Documentation
GPL Downloads Auto Updater
How to install the Auto Updater, connect your account, choose what updates itself, roll back, white label it for clients, and fix the common problems.
- WordPress 5.0 or higher
- PHP 7.4 or higher
- An active All Access membership
Getting started
The Auto Updater is a WordPress plugin that delivers updates for the plugins and themes you use from our catalogue straight to your WordPress dashboard. Once your account is connected, new versions appear alongside the normal WordPress updates. There is nothing to download or reinstall by hand.
What you need
- WordPress 5.0 or higher
- PHP 7.4 or higher
- An active GPL Downloads All Access membership
Installation
Download the plugin
Get the Auto Updater from your account: GPL Downloads Auto Updater.
Install it
In WordPress admin go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin, choose the zip file, click Install Now, then Activate Plugin.
Open the settings
A GPL Downloads item appears in the admin sidebar. Open it to connect your account, as described below.
Connecting your account
Open GPL Downloads
Click GPL Downloads in the admin sidebar.
Enter your details
Enter your GPL Downloads username or email and your GPL Downloads password. These are your login for our site, not for your WordPress site.
Connect
Click Connect. A green Connected status shows your account name and email, and the first update check runs straight away.
Your password is used once to connect and is not stored on your site. You only need to connect again if you change your GPL Downloads password or your membership lapses.
Checking for updates
Once connected, the plugin checks for updates automatically in the background.
New versions appear in Dashboard > Updates and on the GPL Downloads settings page, which shows how many are waiting with a direct link to them.
Checking by hand
Go to GPL Downloads and click Check for Updates Now. The time of the last check is shown at the bottom of the settings page.
Auto-update settings
Go to GPL Downloads > Auto-Update Settings. By default updates are shown but not installed automatically.
Enable automatic updates
This is the master switch. When it is off, no GPL Downloads plugin installs itself, whatever the per-plugin setting says, which is handy for pausing updates before a big change to a site. When it is on, updates install during the scheduled checks.
Per-plugin settings
The table lists every GPL Downloads plugin on the site. Set each one to:
- Auto: installs automatically while the master switch is on.
- Manual: shows as an available update but waits for you to install it.
Only plugins from our catalogue are affected. Your other plugins and themes are managed by WordPress as normal. The list fills in after the first update check, so if a plugin is missing, click Check for Updates Now first.
Rolling back
Find the plugin
Go to Plugins and find the plugin you want to roll back.
Click the rollback link
Click Rollback to x.x.x in the plugin's action links.
Confirm
Confirm, and the previous version is installed straight away. The rollback is recorded in the Update Log.
The rollback link only appears once a plugin has been updated at least once through the Auto Updater, because before that there is no previous version to go back to. Rollbacks are free and do not use your daily credits.
Update Log
Go to GPL Downloads > Update Log for a full history of updates and rollbacks: the versions changed from and to, the date, and whether each one was automatic or manual.
White label
On the main GPL Downloads settings page, scroll to White Label Settings. Leave a field empty to keep the default. Changes apply as soon as you save.
- Plugin Name: replaces "GPL Downloads Auto Updates" throughout wp-admin.
- Admin Menu Label: the label in the admin sidebar.
- Plugin Description: shown under the plugin name on the Plugins screen.
- Author Name: replaces "GPL Downloads" in the By line.
- Author URL: where the author name links to.
Troubleshooting
"Invalid username or password"
- Use your GPL Downloads login, not your WordPress site login.
- Check that the same details let you log in at gpldownloads.com.
- If you changed your password recently, use the new one.
"No active All Access subscription found"
- Check that your membership shows as Active in your account.
- If you have just renewed, wait a few minutes and try again.
- Lifetime members who see this message should open a ticket.
Updates are not appearing after connecting
- Click Check for Updates Now.
- Check that the plugins show the Auto update: Yes badge on their product pages.
- Go to Tools > Site Health and check that WordPress cron is running.
One plugin is not showing an update
- Check its product page for the Auto update: Yes badge. Without it, the plugin may not be set up for auto updates yet.
- The plugin's folder name must match the name in our catalogue. If it does not, open a ticket and tell us the folder name.
"This download link has expired"
- Download links last 2 hours from the update check.
- Click Check for Updates Now to get a fresh link, then update straight away.
"The package could not be installed"
- Make sure WordPress can write to
wp-content/plugins. - Make sure your host does not block outgoing connections to gpldownloads.com.
- Try again, as a timeout can cause a one-off failure.
A site still shows as connected after disconnecting
- Current versions remove the site from your account automatically when you disconnect.
- On an older version, update the Auto Updater, connect, then disconnect again.
- Or remove the site from My Account > Auto Updates on gpldownloads.com.
Asked to connect again
- Connect again with your GPL Downloads login. This happens after a password change, or if your membership lapsed and was renewed.
FAQ
Does it work on any WordPress site?
Yes, on any site you connect to your All Access membership.
How many sites can I connect?
There is no fixed limit. Your connected sites are listed under My Account > Auto Updates.
Will it update plugins I got elsewhere?
No. It only manages plugins and themes from our catalogue. Everything else is updated by WordPress as normal.
Do updates use my daily credits?
Yes, each update uses one credit. Downloading the same product again on the same day does not use another one. Rollbacks are free.
What happens if my membership ends?
Updates stop and your plugins stay on their current versions. They start again when you renew.
Can I use it on client sites?
Yes. Use the white label settings to rebrand it, and clients will not see GPL Downloads unless you want them to.
Is my password stored?
No. It is used once to connect and is never saved on your site.
What is the difference between Auto and Manual?
Auto installs updates during the scheduled checks without asking. Manual shows the update in your dashboard so you can read the changelog and install it when you are ready.
Can I roll back a theme?
Yes. Rollback works for themes as well as plugins.
Why can't I see the rollback link?
It only appears after a product has been updated at least once through the Auto Updater. Before that there is no previous version to restore.
Still stuck?
Open a support ticket with a description of the problem. Screenshots or a short video of the error help us fix it much faster.