How to update PHP on GoDaddy
GoDaddy has three kinds of website and the PHP version lives in a different place on each. Find yours, then it's a two-minute change.
GoDaddy sells three different kinds of website, and the PHP2Shell answer is different for each. Website Builder: nothing to do, GoDaddy runs the servers. Managed WordPress: open the site in My Products, go to Settings, and change the PHP version there. Web Hosting (cPanel): open cPanel and use MultiPHP Manager.
First, which GoDaddy product do you have?
Sign in at godaddy.com and open My Products. Look at the heading your site sits under:
- Websites + Marketing / Website Builder: a hosted builder. GoDaddy patches its own servers; there is no PHP version for you to change and nothing to do.
- Managed WordPress: GoDaddy hosts WordPress for you and exposes the PHP version as a setting.
- Web Hosting (Linux hosting with cPanel): you manage PHP yourself in cPanel.
Managed WordPress
- My Products → Managed WordPress → Manage on the site.
- Open Settings. The PHP version is shown with a Change option.
- Pick the newest version offered, ideally 8.3 or 8.4 (8.2 is patched too, but its security support ends on December 31, 2026). The change takes a minute or two.
- GoDaddy decides when the fixed patch release (8.2.35, 8.3.36, 8.4.27, 8.5.12) is installed; the setting shows the branch. If the checker still reports an older patch after the switch, contact GoDaddy support and ask when the fixed release is rolling out to your server.
Web Hosting (cPanel)
- My Products → Web Hosting → Manage, then cPanel Admin.
- Under Software, open Select PHP Version (or MultiPHP Manager, depending on the plan).
- Choose the newest fixed branch and save. Our cPanel guide covers the rest, including what to do if a page errors after the switch.
If the only options are 7.x, 8.0 or 8.1
Those branches are affected and will not be fixed. If a newer branch isn't offered on your plan, that's a question for GoDaddy support, and sometimes a reason to move the site. We can help with either.
Sources
- GoDaddy Help: view or change the PHP version (Web Hosting, cPanel)
- PHP: supported versions and end-of-life dates
- NVD: CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619
Common questions
Do I need to update PHP on a GoDaddy Website Builder site?
No. Website Builder (Websites + Marketing) is a hosted platform that GoDaddy runs and patches itself; there's no PHP setting for you to change.
How do I change the PHP version on GoDaddy cPanel hosting?
Use cPanel's PHP version setting as described in GoDaddy's help article on viewing or changing the PHP version, then confirm the result with the PHP vulnerability checker.
GoDaddy shows the right branch but the checker still says at risk. Why?
The setting chooses a branch, and GoDaddy controls which patch release of it is installed. Ask GoDaddy support whether your server has 8.2.35, 8.3.36, 8.4.27 or 8.5.12 or later.
Part of PHP2Shell: is your website affected, and what to do. Not sure which setup you have? Run the free PHP check and the result tells you.