Switch from Installatron Managed Updates to WordPress Native Updates

If you’ve been using Installatron to manage your WordPress updates — automatic updates, plugins, themes, and core — but it’s no longer working, or you want to regain control, you can switch back to WordPress’s native update system. This guide walks you through the process, including handling sites in version control.

⚠️ Important Warning: Disabling Installatron automation and enabling WordPress native updates can impact backups, automatic updates, and site stability. Proceed at your own risk. Always take a full backup of your site before making changes.

Step 1: Block Installatron Automation

Installatron controls WordPress automatic updates via its plugin automation-by-installatron.php. Editing this plugin directly won’t persist because Installatron overwrites it on updates. Instead, use the official “block file” method:

• Go to the plugin folder wp-content/plugins/automation-by-installatron/.
• Create an empty file called block-automation-by-installatron.php.
• This tells Installatron to skip activating its automation plugin.

Step 2: Enable WordPress Automatic Updates

Once Installatron automation is blocked, WordPress can manage updates again. First, check wp-config.php for any lines that disable updates:

define('AUTOMATIC_UPDATER_DISABLED', true);
define('WP_AUTO_UPDATE_CORE', false);

Comment them out or remove them, then add (or update to):

define('AUTOMATIC_UPDATER_DISABLED', false);
define('WP_AUTO_UPDATE_CORE', true);

Then in your WordPress admin:

• Go to Dashboard → Updates and enable automatic updates where available.
• For individual plugins or themes, click Enable auto-updates in the plugins or themes list.

Step 3: Handle Version-Controlled Sites

If your WordPress site is in a Git or other version-controlled repository, WordPress disables automatic updates by default. To override this behavior, add the following filter to your theme’s functions.php or a custom plugin:

<?php
add_filter( 'automatic_updates_is_vcs_checkout', '__return_false', 1 );

This tells WordPress that it’s safe to run automatic updates even on a site in version control. Source: WordPress StackExchange

Step 4: Optional – Use a Helper Plugin

To fully override leftover Installatron filters, you can create a small helper plugin to ensure WordPress updates remain active. Create a new file in wp-content/plugins/ called override-installatron.php:

<?php
/*
Plugin Name: Override Installatron Automation
Description: Ensure WordPress native updates are enabled.
*/
add_action('plugins_loaded', function() {
    remove_filter('automatic_updater_disabled', '__return_true', -9999);
    add_filter('site_status_tests', function($tests) {
        unset($tests['async']['background_updates']);
        return $tests;
    });
    // Allow updates even on sites in version control
    add_filter('automatic_updates_is_vcs_checkout', '__return_false', 1);
});

If this doesn’t work, try to insert this plugin into wp-content/mu-plugins/override-installatron.php

Activate this plugin from Plugins → Installed Plugins, and it will ensure that WordPress core, plugins, and themes can update automatically, even if Installatron or Git previously blocked them.

Step 5: Verify Updates Are Working

• Go to Dashboard → Updates and check if WordPress core, plugins, and themes show update status correctly.
• Test by updating a plugin manually to confirm no Installatron interference occurs.
• Check Tools → Site Health to verify no update-related issues are flagged.

After these steps, your WordPress installation will manage updates natively, and the “Automatic updates are disabled” message should disappear.

Disclaimer: Changing update management may affect automatic backups, update notifications, and site stability. Proceed carefully and monitor your site after making these changes.

Last Updated on 22 April 2026