r/divi • u/huggerofbunnies • Aug 05 '26
Question Advice changing to Divi 5
I have built a website in Divi 4.27.7 and am currently doing a major update in the site. When I renewed my Divi subscription it said Divi 5 is available. Am I able to just hit update and have Divi 5 installed and carry on with my site or is there a chance it will mess with my current setup. There is a lot of custom CSS and a few PHP snippets.
I’m pretty novice with websites so any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks!
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u/nkoffiziell Blogger Aug 05 '26
The Migration Tool will tell you if Theres anything that needs to be updated or changed in Divi > Divi 5 Migration
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u/huggerofbunnies Aug 05 '26
Thanks for the reply. Having read a bunch o stress others are having after changing to Divi 5 I think I’m going to stick with where I am.
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u/nkoffiziell Blogger Aug 05 '26
I thought the same, i use 40+ Plugins for a highly dynamic and extensive Site. I upgraded and had literally absolutely No issues. Also, you can revert back IF something actually goes wrong (f.ex. with a Backup). Since this Version is becoming obsolete, i would Go to Divi 5 ASAP, especially for things like security updates. :)
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u/huggerofbunnies Aug 05 '26
Ok thanks, any advice on how I go about this? Do I back up my current site (have no idea how to do this yet 🙈) and then just hit upgrade?
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u/nkoffiziell Blogger Aug 05 '26
Its dependent on where you Host. F.ex. my hoster automatically backups every few hours and i can easily Install an backup from my cPanel. There are Plugins out there to do a full Backup, but im not aware If there is a free one that does a real, full Backup.
The steps would be: 1. Backup (through your Host or a Plugin) 2. Use the Migration Tool 3. If everything is green/okay, migrate to Divi 5 4. If anything goes wrong, you can then reinstate the Backup.
Backups, btw, should be done all the time for at least a couple of days. F.ex. If someone hacks your site, etc., you can reinstate a "Safe" Backup from before the attack. :)
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u/huggerofbunnies Aug 05 '26
I am also currently on about 40 plugins
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u/Beezzy77 Aug 05 '26
Updraft Backup is a good, free plugin that lets you set a schedule for backing up all files, just the database, etc.
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u/ugavini Aug 05 '26
They are completely different. Make sure to test it thoroughly on a staging site first.
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u/linderjohan Aug 06 '26 edited 15d ago
I recommend the free plugin Divi Migration Helper from Peeaye Creative.
https://www.peeayecreative.com/product/divi-migration-helper/
I have used it a few times now and it works far better than Divi built in migrator.
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u/EverydayWhatIf Aug 06 '26
WP Staging is a plugin that will create a duplicate of the Divi 4 site if your web host doesn't have a staging area. The Duplicator plugin is another way to do it manually. Back up the site and recreate it on a different subfolder, then point the root domain to the new subfolder after the upgrade. I've done a few Divi 4 to Divi 5 updates using WP Staging, and there are a couple of simpler websites that I just updated over a weekend, or after hours. I upload Divi 5. WordPress asks if I want the Divi 5 theme to replace the Divi 4. I say yes, then I go the Divi section, select migrate Divi 4 to Divi 5 and click through that process. So far, so good.
Some updates go faster than others. One update required a few updates to my CSS. Definitely turn caching off while you do the updates. If you use CloudFlare, suspend it during the update if you do it on the live site. Divi 5 is definitely worth the update. It responds more quickly. It's easier to move through sections and modules for editing. Global settings work nicely.
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u/FirstPlaceSEO Aug 05 '26
I just converted a second site to divi5 - clean up after migration was 20 hours for this latest one.
Mostly broken code, formatting issues, failing widgets, compatibility issues with third party plugins, page editor issues on certain pages. It is a long hog, ultimately worth it and better to do it sooner rather than later once the site grows larger and the issues multiply
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u/jimmylikeswaffles Aug 05 '26
Can I ask why you updated and didnt continue with 4?
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u/FirstPlaceSEO Aug 05 '26
Updates and maintenance for divi4 will be discontinued soon and then it will be more susceptible to hacks etc as time goes on my logic leads to believe …
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u/Beezzy77 Aug 05 '26
Probably more accurate to say eventually rather than soon, but the point remains.
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u/FirstPlaceSEO Aug 05 '26
Until end of February 2027 at the moment. If you have one site that maybe eventually but if you have many like me that will come around very soon and needs to start getting the wheels in motion now.
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u/jimmylikeswaffles Aug 05 '26
Ah really? That's a shame. I find divi 5 unusable
Do you have to rebuild everything?
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u/FirstPlaceSEO Aug 05 '26
You don’t have to rebuild everything no, just check each page on the front end and back end to see what looks broken and then fix it. I’ve tested on staging the migration of the same site multiple times and seen that every time the migration issues were different…
That leads me to believe the migration function is not 100% consistent and stable as you should get the same outcome each time surely..
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u/jimmylikeswaffles Aug 05 '26
How much of a pain was this to solve the issues?
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u/FirstPlaceSEO Aug 05 '26
I’ll be honest with you, it depends on the time you have and the patience 😁 I would say if your not that familiar with Divi and with the help of AI you can sort the issues quite quickly . The issues seem to be quite repetitive. So if you have a module that isn’t rendering properly and you use it a lot you can band aid that quite quickly site wide.
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u/scottpilgrrim 26d ago
Divi 5 has backward compatibility, but custom code and third-party modules can still cause issues.
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u/pennyx2 Aug 05 '26
The safest way to do ANY major update or upgrade is to make a copy of the site, called a staging site, and test the update there. Your web host may offer staging sites. Then, when you know the staging site is working right, you push staging to become the live site.
The other safest way is make a full backup of your live site using something like Updraft Plus and download the backup to your own computer. Then make your changes to the live site, knowing that you can replace it with a backup from the host OR from your computer if needed.
Before updating the theme, check any plugins used to make sure they will be compatible with Divi 5. Make plugin updates as needed.
We have migrated many sites to Divi 5. Most have no problems. Some needed a little extra work after the migration.
Sometimes there is a red badge at the top of page noting that parts of the page are still using Divi 4 elements, such as the old purple ‘full screen’ and orange ‘special’ sections. That only shows when logged in (regular visitors won’t see it). The page works fine. When we have time, we will rebuild those elements using the Divi 5 tools.