Guide WP-CLI on CloudPanel: Manage WordPress from the Command Line

Guide WP-CLI on CloudPanel: Manage WordPress from the Command Line - Printable Version

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WP-CLI on CloudPanel: Manage WordPress from the Command Line - JAY - 10-19-2026

WP-CLI on CloudPanel: manage WordPress from the command line

WP-CLI lets you do WordPress jobs by typing short commands instead of clicking through wp-admin. Updating every plugin, resetting a forgotten admin password or changing your domain in the whole database takes one line. It's also a lifesaver when wp-admin itself is broken and you can't log in.

This guide shows the commands you'll actually use, explained in plain words.

Before you start: log in as the site user
Always run WP-CLI as the site's own user, never as root. That way new files get the right owner and you don't create permission problems.

Code:

ssh site-user@YOUR_SERVER_IP
cd ~/htdocs/www.example.com

Every command below is run from this folder (the one that contains wp-config.php).

Check that WP-CLI is available:

Code:

wp --info

If you see "command not found", ask the server admin to install it as root:

Code:

curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wp-cli/builds/gh-pages/phar/wp-cli.phar
chmod +x wp-cli.phar
mv wp-cli.phar /usr/local/bin/wp

See what's going on

Code:

wp core version          # which WordPress version you run
wp plugin list           # all plugins, active or not, and if updates are waiting
wp theme list            # all themes
wp user list             # all users and their roles

Update everything safely
Take a quick database backup first, then update:

Code:

wp db export ~/backup-before-update.sql
wp core update
wp plugin update --all
wp theme update --all
wp core update-db

If something breaks after an update, you can roll a single plugin back to a version you know works:

Code:

wp plugin install woocommerce --version=9.0.0 --force

Fix a site that won't load
A broken plugin is the most common cause of a white screen. Turn off all plugins at once, check the site, then turn them on one by one:

Code:

wp plugin deactivate --all
wp plugin activate contact-form-7

Switch to a default theme if the theme is the problem:

Code:

wp theme activate twentytwentyfive

Reset a forgotten admin password

Code:

wp user update admin --user_pass='a-new-long-password'

Replace

Code:

admin

with your username (see

Code:

wp user list

). Or create a fresh admin user:

Code:

wp user create newadmin [email protected] --role=administrator

WP-CLI prints the new password on screen.

Change the domain (or move from HTTP to HTTPS)
WordPress stores your address in many places in the database. This command replaces it everywhere safely. Always test with

Code:

--dry-run

first, which only shows what would change:

Code:

wp search-replace 'http://old-domain.com' 'https://www.new-domain.com' --dry-run
wp search-replace 'http://old-domain.com' 'https://www.new-domain.com'

Then clear your caches (next section).

Clear caches

Code:

wp cache flush           # WordPress object cache
wp transient delete --all  # old temporary data
wp rewrite flush         # refresh permalinks

If you use Varnish in CloudPanel, also purge it from the site's Varnish Cache tab.

Back up and restore the database

Code:

wp db export ~/site-$(date +%F).sql     # backup with today's date
wp db import ~/site-2026-10-19.sql      # restore a backup

Keep backups outside the htdocs folder (like the home folder above), so nobody can download them from the web.

Run WordPress cron reliably
WordPress normally runs its scheduled jobs only when someone visits the site. On quiet sites, scheduled posts and emails can be late. You can run them on a timer instead:

Add this line to wp-config.php, above "That's all, stop editing":

Code:
define( 'DISABLE_WP_CRON', true );
In CloudPanel, open the site's Cron Jobs tab and add a job that runs every 5 minutes with this command:

Code:
cd /home/site-user/htdocs/www.example.com && /usr/local/bin/wp cron event run --due-now >/dev/null 2>&1

Cron jobs don't always know where WP-CLI lives, so use its full path. Run

Code:

which wp

to check it; on most servers it's

Code:

/usr/local/bin/wp

.

Quick reference

Code:
wp plugin list
: see all plugins
Code:
wp plugin update --all
: update all plugins
Code:
wp plugin deactivate --all
: emergency switch-off
Code:
wp user update NAME --user_pass='...'
: reset a password
Code:
wp search-replace OLD NEW --dry-run
: preview a domain change
Code:
wp db export file.sql
: database backup
Code:
wp cache flush
: clear the object cache

Sources (checked October 2026): WP-CLI official site · WP-CLI command reference

Related: Install WordPress in CloudPanel