How to change PHP version in cPanel: both screens, step by step

cPanel has 2 screens for PHP, and your host decides which ones you see. MultiPHP Manager is cPanel's own tool. Servers that run CloudLinux add Select PHP Version, also called the PHP Selector. Both sit in the Software section. Here is MultiPHP Manager first.

1. 1Back up your site and write down your current PHP version, so you can switch back if something breaks.
2. 2Log in to cPanel and find the Software section. Click MultiPHP Manager.
3. 3Find your domain in the list. Use the Search box if you have many. Each domain shows its current PHP version, and Inherited means it uses the server's default.
4. 4Tick the checkbox next to the domain you want to change.
5. 5Choose a version from the PHP Version menu. Versions marked Recommended are the ones your server administrator suggests.
6. 6Click Apply. If PHP-FPM is on for that domain, cPanel updates the FPM version to match.
7. 7Test your site right away: the home page, your forms, checkout if you sell online, and the admin.

Choosing 8.3 isn't the same as getting 8.3.36

cPanel lets you pick a PHP line. It doesn't let you pick the release inside that line. When you choose 8.3, your site runs whichever 8.3 release your host has installed on the server. If your host hasn't installed 8.3.36 yet, switching lines in cPanel won't bring in the PHP2Shell fix PHP released on October 21, 2026.

So after you pick a line, confirm the exact release. Ask your host, or read the full version in WordPress Site Health or a phpinfo() page: How to check your PHP version shows each method. If the host can't install the fix yet, ask about PHP2Shell workarounds in the meantime.

Which line to pick: 8.4 and 8.5 still get active support from PHP, 8.3 gets security fixes until the end of 2027, and 8.2 reaches end of life on December 31, 2026. PHP versions and end-of-life dates has the full list, and WordPress sites should check How to update PHP in WordPress first.

How to change PHP version with Select PHP Version (CloudLinux)

On CloudLinux servers, the Software section also has Select PHP Version. It opens on a page of PHP extensions, where you can change the current PHP version, turn extensions on or off, and reset to the defaults.

1. 1Open cPanel and click Select PHP Version in the Software section.
2. 2Pick the version from the current PHP version menu. native means the server's own PHP, the version cPanel installs with EasyApache, rather than a CloudLinux build.
3. 3Look through the extensions list for anything your site needs that isn't ticked. To change settings such as the upload limit, click Switch to PHP options.
4. 4CloudLinux's documentation says changes save automatically. If your screen shows a button to confirm, click it.
5. 5Test the site the same way as above.

The My Domains tab shows which tool each domain follows, PHP Selector or MultiPHP Manager. A domain set to MultiPHP Manager takes its version from there, so click Use PHP Selector first if you want this screen to control it. When a change in 1 screen doesn't show up on your site, check the other.

If the version you need isn't in the list

cPanel only offers versions your host has installed and made available to your account. cPanel's documentation says a missing version is either not installed on the server or not available to you, and that administrators install versions in WHM through EasyApache 4. Ask your host to add it.

The same goes if MultiPHP Manager or Select PHP Version is missing entirely: your host can turn either screen off in WHM's Feature Manager. Then your host controls PHP, and the fastest path is a support ticket naming the line you want and the fixed release you need (8.2.35, 8.3.36, 8.4.27, 8.5.12). Your PHP Scanner result includes a ready-made email.

A few more rules from cPanel's documentation: only the server administrator sets the server's default version (the version Inherited domains use), you can't turn on PHP-FPM while a domain is set to inherit, and if your host restricted a domain's PHP version, MultiPHP Manager can't return it to the original version.

Common problems after changing PHP in cPanel

• A blank page or an error 500. A plugin, theme or script uses code the new version removed. Switch back in the same screen, then update or replace what failed.
• Missing extension errors. The new version may not have the same extensions turned on. In Select PHP Version, tick them in the extensions list; with MultiPHP Manager, ask your host.
• Different limits. Settings such as the upload size or memory limit can differ between versions. Check them after a switch.
• Nothing seems to change. Clear your caching plugin and your host's cache, then check again. If you have both screens, the domain may follow the other screen.
• Shared folders. cPanel notes that turning on PHP-FPM for a domain that shares a document root with other domains changes all of them.

Not on cPanel?

Many hosts run cPanel under their own branding, while others use Plesk or a dashboard of their own. Our host guides show where each keeps the PHP setting: Plesk, GoDaddy, Bluehost, HostGator, Namecheap, SiteGround, Hostinger and DreamHost.