Reminder: Upcoming Removal of PHP 8.2

PHP 8.2 will be removed from WP Cloud on December 15, 2026 at 12:00 UTC.

As noted in our May reminder and the Platform Update Schedule, WP Cloud partners should be working with their customers to complete PHP 8.2 upgrades before the upcoming December 15, 2026 – 12:00 UTC deadline.

Use the Platform Update Schedule as your primary reference for PHP removal dates, platform default changes, and upgrade recommendations. WP Cloud follows a modified version of the PHP project’s support lifecycle and announces changes on the WP Cloud blog.

Sites still running PHP 8.2 at the removal deadline may be force-upgraded by WP Cloud to the platform’s current default PHP version, without the possibility of a rollback to 8.2.

Next steps and recommendations

• Audit your sites for PHP 8.2. Use the List Client Sites endpoint with /get-sites/{client}/php_version to include each site’s PHP version in the response.
• Test site compatibility and upgrade to PHP 8.4, the current platform default, or PHP 8.5. Leave time to address compatibility issues before the removal deadline.
• Communicate your upgrade timeline and any required action to customers. Set your own deadline for completing upgrades well before December 15.
• Update your new-site defaults and remove PHP 8.2 from customer-facing version controls and new-site provisioning before the platform deadline.

API guidance

Use the /verbose option on the Get PHP Versions endpoint to retrieve the platform default and the status and until details for each available version. Treat until as the absolute end date for that PHP version on WP Cloud when planning upgrades and updating your tooling and notices.

Set the php_version site meta when creating a site to select its PHP version. For existing sites, use the Site Meta endpoint to read or change php_version.

Review the PHP upgrade tips in the Platform Update Schedule when planning your transition. For additional background on version selection and the PHP lifecycle, see PHP lifecycle and supported versions.