Written by Admin on 2025-05-06

Downloading PHP 5.4 for WordPress

WordPress is a popular platform for creating and managing websites. It runs using the PHP programming language. At its core, WordPress requires PHP version 5.6 or higher to operate. However, some older websites or plugins may require an earlier version of PHP, such as version 5.4.

In this article, we will cover how to download and install PHP version 5.4 for use with WordPress.

Step 1: Check your current PHP version

Before downloading and installing a new version of PHP, it is important to check which version your website is currently using. You can do this by logging into your WordPress dashboard, navigating to the "Tools" section, and selecting "Site Health." Here, you will find information about your website's PHP version.

Step 2: Download PHP 5.4

To download the PHP 5.4 version for WordPress, you can visit the official PHP website at php.net. From there, navigate to the "Downloads" section and select the version of PHP you wish to download. In this case, we want to select the PHP 5.4 version.

Once you have selected the correct version, download the zip file and save it to your computer.

Step 3: Extract and install PHP 5.4

After downloading the PHP 5.4 zip file, you will need to extract its contents to a folder on your computer. Once extracted, you can rename the folder to something easily recognizable, such as "php54."

Now that you have the PHP 5.4 folder, you'll need to move it to your website's root directory. This is typically found in the "public_html" folder of your web hosting account. You can use an FTP client to move the folder to the root directory.

Step 4: Configure WordPress to use PHP 5.4

To configure WordPress to use the PHP 5.4 version, you will need to modify your website's .htaccess file. This file is located in your website's root directory and controls how your website behaves.

Open the .htaccess file in a text editor and add the following code to the top of the file:

php AddHandler application/x-httpd-php54 .php

Save the changes to the .htaccess file and upload it to your website's root directory.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you should now have PHP version 5.4 installed and running on your WordPress website. However, it's important to note that PHP 5.4 is no longer officially supported, which means it is not receiving security updates. It is recommended to upgrade to a newer version of PHP as soon as possible.