This guide walks you through changing your PHP version using PHP Selector in your hosting control panel. You will learn how to select a specific PHP version for your domain, enable or disable PHP extensions, and what to do if something goes wrong after the switch.
What you will need
- An active hosting account with HOSTDOG
- Access to your hosting control panel (how to log in)
Check your application requirements
Before changing your PHP version, check which version your application requires. Using an unsupported version can break your site.
| Application | Recommended PHP version |
|---|---|
| WordPress 6.x | PHP 8.1 or 8.2 (minimum 7.4) |
| Joomla 5.x | PHP 8.1 or 8.2 |
| WooCommerce | PHP 8.1 or 8.2 |
| Drupal 10.x | PHP 8.1 or 8.2 |
| PrestaShop 8.x | PHP 8.1 |
Change your PHP version
Navigate to the HOSTDOG homepage and click the Log in button in the top-right corner. From your client area, go to your hosting service and click Login to Control Panel.
In your control panel, find the Software section and click Select PHP Version (also called PHP Selector). This tool lets you manage PHP versions and extensions for your hosting account.
If your account hosts multiple domains, use the domain selector or directory dropdown at the top of the page to choose which site you want to configure. Each domain can run a different PHP version independently.
Click the PHP version dropdown and select the version you want (e.g., PHP 8.1, PHP 8.2, PHP 8.3). The current active version is displayed at the top. After selecting the new version, click Set as current or Apply to confirm.
After setting the PHP version, you will see a list of available PHP extensions (over 120 are available on HOSTDOG hosting). Most common extensions are enabled by default. If your application requires a specific extension (such as intl, imagick, or soap), tick the checkbox next to it and click Save.
Visit your website to confirm everything is working correctly. You can also verify the active PHP version by checking the PHP Selector page — the current version is shown at the top. The change takes effect immediately; no server restart is needed.
Troubleshooting
This usually means your application or one of its plugins is not compatible with the new PHP version. Go back to PHP Selector and switch to the previous version to restore your site immediately. Then update your application, theme, and plugins to their latest versions before trying the upgrade again. Check your application's documentation for the recommended PHP version.
A blank white page typically indicates a fatal PHP error. Switch back to the previous PHP version to restore the site. If you want to investigate the cause, enable error logging by adding display_errors = On temporarily in your PHP settings (via PHP INI settings), reproduce the error, then check the error log for details. Common causes include deprecated functions removed in newer PHP versions.
If your application displays a message like "PHP extension X is required", go back to PHP Selector, find the extension in the list, enable it, and click Save. Common extensions that applications request include mbstring, xml, gd, curl, intl, and zip. The change takes effect immediately.
If a .htaccess file in your site's root directory contains a PHP handler directive, it can override the version set in PHP Selector. Check your .htaccess for any lines starting with AddHandler or AddType that reference a specific PHP version. Remove or comment out those lines, then set the version again through PHP Selector.
Frequently asked questions
WordPress officially recommends PHP 8.1 or newer. PHP 8.2 offers the best balance of performance and compatibility for most WordPress sites. Before upgrading, make sure all your plugins and theme are updated to their latest versions, as older plugins may not support the newest PHP versions.
Yes. PHP Selector allows you to set a different PHP version for each domain or subdomain on your account. This is especially useful if you host multiple sites that require different versions — for example, a legacy application on PHP 7.4 and a modern WordPress site on PHP 8.2.
Open PHP Selector in your control panel — the current version is displayed at the top of the page. Alternatively, you can create a file called phpinfo.php in your site's root directory containing <?php phpinfo(); ?>, then visit yourdomain.com/phpinfo.php in your browser. Remember to delete this file afterwards, as it exposes server configuration details.
No. Changing your PHP version only affects how your website's PHP code is executed. Your email accounts, databases, and stored files remain completely unaffected. Only your website's behaviour may change if it relies on features that differ between PHP versions.