Joomla 2.5 is the newest version of the Joomla! platform, bringing with it a huge list of bugfixes and new features.
Most components and modules have now been updated to work this release, as have the templates. So why wait?
Joomla 1.5 comes to the end of it's supported life in April, so if you haven't upgraded to 1.7 yet, follow my previous tutorial: Upgrade Joomla! 1.5.x to Joomla 1.7.x
In Joomla 1.7, there is a new way to update. You can either use this way, which is fine, or you can use Admin Tools
Before you Update!
- Ensure that all the components and modules that you wish to use are compatible with Joomla 2.5
- Take a backup of your site with Akeeba Backup. This will enable you to restore your site to it's working condition, should anything go wrong.
- Make sure that your template is updated for Joomla 2.5
Upgrading with Joomla! Update Feature
This is possibly the easiest way that you could do this, so i'll explain this first.
First of all, hover over the "Extensions" menu in the backend of your Joomla installation, and click on "Extension Manager".
Now, on the menu with the options that say "Install,Update,Manage, etc", you'll want to click "Update".
Tick the "Joomla" checkbox, and then hit the orange "Update" button to begin the update.
This should then take you to a page with the wording "Joomla! 2.5 Content Management System".
This means that the upgrade was successful, and your Joomla! installation is fully up to date!
Upgrading with Admin Tools
This is another fast and easy way to update your Joomla installation, as Admin Tools has a built in updater function.
If you click into Admin Tools, you should see a button labelled "Joomla! Core update found". Click this, and you will be taken to the update page.
On this page, you will be able to see your current Joomla version, and the version you can update to. Click on the button labelled "Update", and you will be taken to the final page in which you have to do something.
If you do not need to put in your FTP details to update (Which usually, you don't have to), then click "Update Directly".
You will then be taken to a page while the update happens, and then you will be taken to another page once the installation is complete.
