Updating Avada from Older Versions

Last Update: February 27, 2026

Why you should update regularly

A major reason to keep Avada and your plugins up-to-date is for security purposes. Keeping your site updated ensures you have access to the latest Avada features, improvements, and security fixes.

If you’ve fallen behind on updates or are taking over a project that hasn’t been updated in a while, this post will guide you through updating from older versions of Avada to the latest.

Pre-Update Tips

  • Before processing any update, make sure to take a full site and database backup. That will ensure you can revert to a working state on your site if anything unexpected happens.
  • It is important that you ensure your server limits are at least at the required minimums for the update/theme install to complete seamlessly. Read our Requirements for Avada help file for more information.
  • When updating from old versions of Avada, we strongly recommend a staggered update path. Below, we’ll guide you through one major theme update at a time. This will make the process as smooth as possible for you. At the end of each section, there will be a link to download the Avada version required for the update path.

Recommended Update Path For Old Versions

With each new Avada update, a set of new options, features, and code improvements is introduced. Click on the version path that matches your current Avada version for detailed instructions

  • Avada 3.9 and older: If you’re below version 3.9, start with the steps in this section.
  • Avada 3.9.X: If you’re at version 3.9.X, start with the steps in this section.
  • Avada 4.0.X: If you’re at version 4.0.X, start with the steps in this section.
  • Avada 5.9.1: If you’re at version 5.9.1, start with the steps in this section.

Updating From Avada 3.9 And Older

Regardless of what version of Avada you have currently, if it’s before Avada 3.9, then 3.9.4 should be the first stage in the update.

If you’re updating from an Avada version before Avada 3.8 and you have custom CSS, you’ll need to check your custom CSS after the update, due to a CSS refactor in Avada 3.8. Because of the refactor, your custom CSS classes may also need updating to match the new classes used in Avada. For information on custom CSS in Avada, please read our How To Make Custom CSS Changes help file.

If you have no customizations or custom CSS in Avada, then the update to 3.9.4 should be routine. For standard update information, please see this guide.

After the update completes, clear your cache completely and check your site to see if everything is working well. Since this is an older version of Avada, it’s recommended that you disable all plugins except Avada Core while testing your site. This is to ensure any issues you see aren’t related to a plugin conflict. The primary goal here is to ensure the theme styling is correct, then move on to the next update.

Updating From Avada 3.9.X

When updating from Avada 3.9.X, your next step in the update chain will be 4.0.3. If you’re not at 3.9.X yet, follow the steps in the section above before proceeding.

In Avada 4.0.X, the most notable change was the migration from the old Avada Global Options to the new Avada Global Options. To ensure the Global Options migration completes correctly, double-check your Avada System Status page and increase any limits that show a red notice (except max_input_vars, as that will have no effect on the migration). Please see here for information on increasing your server limits, and here for information on Avada’s server requirements.

As an extra precaution, it’s recommended that you disable all non-Avada plugins (except WPML, if in use) while the migration is being processed. This will ensure your Global Options migration isn’t hindered by a plugin conflict.

If you get trapped in the migration (e.g., the migration steps are endlessly repeating or frozen), you can resolve it with FTP access. If you didn’t disable your plugins, then you may have a plugin conflict. You can fix this by temporarily renaming the /wp-content/plugins/ directory. (e.g., /wp-content/plugins-dis/). Doing this will disable all the plugins and allow the migration to complete.

Updating From Avada 4.0.X

If your current Avada version is 4.0.X, your next update will be to Avada 5.9.1. This will include converting your shortcodes from the old Avada page builder to the new Avada Builder, introduced in Avada 5.0.

If you’re not at 4.0.X yet, please reference the appropriate section above for your current Avada version before proceeding. If you haven’t checked the Pre-Update Tips section from above yet, click here for that important information.

Since the Avada Builder uses different shortcodes, any shortcodes generated before Avada 5.0 will not render Elements and will appear as plain text. An automated conversion process will update your content to the new shortcode syntax.

Areas that are automatically converted by Avada include: pages, blog posts, portfolios, WooCommerce product content and excerpts, widgets, global options, Avada Sliders, Revolution Sliders, and LayerSliders.

If, after the update, your site shows all shortcodes on the front end, the conversion may not have completed correctly. Although it looks like a serious problem, it’s usually just due to low server limits, which cause the update process to be truncated.

To fix this, you can manually trigger the shortcode conversion again at the top of the Avada System Status page. If that doesn’t correct the issue, double-check that the Avada Builder plugin is installed and activated.

Updating From Avada 5.9.1

If your current Avada version is 5.9.1, your next step in the update will be to the latest version. The current latest version is Avada 7.15, which includes a new registration method. For more details about the registration, please see this help file.

Getting Additional Help

  • Sign up for your My Avada account and register your license to access support: click here.
  • If you already have registered and need assistance, please submit a support ticket here.
  • Purchases made before September 1st, 2015 are eligible for our Avada Grandfathered support. More information on Grandfathered support can be found here.
  • If your support account has expired, you can find information on renewing that here.

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