Title: WordPress 4.4.2 failed to update Last modified: August 31, 2016 --- # WordPress 4.4.2 failed to update * Resolved [proudkiwiknitter](https://wordpress.org/support/users/proudkiwiknitter/) * (@proudkiwiknitter) * [10 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-442-failed-to-update/) * Hi there Ever since the last update which was 4.4 we cant update wordpress This is the error message **Update WordPress Downloading update from [https://downloads.wordpress.org/release/wordpress-4.4.2-partial-1.zip…](https://downloads.wordpress.org/release/wordpress-4.4.2-partial-1.zip…) * Unpacking the update… * Warning: copy(/home/knitworl/public_html/wp-admin/includes/update-core.php) [ function.copy]: failed to open stream: Permission denied in /home/knitworl/public_html/ wp-admin/includes/class-wp-filesystem-direct.php on line 257 The update cannot be installed because we will be unable to copy some files. This is usually due to inconsistent file permissions.: wp-admin/includes/update-core.php * Installation Failed * Here is what James from this site says **Permissions-wise, all files should be 644 and all directories should be 755. Nothing higher, nothing lower. The files should be owned by the same user that PHP runs under, in order to avoid the problem you had with the update. * Here is what Erin the person who helps us says **I have had a look at the wordpress update issue. I had to bascially change the permissions on two main wordpress directories and all files underneath to get the update to work. Its not safe to leave these directories open, so after the update I had to go and change them back as it is a security risk… Im not sure what we are going to do here as we cant leave them open for updates…** * Then we asked this question which we would like some help on please **Re the directories, this is the file permissions I set them back to, so thats fine. ** * Re the owner/group permissions, *username changed to user1 and user2 for security* * It looks like the owner/group is set to user1, which is 501 and 502 * PHP seems to be under user2, which is owner/group 500 500 * So im guessing all the wordpress files need to be changed to user2? * What is the best way of doing this through ssh command? * Would this be chown -R user2:user2 directory.. OR chown -R 500:500 directory.. * And would this affect the website at all by doing this? Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 16 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-442-failed-to-update/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-442-failed-to-update/page/2/?output_format=md) * Thread Starter [proudkiwiknitter](https://wordpress.org/support/users/proudkiwiknitter/) * (@proudkiwiknitter) * [10 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-442-failed-to-update/#post-7020863) * Can anyone help out with this error message please. I am concerned as I have read the latest update which is important and we cant get it to update so a little stressed right now 🙁 * Update WordPress Downloading update from [https://downloads.wordpress.org/release/wordpress-4.4.2-partial-1.zip…](https://downloads.wordpress.org/release/wordpress-4.4.2-partial-1.zip…) * Unpacking the update… * Warning: copy(/home/knitworl/public_html/wp-admin/includes/update-core.php) [ function.copy]: failed to open stream: Permission denied in /home/knitworl/public_html/ wp-admin/includes/class-wp-filesystem-direct.php on line 257 The update cannot be installed because we will be unable to copy some files. This is usually due to inconsistent file permissions.: wp-admin/includes/update-core.php * Installation Failed * [amelia65](https://wordpress.org/support/users/amelia65/) * (@amelia65) * [10 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-442-failed-to-update/#post-7020912) * I get the same error message…installation failed and now my website has all the dashboard stuff at the top! * Moderator [t-p](https://wordpress.org/support/users/t-p/) * (@t-p) * [10 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-442-failed-to-update/#post-7020913) * – try **MANUALLY** updating. Download a fresh copy of the WordPress .zip file to your computer, unzip it, and use that to copy up all files and folders **EXCEPT the wp-config.php file and the /wp-content/ directory.** You may need to delete the old wp-admin and wp-includes folders and files on your server before uploading the new ones. Read the Manual Update directions first. – **Backup: If you haven’t already done, always backup everything (including your database) before doing any actions, just in case something really goes wrong.** * Moderator [t-p](https://wordpress.org/support/users/t-p/) * (@t-p) * [10 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-442-failed-to-update/#post-7020914) * [@amelia65](https://wordpress.org/support/users/amelia65/), If the troubleshooting already posted made no difference for you, then, as per the [Forum Welcome](http://codex.wordpress.org/Forum_Welcome#Where_To_Post), please [post your own topic](http://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting#postform). * [amelia65](https://wordpress.org/support/users/amelia65/) * (@amelia65) * [10 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-442-failed-to-update/#post-7020919) * Thank you Tara. I’ll try that. * Thread Starter [proudkiwiknitter](https://wordpress.org/support/users/proudkiwiknitter/) * (@proudkiwiknitter) * [10 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-442-failed-to-update/#post-7020920) * Hi Tara, Many thanks. Will let you know how we go. It is a long weekend here in NZ so it maybe next week now Regards Karyn * Moderator [t-p](https://wordpress.org/support/users/t-p/) * (@t-p) * [10 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-442-failed-to-update/#post-7020923) * please let us know if we can be of further assistance * [amelia65](https://wordpress.org/support/users/amelia65/) * (@amelia65) * [10 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-442-failed-to-update/#post-7021008) * I contacted my server (Lunarpages) about this problem – here is their reply: * _The issue is due to the recent WordPress Update that requires connection to WordPress.org to only use the latest version of OpenSSL. Unfortunately, you are on CentOS 4 server and we cannot upgrade OpenSSL on CentOS 4 machine as the latest OpenSSL only support CentOS 6. However, we can move your account to another server with CentOS 6 and the latest OpenSSL if you wish. * I am going to have them move my account and will let you know if I can then update to 4.4.2 * [amelia65](https://wordpress.org/support/users/amelia65/) * (@amelia65) * [10 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-442-failed-to-update/#post-7021011) * Hi Tara, Lunapages have moved my account: * > The issue is due to the recent WordPress Update that requires connection to > WordPress.org to only use the latest version of OpenSSL. Unfortunately, you > are on CentOS 4 server and we cannot upgrade OpenSSL on CentOS 4 machine as > the latest OpenSSL only support CentOS 6. > However, we can move your account > to another server with CentOS 6 and the latest OpenSSL if you wish. * I have just backed up my website using Backup Guard and updated to 4.4.2. All is working fine. * Moderator [t-p](https://wordpress.org/support/users/t-p/) * (@t-p) * [10 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-442-failed-to-update/#post-7021012) * Glad to know it 🙂 * [Terence Milbourn](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pubdirltd/) * (@pubdirltd) * [9 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-442-failed-to-update/#post-8195129) * The answer here was very VERY simple. * Login to the server and change directory to the root of the WordPress site. * Then enter the following * sudo chown -R www-data:www-data . * And dont forget the dot at the end of that command. * [ramgllc](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ramgllc/) * (@ramgllc) * [9 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-442-failed-to-update/#post-8286741) * Terence, * Don’t quite follow you. Enter that where? - This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by [ramgllc](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ramgllc/). * [Pushkar Gaikwad](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pushkar-gaikwad/) * (@pushkar-gaikwad) * [9 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-442-failed-to-update/#post-8361962) * [@terence](https://wordpress.org/support/users/terence/) – Thanks, this was the only solution worked. There are way too many solutions floating around which are suggesting to change various file permissions which I feels is the wrong way to do it. You just need to change the ownership and make apache as the owner of the blog. * [@ramgllc](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ramgllc/) – You enter enter this command in your blog directory while using ssh * sudo chown -R www-data:www-data . - This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by [Pushkar Gaikwad](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pushkar-gaikwad/). - This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by [Pushkar Gaikwad](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pushkar-gaikwad/). * [MostHated](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mosthated/) * (@mosthated) * [9 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-442-failed-to-update/#post-8450816) * [@terence](https://wordpress.org/support/users/terence/) * sudo chown -R www-data:www-data . worked for me, but I use virtualmin so I just had to replace www-data with the individual virtualhost’s username, and it worked. Thanks! * [N-Media](https://wordpress.org/support/users/nmedia/) * (@nmedia) * [9 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-442-failed-to-update/#post-8616059) * [@terence](https://wordpress.org/support/users/terence/), Thanks man. Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 16 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-442-failed-to-update/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-442-failed-to-update/page/2/?output_format=md) The topic ‘WordPress 4.4.2 failed to update’ is closed to new replies. ## Tags * [File Permissions](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/file-permissions/) * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/) * 17 replies * 8 participants * Last reply from: [itinerantcitizen](https://wordpress.org/support/users/itinerantcitizen/) * Last activity: [9 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-442-failed-to-update/page/2/#post-8669622) * Status: resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics