuitable update channel just to make a newer version appear.
Test important visitor and administrator journeys afterwards. Keep a record of the Joomla, PHP and extension versions used in the successful rehearsal.
Moving from Joomla 5 to Joomla 6
The official route starts from Joomla 5.4.x. Review the destination’s technical requirements and the official Joomla 5 to 6 procedure before touching production.
The Joomla 5 backward-compatibility plugin and the Joomla 6 compatibility plugin have different roles. Check that the site works on staging with the old Joomla 5 compatibility layer disabled before proceeding, and follow the official guide for the new layer. An extension appearing to load is not a full compatibility test: exercise its forms, administrator screens and background jobs.
This is a planning checklist, not a claim that every Joomla 5 extension can be upgraded without changes.
Schedule the production change
Choose a maintenance window and take a fresh final backup. For sites receiving orders or registrations, plan how writes pause and resume. Repeating yesterday’s staging restore on production could discard today’s data.
Repeat the tested process, then check login, content, menus, permissions, forms, email, search and extension-specific transactions. Inspect logs and scheduled tasks, clear relevant caches and confirm that temporary access or indexing restrictions are removed from production.
If the update fails
Preserve the error information and avoid repeatedly launching an uncertain update against changing data. Compare the failure with the rehearsal and use the documented restore route where necessary. If the site has already accepted new transactions, account for them before restoring an older database.
Sources: Joomla’s version-update procedure, official migration routes, Joomla 5 to 6 upgrade guide and developer upgrade notes and the Security Centre. This documentation-based checklist has not been run end to end on a live site.