In this article, we assume you have a PHP version older than 7.4 running on your existing server, which you would like to upgrade. Downgrading the PHP version has some limitations, so you can view which PHP versions you can upgrade or downgrade to currently.

Important Announcement for PHP Older Versions

Cloudways currently supports PHP 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, and 8.2 and the older versions (5.6, 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3) are deprecated as of August 15th, 2022. As a result, new and existing servers with the default PHP 7.4 or newer versions will not have the option to downgrade to older and deprecated versions; however, existing servers with deprecated versions will continue to work for the time being.

Existing servers with deprecated versions will continue to work for the time being. The deprecated versions will reach the end of life on August 31st, 2023; therefore, you are requested to upgrade to the latest version. Please refer to the Cloudways deprecation process and policy for more details.

Please note that PHP 7 requires Debian 8 or greater, and it does not work with the older Debian versions, such as Debian 7.

Important

When upgrading to PHP 7.x, your application packages will not be updated automatically, so please ensure that your application/code is fully compatible with your selected PHP version.
Also, take server backup before updating the PHP version, so if your application(s) run into any issues, you can always restore your application(s) and revert to the previous PHP version.

Supported PHP Versions

To reiterate, Cloudways currently supports PHP 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, and 8.2 and the older versions (5.6, 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3) are deprecated. If you use a PHP version older than PHP 7.4, you can only upgrade to the on-deprecated versions, e.g., PHP 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2. We have explained the same in the below table.

PHP Version	Upgradable to
PHP 5.6	PHP 7.4 and higher
PHP 7.0	PHP 7.4 and higher
PHP 7.1	PHP 7.4 and higher
PHP 7.2	PHP 7.4 and higher
PHP 7.3	PHP 7.4 and higher
PHP 7.4	PHP 8.0 and higher
PHP 8.0	Upgradable to PHP 8.1 and higher Can be downgraded to PHP 7.4
PHP 8.1	Upgradable to PHP 8.2 and higher Can be downgraded to PHP 8.0 or lower
PHP 8.2	It is the latest version. It will be upgradeable to any new PHP version once available on the Cloudways Platform. Can be downgraded to PHP 8.1 or lower

How to Upgrade PHP Version

Step #1 — Navigate to Server Packages

From the top menu bar, open Servers.
Then, choose your desired server.
Under Server Management, select Settings & Packages.
Choose the Packages tab.

Step #2 — Upgrading to PHP 7.x

Edit the PHP version.
Choose your desired PHP version.
Next, click Save.
You will be shown a warning to check if all your web applications are compatible with your selected PHP version. If you have followed all the required steps and want to pursue them, click Ok.

You have successfully upgraded the PHP version. Similarly, you can also downgrade to a different PHP version as well. Also, see the PHP modules of your chosen PHP version.

That’s it! We hope this article was helpful. If you need any help, then feel free to search your query on Cloudways Support Center or contact us via chat (Need a Hand > Send us a Message). Alternatively, you can also create a support ticket.