How to Change Your PHP Version in cPanel

Modern WordPress, WooCommerce, and most PHP applications require PHP 8.x to function at their best. If you are seeing plugin incompatibility warnings or slowness, switching your PHP version takes under 60 seconds on all Hostinap Shared and Business Hosting plans.

Step 1: Log in to cPanel

Navigate to https://yourdomain.com/cpanel and log in with your cPanel credentials.

Step 2: Find "Select PHP Version"

Scroll down to the Software section on the main cPanel dashboard and click on Select PHP Version. This opens the PHP version manager powered by CloudLinux.

Step 3: Choose Your PHP Version

You will see your currently active PHP version at the top. Click the dropdown and choose the version you need. Hostinap supports all active PHP versions:

• PHP 8.3 — Latest stable, recommended for new installations.
• PHP 8.2 — Widely compatible, great for WordPress 6.x.
• PHP 8.1 — Solid LTS option, works with most older plugins.
• PHP 7.4 — Legacy only. Use only if a very old application requires it.

Click Apply after selecting your version. The change is applied instantly — no server restart required.

Step 4: Customize PHP Extensions & Options

After selecting your version, you can also customize individual PHP settings without editing a php.ini file:

• Click the Options tab to increase memory_limit, upload_max_filesize, or max_execution_time.
• Click the Extensions tab to enable specific extensions like imagick, redis, or opcache.

How to Verify Your PHP Version Changed

To confirm the new version is active, create a file called info.php in your public_html with this content:

<?php phpinfo(); ?>

Visit https://yourdomain.com/info.php in your browser. The very first line will display your active PHP version. Delete this file once you have verified — leaving phpinfo() accessible publicly is a security risk.

If Your Site Breaks After Changing PHP

If a plugin or theme is not compatible with the new PHP version, simply revert to the previous version in Select PHP Version. Then check your WordPress plugin changelog or search for an updated, compatible version of the plugin before trying again.