How to Check WordPress Version of Any Site (6 Methods)

The fastest way to check your WordPress version is to log into your site’s admin dashboard. The version number appears in the “At a Glance” panel on the main dashboard page, and again in the bottom-right corner of every admin screen. If you don’t have admin access, you can usually find the version in the site’s HTML source, its RSS feed, or by running a single WP-CLI command.

Below are 6 ways to check what version a WordPress site is running, ordered from fastest to most reliable.

Key Takeaways

• Fastest on your own site: the WordPress admin dashboard under “At a Glance.”
• Fastest on someone else’s site: view the HTML source and search for the generator meta tag.
• Most reliable method (when you have server access): open /wp-includes/version.php and read the $wp_version variable.
• Security plugins commonly hide the version from the public, so source code and RSS feed checks don’t always work on third-party sites.
• The latest WordPress version is 6.9.4, available on WordPress.org.

Latest WordPress Version: 6.9.4
You can download the latest version of WordPress on wordpress.org

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1. Check WordPress version in the dashboard

If you have admin access, this is the fastest check. Log into your WordPress dashboard and look at the “At a Glance” panel on the main admin screen. Your current WordPress version is shown right there (for example, “WordPress 6.7.2 running Twenty Twenty-Four theme”).

The version also appears in the bottom-right corner of every admin page, which is handy if the “At a Glance” widget has been hidden. If you see something like “Version 6.7.2” down there, that’s your number.

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2. Check WordPress version by viewing page source

You can usually spot the WordPress version on any public site by checking its HTML source. Right-click on any page, choose “View Page Source” (Chrome, Firefox, Edge), and a new tab opens with the raw HTML.

Press Ctrl + F (or Cmd + F on Mac), search for the word generator, and look for a meta tag like this:

<meta name="generator" content="WordPress 6.7.2" />

This won’t work on every WordPress site. A lot of security plugins (Solid Security, Wordfence, iThemes Security) strip the generator tag specifically to hide the version from attackers. If the search comes up empty, move on to the RSS feed method below.

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3. Check WordPress version via RSS feed

Most WordPress sites expose an RSS feed at yoursite.com/feed/. Open that URL in your browser, then Ctrl + F / Cmd + F and search for generator. You’ll see a line that looks like:

<generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2</generator>

The RSS method often works even when the meta tag has been stripped from the main site, because some security plugins don’t touch the feed. If both are hidden, the site is running a tighter-than-average security setup.

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4. Get WordPress version with PHP

If you’re writing a plugin or theme and need the version number at runtime (for example, to conditionally load code based on the WordPress version), use the built-in get_bloginfo() function or the global $wp_version variable:

// Option 1: get_bloginfo()
echo get_bloginfo( 'version' );

// Option 2: global $wp_version
global $wp_version;
echo $wp_version;

// Conditional example
if ( version_compare( get_bloginfo( 'version' ), '6.5', '>=' ) ) {
    // Do something only on WordPress 6.5 or later
}

version_compare() is a PHP built-in that handles version strings properly, so you don’t have to worry about “6.10” being treated as less than “6.2” with simple string comparison.

5. Check WordPress version with WP-CLI

If you have SSH access to your server, WP-CLI gives you the version in one command:

wp core version

It outputs just the version number (for example, 6.7.2). Pair it with wp core check-update to see if a newer version is available, or add --extra for additional info like the database version:

wp core version --extra

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6. Read the version.php file

WordPress stores its version number in /wp-includes/version.php. Open the file over FTP, SFTP, or your hosting file manager and look for the $wp_version variable near the top:

$wp_version = '6.7.2';

This is the most reliable method because it reads straight from the WordPress core files, not from a UI element or a public-facing tag. It works even if the admin dashboard is broken, locked behind login issues, or stripped by a security plugin. The catch is you need server access to reach the file.

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Why the WordPress version you’re running matters

A few reasons to care about which version is on your site:

• Security and stability. Outdated versions accumulate known vulnerabilities that attackers actively scan for. Running the latest stable version is the single easiest thing you can do to reduce your risk.
• Plugin and theme compatibility. Most plugins list a minimum and tested WordPress version. Knowing yours avoids install conflicts and the white screen of death.
• Features. Each major WordPress release adds core functionality (block themes, XML sitemaps, Site Editor improvements) that can replace plugins you’re currently running.

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Frequently asked questions

Bottom line

For your own site, the admin dashboard (method 1) or wp core version (method 5) answer the question in under a minute. For someone else’s site, start with the page source or RSS feed; if a security plugin has stripped them, you’re out of non-invasive options short of server access. Either way, if you land here because you’re behind on updates, fix that first: the version number you’re checking is only useful if it’s the latest one. For more, see my guide to checking your PHP version or browse the full WordPress code snippets library.