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You can update, activate, deactivate, or delete installed WordPress themes and plugins from the hosting dashboard, without opening WordPress Admin. Go to Websites → Dashboard → Security in the site’s WordPress Overview. The controls are for managing items already installed; use WordPress Admin to install new themes or plugins.
Open the WordPress Overview Security page
- Sign in to the hosting control panel and open Websites → Dashboard for the website you want to manage.
- If you have WordPress sites on subdomains, select the intended site from the site selector.
- In the WordPress Overview sidebar, choose Security.
The page shows the WordPress version and installed themes and plugins. If an update is available for WordPress core, use the update option shown there.
Manage installed themes and plugins
Themes
Review the themes list to see which theme is active and the security status shown for each theme. The documented Overview workflow is for reviewing and managing installed items; it is not a route for installing a new theme.
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Plugins
For each installed plugin, the page can show its security status, a vulnerability flag, and a recommendation when applicable. Use the activation toggle to turn a plugin on or off, the update action to apply an available update, or the trash/delete control to remove it.
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Deactivating a plugin is not the same as deleting it: deactivation turns it off while leaving it installed, whereas deletion removes the installed item. If you want to add a plugin, use WordPress Admin rather than this page.
Choose automatic updates by component
Automatic-update settings can be configured separately for WordPress core, themes, and plugins. For each component, the documented choices are:
- No updates: do not apply automatic updates for that component.
- Security updates only: limit automatic updates to security updates.
- All updates: allow automatic updates more broadly.
Choose settings based on how much change you want applied automatically and how closely you monitor the site. A broader setting can reduce the need to apply updates manually, but changes may affect the site; a narrower setting leaves more update work for you. There is no single best setting for every site.
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If staging is available for your account, use it to test plugin changes before applying them to the live site. Confirm staging eligibility in the control panel; availability depends on the account’s current plan. Testing can help catch problems before they affect visitors, but it does not replace monitoring the live site after a change.
What the security status does—and does not—tell you
The Security page surfaces status and recommendations, and the hosting provider identifies the source of vulnerability data behind its security information and related smart-update or vulnerability alerts. Treat those indicators as useful signals, not a guarantee that the website is secure. The provider also cautions that inactive websites can still be affected by theme and plugin vulnerabilities, and that a vulnerable site may put other sites on the same plan at risk.
The provider’s built-in vulnerability monitoring is distinct from a separately promoted managed security subscription; the subscription is not required to use the dashboard controls described here.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.If WordPress Overview is missing
Sites installed with Auto Installer
WordPress Overview is normally enabled automatically for WordPress installations made through the hosting provider’s Auto Installer.
Manually installed or migrated sites
- Open Websites → Dashboard and find WordPress Overview. If it is not visible, search for WordPress under Website.
- Select the relevant domain or subdomain if prompted, then choose Detect.
- Allow up to 10 minutes, then refresh the dashboard.
If detection fails, check that the WordPress files are in the expected directory, typically public_html or the domain root. During a migration to the same domain, some dashboard tools may be temporarily disabled; that temporary state does not by itself mean the site has failed.
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Agency Hosting
Agency Hosting does not have the separate WordPress Overview or Security page. Use WordPress Admin for changing or installing themes and installing plugins.
Quick Recap
Official instructions
- How to manage themes and plugins via WordPress Overview
- How to use WordPress Overview in the dashboard
- How to manually enable WordPress Overview
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