Hello @jjb100
I’m sorry about your experience with installing the plugin update. The error you got when you tried re-installing is because the plugin folder is still present, though you can’t see Yoast SEO in your plugins list. I’d recommend a manual update in this case.
Before we discuss manually updating, let’s cover a few important things to be aware of beforehand. First, Yoast SEO stores SEO data and settings in the database, so manually updating is not expected to cause any data loss.
Second, we recommend creating regular backups of your site and database for your site’s health and safety. This is especially important before installing, updating, or removing plugins. It provides you with a safety net in case something were to go wrong. Learn more about <u>the benefits of regular backups</u>.
Now on to your options for updating the plugin manually.
Option 1: Replace the installed version with the uploaded version
This method is similar to the original installation steps. When you see the warning that the plugin is already installed, please click the ‘Replace current with uploaded’ button to complete the manual update.
Option 2: Uninstall and Reinstall
This method will remove all plugin files and install a freshly downloaded copy. As you are removing and uploading a new copy, you will have a clean install of the plugin. Please follow the steps to uninstall the plugin before you install the latest version. You can download the latest version here.
Option 3: Via S/FTP or File Manager
This method entails deleting the old plugin files and uploading the new plugin files to the same folder path. We have a step-by-step guide to help you through the process. How can I manually update my (premium) plugin? If you are unfamiliar with using FTP, your web host may be able to help.
Do let us know how it goes.
Thread Starter
jjb100
(@jjb100)
Hello,
thanks so much for your quick answer!
But the problem is still existing.
Option 1: After the warning “Installation failed: Destination folder is already existing”, there is no “‘Replace current with uploaded’ button”.
Option 2: It is not possible to “uninstall the plugin”, because Yoast SEO is not listed under the plugins. It is not listed in the plugin-editor, either.
Option 3: We can’t overwrite the existing plugin-files, because we can’t find the path in the wp_content directory.
Help would be greatly appreciated!
Hey @jjb100,
Thank you so much for your reply.
You should find our plugin under the /wp-content/plugins/ directory – our directory is called “wordpress-seo”. You can delete that directory with its content if you have access to SFTP or through a file manager plugin which you can temporarily install. When the directory is deleted, you should be able to reinstall our latest version through the normal installation process: Plugins – Add New – search for Yoast SEO.
Can you let us know if that works for you?
Thread Starter
jjb100
(@jjb100)
Hello,
thank you. We tried this. There is no such path in the directory.
But still it is not possible to install Yoast SEO.
It still says: “Installation failed: Destination folder is already existing”
Could there be some files left in other places?
Hey @jjb100,
Not really. WordPress only looks into the /wp-content/plugins/ folder if it already exists, there is no other place to check. Are you sure you are in the actual folder of your site installation and that you are not looking into another staging/development directory?
The only scenario could be that you have set your plugin folder to be different than the default, which the WP_PLUGIN_DIR constant can achieve. Please check if you have this in your wp-config.php file:
define( 'WP_PLUGIN_DIR', 'some/path' );
Thread Starter
jjb100
(@jjb100)
Hello again,
success!!
You were right, we had the wrong directory.
The active plugins-directory was not located in WordPress_01/wp-content, but in a different folder: ../WordPress_04/app/wp-content.
After deleting the wordpress-seo directory, the YOAST app could be installed – and worked!
Thanks so much for your help and your quick response!!
You’re most welcome! Happy to hear it’s sorted!
