Let‘s talk about your website, in particular your Joomla website and especially a website that is built with J! 5.4 or J! 6.0.  There is a new feature in Joomla 5.4/6.x called automated updates.Automatic core updates in Joomla, Joomla Community Magazine, 20-Oct-2025  What does this mean for you and is this a feature you require—or is it desirable—in order to ensure your website is kept up-to-date with the latest version of Joomla?  That is the question we will be discussing in this article.

The next time you visit your Joomla website, look at the display of icons on the right side of the home dashboard.  The display on your website may look a bit different to what you see in the image on the right (click it to enlarge it).  If your website has “Automated updates are enabled” this article is particularly relevant to you.  If you see “Automated updates are not enabled” then this article will show you how to enable the feature; however, not all websites can make use of the automated updating feature.  For example, if your website is not on the internet—a PC-hosted webserver, for example—you cannot enable automated updates.

Anyway, whatever you see on your home dashboard, it looks benign, doesn’t it?  If people have not read about automated core updates in Joomla they may not be aware of the implications for them.  While it is not complicated—to enable or disable automated updates—there is more to the story as many commentators have written.  For example:

We have no plans to use [automated updates] with our own websites at this time.Automated Core Joomla Updates (Automated Updates), JOOMLERS.UK  User Guides, 14-Mar-2026

A short history of Joomla update methods

If I had a dollar for each time I read, “I can’t update my Joomla website” I would be rich beyond my wildest dreams.  The problems that people have with updating Joomla are legion and some of the approaches that people have taken are extraordinary.  For example:

I have been using 4.x for months, but I always have to do a manual update because it says:
We can't find a download URL
You are on the "Default" update channel. Through this channel you'll receive notifications for all updates of the current Joomla release.forum user, The Joomla Forum™,  4-Jan-2022

We have discussed on numerous occasions that there is no such thing as a “manual” update method for Joomla.Please don’t tell me that there is a “manual” update method because you read it in some “official” J! documentation—e.g. Updating Joomla (Manual Method)—because those documents were written for a different era and do not apply today.

There is no “manual update” method for J!  There is the Joomla! Update component or, if you cannot use that, give the job to someone else who knows what they’re doing.  The main reasons why people cannot use the Joomla! Update component are because people do not maintain their websites.10 things you can do today to make certain you can update your Joomla! website

Just as there is no “manual update” method for J! there is also no built-in “roll-back” or “downgrade” mechanism, either.  If you update your website and you decide you don’t like it then the recommended cure is to (a) delete the files, (b) DROP the tables in the database, and (c) re-build the website using the backup you made before you attempted the update.  I read a while ago on the Joomla forum where someone claimed to have discovered a “Joomla downgrade” solution; there’s more to the story that we haven’t been told.

In the very old days the update method was to replace the existing Joomla files with new ones.  Later, the update was “automated” by using the Joomla Extension Manager.  From Joomla 3.xAlthough, for a time, until J! 3.5, the previous method via the Extension Manager was still permitted., a new component—the Joomla! Update Component—was added to improve the update process; that is the way things have remained since early 2016.  With the arrival of J! 5.4/6.x in October 2025, the Joomla! Update Component has been modified to offer fully “automated” updates, in the sense of autonomous updates.  So, let’s be clear:  fully automating the update process, by making the updates to occur autonomously—without the website owner initiating the procedure—means that websites will update themselves without any human intervention.  One day you may be running J! x.y and the next day you could be running a different version.

The changing terminology about “manually” updating Joomla

If there is confusion about the difference between automatic, automated and autononomous.The dictionary defines
•automatic:  (of a device or process) working by itself with little or no direct human control
•automated:  carried out by machines or computers without needing human control; a fully automated system
•autonomous:  denoting or performed by a device capable of operating without direct human control, it’s become more confusing when people interchange the word “manual” with something that is not automatic.

As we discussed earlier, there is no “manual update” method for Joomla; however various commentators have tried to apply the term in connection with the Reinstall Joomla Core Files feature of the Joomla! Update Component.How to Reset Joomla and Solve File or Database Problems, The Joomlashack Blog, 10-Nov-2020  If that isn't confusing enough for the reader, I now see other commentators applying the word “manual update” to using the traditional method where the website owner decides to initiate the update instead of letting Joomla update itself autonomously.How to Enable Automatic Updates in Joomla 6, Joomla Blog, 3-Nov-2025; Automatic Joomla updates (Joomla 5.4+), Joomill 24-Jan-2026.  And just to confuse things further, there's also the Update & Install feature of the Joomla! Update Component that another commentator calls “How to Manually Update Joomla”.How to Manually Update Joomla, Akshaya Chandramouli, 4-Mar-2026.  It seems that everyone has their own ideas about updating Joomla and there’s no consensus.  Therefore when I read in The Joomla! Forum™

…I always have to do a manual update…forum user, The Joomla Forum™,  4-Jan-2022

I don’t know what they’re talking about!

Is the new autonomous, non-manual, automated, automatic update feature in J! 5.4+ enabled by default (automatically)?

The short answer is yes … and no.  If your J! 5.4+ website is brand new—that is, the website was not updated from a previous version of Joomla—then, yes, the automated update setting is enabled.  However this isn’t always the case.  If the website is not on the internet, i.e. it is hosted locally on a PC, it is not possible to enable automated updates.  The Joomla Community Magazine article states,

Automated Updates are available from Joomla 5.4 onwards for sites that are publicly accessible on the internet. If your site is behind a firewall or not publicly accessible, such as a local test environment, you will need to update manually (sic).forum user, Help5.x:Joomla Update: Options

This new automated update feature may not apply to you; the feature may not be available to you.  However, if you are able to use it, the next section of this article will show you how to enable or disable automated updates.

Enabling the automated updated feature in J! 5.4+

It’s simple.  Navigate to the Joomla! Update Component on your website; refer to the image on the right of this screen (click to enlarge it).

1. Click Options on the top right of the screen
2. Locate the tab labelled Automated Updates
3. Toggle the slider labelled Automated Updates from Yes to No (or vice versa)
4. Click Save & Close

Reasons for and against automated updates

Before we delve into the question about whether automated updates are right for you, let’s begin with the question, “Why did the Joomla developers add the feature?”  The official explanation is, “Users asked for it. It’s one of the most requested features on the wish list and a great addition to Joomla's feature set.”  I’m sorry but I just don’t buy that.  I don’t know anyone who’s said to me that “I wish my Joomla websites would just update themselves,” or that this feature is a must-have.  I have never seen the results of any survey conducted by the Joomla! project about this idea … or, for that matter, about any idea.  These things happen because a few people decide they’re in the best interests of the community.

For (Pros) Automated Joomla Updates:

• Enhanced Security:  Ensures security patches are applied immediately to minimize vulnerability exposure.
• Convenience and Efficiency:  Saves time for developers and site managers, particularly when managing multiple sites.
• Keep Site Current:  Keeps the Joomla! core at the latest version automatically.
• Easy Notifications:  Sends alerts regarding successful or failed updates to administrators.

Against (Cons) Automated Joomla Updates:

• Site Incompatibility:  Third-party extensions, modules, or templates may break if they are not compatible with the new update, resulting in errors.
• Loss of Control:  Updates might occur at an inconvenient time, such as during peak traffic, affecting user experience.
• Lack of Pre-Update Backup Check:  Automated updates can occur without a prior manual backup being initiated by the user, leaving a broken site if the update fails.
• Dependency Issues:  The core might update while plugins become incompatible, causing unforeseen behaviour.

Key Considerations:

• Opt-in Required:  Automated updates are not on by default; they must be enabled per update stream.
• Recommendation:  Always ensure automatic backups are configured before enabling automated updates.
• Risks:  Some customised sites may break, crashing extensions or applying updates during high-traffic times.  Reliable backups and testing are essential for safe implementation.

Summary

The automated update feature in J! 5.4+ is not for everyone.  I am neither recommending in favour of using it nor against using it.  The terminology surrounding the various updating mechanisms in Joomla has, however, become increasingly more confusing.  I have to admit that I cannot even pretend to understand what many folk are talking about at any time.  I will, however, save the final word for a user who commented at the time of the announcement:

I (and perhaps many others) am more cautious, and although we appreciate the automatic update feature, I prefer to do it manually for many reasons, but mainly because it is always better to have some manual control over these situations. a Joomla user, Automatic core updates in Joomla, Joomla Community Magazine, 20-Oct-2025

About the author:

Michael Russell has worked in the information technology industry since 1971 and, since retiring from the workforce in 2007, is a website hobbyist specialising in Joomla, a former member of the Kunena project for more than 8 years and contributor on The Joomla Forum™. The opinions expressed in this article are entirely those of the author. View his profile here.