How to change PHP version on cPanel

Estimated Time: 5 minutes
Difficulty: Beginner ⭐
Prerequisites: Access to cPanel

📋 Introduction

PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is the programming language that powers the majority of websites, including WordPress, PrestaShop, Joomla, and many others.

Changing the PHP version of your hosting allows you to:

✅ Improve performance (PHP 8.3 is up to 3x faster than PHP 7.4)
✅ Enhance security (older versions no longer receive patches)
✅ Ensure compatibility with the latest WordPress versions and plugins
✅ Access new language features

📊 PHP Versions in 2025

Table of versions and their status

Version	Status	Active Support	End of Life	Recommendation
PHP 8.4	🟢 Current	Nov 2026	Nov 2028	✅ Recommended (if compatible)
PHP 8.3	🟢 Current	Nov 2025	Nov 2027	✅ Recommended
PHP 8.2	🟡 Security	Dec 2024	Dec 2026	✅ Compatible
PHP 8.1	🟠 End of Life	Nov 2023	Dec 31, 2025	⚠️ Update required
PHP 8.0	🔴 Obsolete	Nov 2022	Nov 2023	❌ Do not use anymore
PHP 7.4	🔴 Obsolete	Nov 2021	Nov 2022	❌ Do not use anymore
PHP 7.3 and below	🔴 Obsolete	-	-	❌ Dangerous

⚠️ Attention: PHP 8.1 reaches its end of life on December 31, 2025. Update to PHP 8.3 or 8.4 as soon as possible.

WordPress Compatibility

WordPress Version	Minimum PHP	Recommended PHP	PHP 8.3	PHP 8.4
WordPress 6.7+	7.2.24	8.3	✅ Compatible	🟡 Beta
WordPress 6.6	7.2.24	8.2	✅ Compatible	🟡 Beta
WordPress 6.5	7.2.24	8.1	✅ Compatible	🟡 Beta
WordPress 6.3-6.4	7.2.24	8.0	✅ Compatible	⚠️ Test

💡 WordPress.org recommends PHP 8.3 for optimal performance.

Performance Gains per Version

Average response time (WordPress benchmark):

PHP 7.4  ████████████████████████████████  100% (reference)
PHP 8.0  ██████████████████████████        77%  (-23%)
PHP 8.1  ████████████████████████          72%  (-28%)
PHP 8.2  ██████████████████████            66%  (-34%)
PHP 8.3  ████████████████████              60%  (-40%)

🚀 PHP 8.3 is about 40% faster than PHP 7.4 for WordPress!

🔍 Check Your Current PHP Version

Before changing the version, check which version is currently in use.

Method 1: Via cPanel (MultiPHP Manager)

Log in to cPanel
In the Software section, click on MultiPHP Manager
Check the PHP Version column for each domain

Method 2: Via WordPress (Site Health)

Log in to the WordPress admin
Go to Tools → Site Health
Click on Info
Scroll down to the Server section
Check the PHP Version line

Method 3: Create a phpinfo File

Create a file phpinfo.php with the following content:

<?php
phpinfo();
?>

Upload it to the root of your site (public_html)
Access https://your-site.com/phpinfo.php
Delete the file after use (sensitive information)

⚙️ Change PHP Version with MultiPHP Manager

MultiPHP Manager is the cPanel tool that allows you to change the PHP version of your domains in a few clicks.

Step 1: Access MultiPHP Manager

Log in to cPanel
In the Software section, click on MultiPHP Manager

Step 2: Select the Domain(s)

You see the list of all your domains and subdomains
✅ Check the box to the left of the domain to modify
You can select multiple domains to modify at once

Step 3: Choose the New PHP Version

In the top right, click on the dropdown menu PHP Version
Select the desired version (e.g., PHP 8.3)
Click the Apply button

Step 4: Confirm the Change

A confirmation message appears:

✅ PHP version has been successfully updated.

💡 The change is instantaneous. No restart is required.

Step 5: Test Your Site

After the change:

✅ Visit your site and navigate through several pages
✅ Test contact forms
✅ Check the cart and payment (e-commerce)
✅ Log in to the administration
✅ Verify that plugins are working

🔧 Modify PHP Settings (MultiPHP INI Editor)

In addition to the version, you can adjust PHP settings such as memory, upload size, etc.

Access MultiPHP INI Editor

In cPanel, under Software, click on MultiPHP INI Editor
Select your domain from the dropdown menu

Common PHP Settings

Setting	Description	Default Value	Recommended Value
`memory_limit`	Max memory per script	128M	256M - 512M
`upload_max_filesize`	Maximum upload size	2M	64M - 128M
`post_max_size`	Maximum POST data size	8M	64M - 128M
`max_execution_time`	Maximum execution time (sec)	30	300
`max_input_time`	Maximum input time	60	300
`max_input_vars`	Maximum number of variables	1000	3000 - 5000

Modify a Setting

In MultiPHP INI Editor, select your domain
Find the setting to modify (e.g. memory_limit)
Enter the new value (e.g. 256M)
Click on Apply

Example: Increase PHP Memory for WordPress

For a WordPress site with WooCommerce:

Setting	Recommended Value
`memory_limit`	`512M`
`upload_max_filesize`	`128M`
`post_max_size`	`128M`
`max_execution_time`	`300`
`max_input_vars`	`5000`

📝 Modify PHP via .htaccess (Alternative)

If MultiPHP is not available, you can set the PHP version via .htaccess:

Change PHP Version

Add at the beginning of your .htaccess file:

# For PHP 8.3
AddHandler application/x-httpd-php83 .php

# OR for PHP 8.2
AddHandler application/x-httpd-php82 .php

# OR for PHP 8.1
AddHandler application/x-httpd-php81 .php

⚠️ The exact syntax depends on your hosting provider. Contact support if needed.

Modify PHP Settings via .htaccess

# Increase memory
php_value memory_limit 256M

# Increase upload size
php_value upload_max_filesize 64M
php_value post_max_size 64M

# Increase execution time
php_value max_execution_time 300
php_value max_input_time 300

# Increase input variables
php_value max_input_vars 3000

⚠️ Before Changing PHP Version

Preparation Checklist

□ Backup your site (files + database)
□ Check WordPress/CMS compatibility
□ Check plugins/extensions compatibility
□ Check theme compatibility
□ Test on a staging environment if possible
□ Note the current PHP version (for rollback if needed)

Check WordPress Compatibility

In WordPress:

Install the PHP Compatibility Checker plugin
Run an analysis
Fix any detected incompatibilities

Manually:

Ensure your plugins are up to date
Refer to each plugin's documentation
Check if your theme supports PHP 8.x

Plugins Often Incompatible with PHP 8+

⚠️ These types of plugins can cause issues:

Plugins not updated for 2+ years
Improperly configured cache plugins
Old page builders
Custom/bespoke plugins

🔄 Revert to a Previous PHP Version

If your site malfunctions after the change:

Go back to MultiPHP Manager
Select the relevant domain
Choose the previous version (e.g. PHP 8.2)
Click on Apply

💡 Reverting is just as instantaneous.

🔧 Troubleshooting

Error 500 after Version Change

❌ Possible Cause	✅ Solution
Incompatible plugin	Disable plugins via FTP (rename the `plugins` folder)
Incompatible theme	Activate a default theme (Twenty Twenty-Four)
Corrupted .htaccess file	Rename `.htaccess` to `.htaccess.bak`
Insufficient memory	Increase `memory_limit` in MultiPHP INI Editor

Site Slowness after PHP Update

❌ Possible Cause	✅ Solution
Outdated cache	Clear all caches (plugin + browser)
Disabled OPcache	Ensure OPcache is enabled
Unoptimized plugins	Update all plugins

Message "Allowed memory size exhausted"

Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 134217728 bytes exhausted

Solution:

Go to MultiPHP INI Editor
Increase memory_limit to 256M or 512M
Click on Apply

WordPress Shows Warnings (Deprecated)

Deprecated: Function ... is deprecated since version X.X