- Make sure you’ve got access to a full backup of your entire system. Database, plugins, uploads, core software, themes, child themes, CSS customizations, etc…
- Make sure you know how to actually restore from your backup. Otherwise, its like having a backup generator in the garage, with no idea of how to use it when the power goes out.
- Wait a few days. Seriously. I know that this sounds like heresy, but, give me a second to explain…
Don’t Panic
You can be sure that this update has been tested extensively with hundreds, maybe even thousands of volunteers running it on their sites and reporting back with any errors. The WP dev team is one of the best in the world at what they do and they wouldn’t release 4.7 if they didn’t think it was rock solid.
Why do I recommend that you wait a day or two? Because there is no beta testing group that I know of that can equal the millions of WordPress website owners rushing to upgrade whenever there is a new major release.
Patience is a Virtue
Your patience may be rewarded by reducing the risk that your site will encounter a previously unknown bug.
Security First
However, in this case I don’t know of any “emergency/security” reasons to update to 4.7 immediately, so my advice is to hold out for a few days.
Being Old Sometimes Is a Good Thing
Given my 25+ years of experience as a computer professional I can assure you that in the software world there are often .0.x releases immediately after a major update. These releases come from learning of bugs that the first wave of people that updated immediately found for the developers. It’s called being on the “cutting edge” for a reason.
Do Your Homework
While you are patiently waiting, check to see if your theme and plugins have any updates that they need in order to be compatible and update them responsibly (ie: making sure you have a recent backup first). After you’ve got that done, why not read up on the incredibly cool new features that are coming with this new release.
If you want some reading material while you wait, you can learn about the exciting new features that are a part of WordPress 4.7 by clicking the link below.
https://wordpress.org/news/2016/12/vaughan/
Watch a Movie
If you want to watch the official release video, grab a drink and pop some popcorn, here it is:
