WP Thinker

The WordPress Playground

How to Fix ‘Another Update in Process’ Error in WordPress

Another Update in Process WordPress

An ‘Another update currently in process’ suddenly appeared when you tried to run a new update? Theoretically, it should go away if you give it time, so it’s not a fatal error such as the white screen of death or the “this site is experiencing technical difficulties” error. But if it did, you wouldn’t have gone on a search for the solution and found us. And, although we understand it’s a scary situation, the success rate is pretty much 100%, and the steps are quite easy to follow. That should give you some relief! We’ll also help you avoid

Why does ‘Another update is currently in process’ WordPress error happen?

It’s a bit obvious, isn’t it? A core WordPress update is being processed in the background while you’re trying to initiate a second update. The process is marked with an option called core_updater.lock in the database, which prevents the new update from interfering. Otherwise, this would cause corruption and wreak havoc if you don’t have a WordPress backup plugin. So, if the error message doesn’t disappear automatically, and you can’t wait, here are two easy ways to remove core_updater.lock from the database:

1. Install a dedicated WordPress plugin

This is arguably the easier of the two options. All you need is a lightweight WordPress plugin. Not too hard, right? Let’s get into the required steps.

  1. Download Fix Another Update in Progress.
  2. Install the WordPress plugin via FTP.
    Alternative. You can also search for this name in the WordPress repository inside the WordPress Admin Section. Follow this guide to install a WordPress plugin.
  3. Now click on Settings in the expandable menu on the left-hand side.
  4. Select Fix Another Update in Process.
  5. Click on the Fix WordPress Update Lock button.
  6. After you see the success message, feel free to update WordPress as you originally planned.
  7. If the update is successful, erase the plugin by clicking on Deactivate, then Delete in the same Plugins Admin Dashboard section where you activated it.

2. Solve the ‘Another update in process’ WordPress error in phpMyAdmin

This set of instructions requires a degree of tech-savviness – you’ll need to run a query inside the WordPress database. However, we don’t expect a problem with anyone doing this if you follow the steps closely. Here’s what to do.

  1. Login to the cPanel on your hosting website.
    The credentials were provided when you purchased the hosting. Check your e-mail or contact their 24/7 customer support.
  2. Find a section with the headline Databases.
  3. Click on the phpMyAdmin option.
  4. Select the database that belongs to your website. It will usually be the entry in the upper left corner. You can now proceed in two ways:
    1. Expand the database tree, and find and click on an entry named wp_options.
      If you changed the wp_ prefix to something else for security reasons, you should look for yourprefix_options. Exchange yourprefix with the actual prefix, obviously.
    2. Click on the database name, then in the large menu on the right, click on Browse next to wp-options.
  5. You will see all the rows inside that table.
  6. Find a row that has core_updater.lock under option_name.
    If you don’t see it, expand the number of rows to 50 or 100.
  7. Click on Delete.
  8. After the success message, close the window and proceed with initiating an update on WordPress.

And just like that, you got rid of the ‘Another update in process’ WordPress error. If you ever get stuck on a WordPress update while locked out of WordPress Admin Section, you can rely on the second method to fix things.