Joomla in 2026: What You Need to Know First
Joomla 6 is now the current major version, released on 14 October 2025, and Joomla 6.1 followed in April 2026. At the same time, Joomla 3 and Joomla 4 have reached end of life, which means they no longer receive security patches or bug fixes from the Joomla project. Joomla 5 is still supported, but only with security fixes until October 2027, so it works best as a stepping stone towards Joomla 6.
For website owners, the practical effect is that any site still running Joomla 3 or 4 should be upgraded as soon as possible, and any new project, including a WordPress to Joomla migration, should be built on Joomla 6. Compatibility of extensions and templates, the PHP version on your server, and a proper backup and staging process all matter more than they used to.
If you need professional support with compatibility checks, migration or upgrades, explore our Joomla development and upgrade services.
What Is Joomla?
Joomla is an open-source content management system built on PHP, and it powers a very large number of websites around the world. It is released under the GNU General Public License, so anyone can download and use it for free, and everything you publish is stored in a database, which can be MySQL, MariaDB, or PostgreSQL. Businesses, government departments, online stores, and booking portals all run on it, mainly because its built-in tools make it easier to manage a dynamic website without handling every part of it by hand.
What Is a Content Management System (CMS)?
A content management system is software that helps users create, organize, edit, and publish content. That content can be text, documents, photos, music, video, and more. A CMS lets a user publish and manage digital content from any location.
Joomla Versions and Support Status (2026)
This table shows where each version stands today.
| Version | Status | Key dates |
|---|---|---|
| Joomla 3.x (last release 3.10) | End of life | Support ended in August 2023 |
| Joomla 4.x (last release 4.4) | End of life | Security support ended 14 October 2025 |
| Joomla 5.x (last release 5.4) | Security fixes only | Regular bug fixes ended 13 October 2026; security fixes until 12 October 2027 |
| Joomla 6.x (current release 6.1) | Fully supported | Released 14 October 2025; bug fixes until 17 October 2028; security fixes until 16 October 2029 |
When a version reaches end of life, the project stops issuing patches for it. Any vulnerability discovered afterwards remains open, so sites that handle logins, forms, payments, or customer data face a real and growing risk. Support dates can change, so confirm them on the official Joomla roadmap before you plan a project around them.
Why Choose Joomla for Your Website Project?
- Whether you need a plugin, a module, or a full component, there is probably an extension for it already, so most new features are a matter of installing something rather than building it.
- Finding your way around the admin area takes little effort, even for people who have never used a CMS before.
- Since Joomla is open source, it costs nothing to download and run.
- Different groups of users can be given different permissions, which comes in handy when several people work on one site or when some content is meant for certain visitors only.
- Businesses with customers in more than one country can offer the site in several languages without adding anything extra.
- If you run into trouble, other developers and users in the community are usually happy to point you in the right direction.
- Multi-factor authentication and SSL/TLS support come with the platform, and security updates are released on a regular basis.
- VirtueMart and HikaShop are the usual picks for online stores, and both cope with payment gateways, shipping, inventory, and product management.
- Larger sites with complicated structures or a lot of custom requirements tend to be where Joomla fits best.
- You can plan upgrades well in advance, because each version has a published release and support schedule.
History of Joomla
Joomla is based on Mambo CMS, which was developed by an Australian company in the early 2000s. The project was officially launched on 22 September 2005 and has evolved through the following major versions:
- Joomla 1.x: 1.0 and 1.5
- Joomla 2.x: 1.6, 1.7, and 2.5
- Joomla 3.x: 3.0 to 3.10 (end of life)
- Joomla 4.x: 4.0 to 4.4 (end of life)
- Joomla 5.x: released 17 October 2023, ending with 5.4
- Joomla 6.x: released 14 October 2025, with 6.1 released in April 2026
Where to Download Joomla
You can download the latest version of Joomla directly from Joomla.org. Extensions can be downloaded from the Joomla Extensions Directory at https://extensions.joomla.org/. Always download extensions from trusted sources, and check that the extension lists support for the Joomla version you are running.
Requirements of Joomla
Requirements have increased with each major version, so check your hosting before you install or upgrade.
Joomla 6.x (current)| Software | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| PHP | 8.3 | 8.4 |
| MySQL | 8.0.13 | 8.4 |
| MariaDB | 10.4 | 12.0 |
| PostgreSQL | 12 | 17.6 |
| Apache | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| Nginx | 1.26 supported | 1.29 |
| Microsoft IIS | 10 | 10 |
Joomla 6 also needs the PHP modules json, simplexml, dom, zlib, gd, and one of mysqlnd, pdo_mysql, or pdo_pgsql. The mbstring module and a PHP memory limit of at least 256 MB are recommended. On Apache, mod_rewrite is needed for SEO-friendly URLs, and on IIS the URL Rewrite module does the same job.
Joomla 5.x- PHP: 8.1 minimum, with 8.2 or higher recommended
- Database: MySQL 8.0.13 or higher, MariaDB 10.4 or higher, PostgreSQL 12 or higher
- Web server: Apache 2.4, Nginx, Microsoft IIS 10
- PHP: 7.2.5 minimum, 8.0 recommended
- Database: MySQL 5.6 or higher, PostgreSQL 11 or higher
- Web server: Apache 2.4 or higher, Nginx 1.18 or higher, Microsoft IIS 10 or higher
The Joomla 4 figures are listed for reference only. Those PHP versions are themselves past end of life, which is one more reason sites on Joomla 4 should move.
What Are Joomla Extensions and Their Development Process?
Joomla depends heavily on extensions to enhance its core functionality and add new capabilities. Extensions shape the functionality, customization, and overall strength of a Joomla website. Joomla has several extension types: components, modules, plugins, and templates. Before looking at how to develop an extension, it helps to understand the role each type plays on a Joomla website.
What Are Components?
Components are the main building blocks of a Joomla site. Each one covers a major area of the application, such as articles, contacts, or a newsletter, and usually comes with its own views, controllers, and models. A newsletter component, for example, has its own database tables and functions, so it works almost like a stand-alone application inside the site. This is how a Joomla site ends up with separate sections that each do their own job.
To build one, you first plan its structure, meaning the database tables, views, controllers, and models.
After that you write the actual functionality in PHP and XML, along with whatever other web technologies it needs, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
What Are Modules?
Modules are small extensions that sit around the main content area of a page. They handle things like a login form, a list of recent articles, a menu, or a block of custom HTML. The menus you see on the front end are actually modules too, which is why a site can have as many as it needs, and you can place several on the same page. Since a module adds a function to one part of a site, you don’t need a separate application to get it.
To build one, you write PHP files and put its settings and parameters in an XML file. You can add your own HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to control how it looks and behaves.
What Are Plugins?
Plugins are event handlers that respond to specific events triggered during the Joomla execution lifecycle. They can also extend or modify the core system by providing overrides for templates, classes, and functions. The Joomla contact form is a good example. One plugin can create or remove additional fields on the fly, and another can provide a custom reply with HTML templates, signatures, and so on, so that when someone visits the default contact form they see a customized form with custom fields, and on submission the form is validated and an email is sent as a templated HTML email. In most cases plugins run before the page is loaded. They operate behind the scenes and can do a multitude of things, such as replacing content with other content, performing searches, handling login and logout, or anything more complex you can imagine.
To create a plugin, you respond to events such as content creation, user login, or system initialization, using PHP to define the behavior and XML for the configuration settings.
What Are Templates?
Templates control the overall layout and design of a Joomla website. They define the structure of the site, including the header, footer, and positions for modules. To develop a template, you create HTML, CSS, and PHP files, with XML files used to define metadata and configuration options.
How to Develop a Joomla Extension
Writing a Joomla extension mostly comes down to a few early decisions, then building and testing. This is the usual order.
- Install XAMPP or WampServer on your computer and put a local copy of Joomla on it. The PHP version should match the Joomla version you plan to support.
- Before writing any code, look through the Joomla files to see how the MVC (Model-View-Controller) pattern is used and what each extension type does.
- Decide whether you need a component, module, plugin, or template, depending on what the feature has to do.
- Create the extension files, mostly PHP and XML, plus HTML, CSS, and JavaScript if it has a front end. It’s easier to follow Joomla’s coding standards from the start than to fix things later.
- If the extension stores data, which components usually do, define the tables and use Joomla’s database classes to read and write them.
- Write the main functionality. Joomla’s API already covers a lot of common tasks, so check what it offers before building your own.
- Set up permissions through Joomla’s ACL (Access Control List), and keep security in mind as you write, especially wherever the extension accepts user input.
- Put the settings in an XML file so site owners can change them from the administrator area.
- Test in more than one browser and Joomla version, and with other extensions installed, since that is where conflicts tend to show up.
- Write short documentation covering installation, settings, and how to use it.
- Zip the extension with its manifest file and assets, following Joomla’s package structure.
- If you want others to use it, submit the package to the Joomla Extensions Directory (JED).
A lot of older tutorials use class names with a J prefix, such as JModelBase, JViewLegacy, and JControllerLegacy. Those belong to earlier Joomla versions. Current Joomla uses namespaced classes, so an extension written with the old names will usually need updating before it runs on Joomla 6.
The official Joomla documentation and coding standards are worth keeping open while you work.
Navigating the Joomla Dashboard
The Control Panel contains all the default functions and features of Joomla, and they are accessible through menu bars, icons, and shortcuts. When you open the Joomla administrator panel, you see the important icons for content, users, extensions, system tools, and configuration, each with its own function. The System section is where you find the pre-update checks, the Joomla Update component, the system information screen, and the tools for clearing the cache and managing the database. The default administrator template is Atum.
Security in Joomla
Most vulnerabilities in a Joomla website come from third-party extensions rather than the core, so you should give extra attention to the extensions you use. These practices make the biggest difference:
- Run a supported version. This is now the most important step. Joomla 3 and Joomla 4 receive no security patches, and Joomla 5 receives security fixes only.
- Enable multi-factor authentication along with a strong, unique password. Joomla supports methods such as authenticator apps and security keys.
- Force HTTPS. The CMS settings include an option to enforce HTTPS and use a secure protocol.
- Be careful with extensions and themes. As with WordPress, you should watch out for nulled (pirated) themes and untrusted extensions. Paying attention to the extensions on your site is of utmost importance.
- Check the vulnerable extensions list. Joomla maintains a catalog of vulnerable extensions and provides patches for them. Where no patch is available, uninstall the extension from your site.
- Keep PHP up to date. An outdated PHP version is a security risk in its own right.
- Back up regularly and store copies away from the server.
Joomla 6.1 also brought back built-in spam protection through a proof-of-work CAPTCHA.
Built-In SEO Capabilities
Joomla comes with a good set of SEO tools out of the box, and a few extensions fill in the rest.
- You can write your own title tag and meta description for every page instead of relying on defaults.
- URLs can be switched to a readable format, so a page address shows words rather than IDs and query strings.
- A sitemap isn’t generated by the core, but extensions can create one for you in a few minutes.
- Redirects are handled by a system plugin, where you can add individual 301 redirects or import a long list at once, which is useful after a redesign or a move to new URLs.
- Joomla 5 added Schema.org integration, which marks up your content as structured data so search engines can better understand what each page is about.
Page speed and Core Web Vitals affect both rankings and how people experience the site, so it is worth paying attention to hosting quality, caching, image sizes, and how heavy your template is.
The Multiple-Language Feature in Joomla
Joomla lets you run one site in several languages, which helps if your customers are spread across different countries.
- A site that exists only in English misses a lot of potential visitors, so more languages means more reach.
- People feel more at home on a site written in their own language, and they are less likely to leave.
- You can serve a worldwide audience and still adjust content for one country or culture.
- Every language can have its own version of a page, written for that audience instead of translated word for word.
- Using keywords in several languages helps the site appear in more search markets.
- Visitors read more and come back more often when they understand what’s on the page.
- Translations of content and interface text are managed in the Language Manager, and language overrides let you change a single word or phrase without touching the core code.
Joomla 6.1 also lets you link modules across languages, the same way you already can with articles, so shared blocks stay consistent on a multilingual site.
Styling the Joomla Website through Templates
Templates control how a Joomla site looks, and there are two kinds of them. Site templates decide the design of the front end that visitors see, while administrator templates style the back end where you manage the site. Out of the box, Cassiopeia is the front-end template, which arrived in Joomla 4 and is still the default, and Atum is the one used for the administrator area.
If the default look doesn’t suit you, you can install another template, edit the default one, or build your own from scratch. Template overrides are worth knowing about as well. They let you change how a template or an extension displays its output, and your changes stay in place when Joomla is updated, much like a child theme in WordPress. Pages can also be given a layout that differs from the one used on the rest of the site.
Structure of the Website in Joomla
Keeping data handling, the user interface, and application logic in separate places is the idea behind the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern, which is how Joomla organizes its code. A split like this makes components easier to maintain and extend later, and each part has its own job, as follows.
- Everything to do with data goes through the Model, which usually works with the database to retrieve, save, update, and delete records. Models live in the models directory and are tied to a specific component or view.
- Turning that data into something a visitor can read is the View’s job, and it does this by producing HTML from layout files, so the markup stays separate from the PHP code. Views live in the views directory, and anything complicated is normally passed on to the Controller.
- Between the two sits the Controller, which receives the user’s request, asks the Model for data or hands it some, and then tells the View what to display. Controllers live in the controllers directory, and they usually have a method for each task a component can perform.
Because each part has a clear role, several developers can work on one component without getting in each other’s way. In current Joomla versions these classes are namespaced and extend base classes such as BaseController, HtmlView, and BaseDatabaseModel, instead of the old J-prefixed class names.
How to Manage User Permissions in Joomla
Joomla’s Access Control List (ACL) lets you decide who can see and do what on a site, down to individual parts of it. Here is what that gives you.
- Permissions can be set separately for each user group, so you decide exactly which actions a group is allowed to perform.
- Several user groups can exist side by side, each with its own permissions, which makes it easy to sort people by their role on the site.
- Viewing, creating, editing, publishing, and deleting can all be controlled for articles, categories, and other content types.
- When the standard groups and permissions don’t cover a case, custom access levels let you write more specific rules.
- Modules and menu items follow the same system, so certain groups can see them while others never do, and visitors get a page that fits their role.
- Each component can carry its own ACL settings, which means access to a single component can be granted or restricted on its own.
- Entry to the administration area can be limited, so only trusted users can change the site’s configuration and settings.
- Fewer people with access means fewer chances of someone making a change that damages the site, which is a real security gain.
- On a multilingual site, permissions for each language version can be managed independently.
- Registration, account activation, and user management can be restricted too, so you choose who is allowed to sign up, activate accounts, or manage other users.
- Joomla logs the changes users make in the administrator area, so you can look back at who did what when something goes wrong.
- The system works equally well for a small blog and a large corporate site, since permissions can be adjusted to whatever the installation needs.
- Many third-party extensions are built to work with Joomla’s ACL, so the same rules carry over to functionality beyond the core.
Sites with several contributors or different access requirements get the most out of ACL, because it keeps control over content and settings in the right hands.
Managing Content in Joomla
Blogs, small business sites, and large corporate portals all run on Joomla, and a big part of the reason is how much of the content work it makes straightforward. Here is what it offers.
- Creating and editing content doesn’t require technical knowledge, because the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor shows pages roughly as visitors will see them. As of Joomla 6, the default editor is TinyMCE 8.
- Articles, categories, tags, and custom fields are all supported, so you can organize and present content in whatever way suits the site.
- Categories can be nested in a hierarchy, which keeps a site with a large number of articles easy to manage and to navigate.
- How content looks is controlled by the template, so the whole site keeps a consistent, professional appearance.
- Content can be presented in several languages through the built-in multilingual support, which helps when you’re aiming at different markets.
- Joomla keeps track of revisions, so an earlier version can be restored if a change turns out to be a mistake, and this also helps when several people work on the same content. From Joomla 6.1, version history is available for modules too.
- Images, documents, and other files are stored and found through the Media Manager, which keeps everything used in your content in one organized place.
- Tags can be assigned to articles, which makes content easier to discover and allows tag-based navigation and filtering.
- Meta tags and friendly URLs are part of the built-in SEO features, so each piece of content can be optimized for search engines.
- The Access Control List decides which groups are allowed to view or edit particular items, so only the right people reach certain content.
- Sharing content on social networks is simple thanks to the social media integration, which can widen the reach of what you publish.
- Content can move through defined publishing stages such as draft, review, and published, with permissions set at each step, and custom fields now support audio, video, and documents as well as images.
What Kinds of Websites Can Be Created with Joomla?
Joomla can handle most kinds of websites, from a small personal homepage to a large portal with thousands of pages, and it is used across business, public, and community settings. Here are some of the more common examples.
Joomla is a versatile CMS that can handle most kinds of websites, from small personal homepages to large portals with thousands of pages. Professional Joomla development services can help businesses, government organizations, and community platforms build websites with custom features, integrations, and complex structures to meet their specific needs. Here are some of the most common examples.
- Online stores and booking or reservation sites
- Government applications and agency websites
- Websites for small businesses
- Non-profit and other organizational websites
- Corporate websites and portals
- Intranets and extranets used inside a company or shared with partners
- Online magazines, newspapers, and other publications
- Community portals where members can take part
- School and religious websites
- Personal or family homepages
Upgrade within Joomla
Updating to a new version of Joomla keeps your software compatible and protects you against vulnerabilities, and it brings further benefits, such as streamlined workflows that improve team productivity and improved functions that make website management easier. It also matters because Joomla 3 and Joomla 4 are no longer supported.
Recommended Upgrade Paths
- From Joomla 5.4: You can upgrade directly to Joomla 6 once your extensions, template, and server are ready.
- From Joomla 4.4: Upgrade to Joomla 5.4 first, and then to Joomla 6.
- From Joomla 3.10: Upgrade to Joomla 4.4, then to 5.4, and then to Joomla 6. Because each step can break extensions and custom code, many site owners find that building a fresh Joomla 6 site and migrating the content is faster and cleaner than three consecutive upgrades.
Automatic updates in Joomla work within a major version only. Moving from Joomla 5.4 to Joomla 6, or from Joomla 6.4 to a future Joomla 7, still has to be carried out manually in the backend or with an external tool.
Upgrade Checklist
Before you begin, check all of your extensions and consult the developers’ websites to find out whether a newer, compatible version is available. Ask whether you or any other developer has built custom modules or components. The main difference between Joomla versions lies in the class names used, so custom code will need modifications to work on the new version.
Considerations:
- Extensions, plugins, and packages
- Compatibility with templates
- Custom-developed extensions
- Server capability, such as the PHP version
- The minimum requirements of the target version (now Joomla 6, which needs PHP 8.3 or higher)
- If you are on shared web hosting, whether other sites on the same server can run the same PHP version
- Whether the same PHP modules are enabled in the new PHP version
Make Backups
Create backups of your progress regularly to protect against unforeseen problems. This way, if something goes wrong, you can restore your upgrade to the most recent successful point rather than starting from the beginning. It is also essential to have a backup of the live site before you make any changes, which gives you an added layer of security and lets you revert if needed.
Pre-Update Checks
Any extension that needs attention is listed as a “Potential Upgrade Issue”, and you should investigate each one further on the developer’s website before you continue. It is advisable to run this pre-update check on a staging version of the site, because it lets you start over without affecting the live site if something goes wrong.
If you do not see the latest Joomla update under Components > Joomla Update, open the Options menu and check the update channel setting. Make sure you are connected to the correct database at this stage. Once you have completed the checks and are happy with the outcome, move to the live update step and review any remaining warnings carefully.
Re-enable and Update Extensions
Before you activate extensions on the upgraded site, update them if necessary. Watch for any other extension updates that appear, and check the Discover tab as well. To make sure everything is in order, review the System area for any links that show a number next to them.
Step-by-Step Upgrade Process
- Start with a full backup of both the files and the database, and keep one copy somewhere other than the server.
- Do all the work on a staging copy of the site instead of the live one.
- Bring your current version up to its latest minor release first, for example 5.4.x.
- Confirm that your hosting runs PHP 8.3 or higher and a database version that meets the Joomla 6 minimums.
- The Pre-Update Check in the Joomla Update component should be run next, so any problems show up before you begin.
- Go through each extension and template to see whether a Joomla 6 compatible release exists, and replace or remove anything that is no longer maintained.
- Custom code needs to be reviewed and updated for Joomla 6 as well.
- If you are coming from Joomla 5.4, check that the site works without the old Behaviour - Backward Compatibility plugin, and disable it before upgrading.
- After running the update, test every important page, form, and workflow on staging.
- Extensions can be updated once the core upgrade is finished.
- Only when staging passes your tests should the site go live, and the backup is worth keeping until you are fully confident everything works.
I removed your last point, which was only a stray number with no text. If a twelfth step was meant to go there, send it over and I will match it to the rest of the list.
What’s New in Joomla 5
Joomla 5 was released on 17 October 2023, and it brought several features, improvements, and enhancements. As Joomla.org puts it, planning is the most important part of an upgrade.
Improvements and new features in Joomla 5:
- Improved user interface
- Plugin updates
- Better media management
- Flexible menu sorting
- Improved security features
- Modern technologies and APIs
- Dark mode in the administrator
- Web asset and caching improvements
- Extension and compatibility improvements
- Schema.org incorporation for SEO
- Code optimization through PHP CS Fixer
- PHP and Bootstrap updates
- A smoother and cleaner code base
For a step-by-step upgrade path, the official documentation at docs.joomla.org covers the 4.4 to 5 upgrade in detail. Joomla 5.4 is the final release of the 5.x series, and its main purpose is to prepare sites for Joomla 6. It includes the new Behaviour - Backward Compatibility 6 plugin and the pre-update checks that help you confirm a site is ready.
What’s New in Joomla 6 and Joomla 6.1
Joomla 6.0 came out on 14 October 2025. Most of the work went into modernizing the code, which regular users won’t notice but which keeps Joomla in step with current development practices. A few changes do matter to site owners.
- Core updates can now be applied automatically. The feature is switched on by default for new Joomla 6 installations, and you can turn it on or off in the Joomla Update component. It doesn’t cover upgrades from one major version to the next.
- PHP 8.3 or higher is now required, which brings better performance and security.
- TinyMCE 8 is the default editor.
- More custom field types have been added.
- The Behaviour - Backward Compatibility 6 plugin replaces the one from Joomla 5. On a new Joomla 6 installation it is installed but disabled, and several older compatibility layers have been removed, which is why older extensions often stop working.
- If you are upgrading from Joomla 5.4, make sure the site runs without the old Backward Compatibility plugin, then disable it before you upgrade.
Joomla 6.1 (codename Nyota), released in April 2026, added:
- Proof-of-work CAPTCHA: A privacy-friendly spam protection method that needs no account or external API. It solves small math puzzles in the background, so it is invisible to visitors.
- A visual workflow editor: An interactive diagram that shows the whole publication process at a glance.
- Media custom fields: Three new options for audio, video, and documents, so content creators can include any type of media and not just images.
- Module versioning and multilingual associations: Modules now have version history, as articles have long had, and module instances can be associated across languages.
If automatic updates were enabled on a Joomla 6.0.x site, the system updates itself to 6.1 without any manual work.
WordPress to Joomla Migration: Methods and Tools
Build the new site on Joomla 6. Joomla 3 and 4 are out of support, so a site moved onto either one would need another migration soon after. Many older migration tools, including JConverter, CMS2CMS and CMigrator, were made for Joomla 3, so they are not a good fit for a Joomla 5 or 6 site.
Before you start
- Set up a fresh Joomla installation and migrate into that, not into a site that already has content.
- WordPress lets a post sit in several categories, but Joomla allows only one per article, so decide which category each post should keep.
- WordPress and Joomla store passwords in different formats, so plan for users to reset theirs.
- Images and other files are not carried across by a content migration, so copy your uploads folder over yourself.
- Write down your current WordPress URLs so you can set up redirects later.
Migration Methods
Which one suits you depends on the size of your site, your budget and how comfortable you are with technical work.
1. Joomla’s CMS Migration extension (free)
This is the extension built by the Joomla project during Google Summer of Code 2025, and it is the best starting point for most sites. It connects to your WordPress site through its web services and copies the content into Joomla.
What it moves:
- WordPress posts and pages become Joomla articles
- Menus and menu items
What it does not move:
- Comments, because Joomla has no built-in comments
- More than one category per post, because only the first category is kept
Steps:
- Install a fresh Joomla site.
- Install the CMS Migration extension from the Joomla extensions manager.
- Choose WordPress as the source CMS and Joomla as the target CMS.
- Enter your WordPress site details and select the content to move.
- Start the migration.
- Check the articles, categories and menus by hand once it finishes.
Check the extension’s listing on the Joomla Extensions Directory to confirm that your Joomla version is supported before you begin.
2. MySQL table export
This suits small sites and tight budgets, since it needs no extension or paid service. You export the WordPress content tables from phpMyAdmin, turn them into CSV files and import them into Joomla.
- It takes more technical skill than the other methods.
- Tags, menus, categories, users and passwords do not transfer cleanly, so expect a lot of cleanup.
- It is not a good fit if you need the whole site moved over.
3. Manual transfer
This suits sites with fewer than 100 pages and only an admin account on WordPress. You rebuild the site in Joomla using its built-in features and copy the content over yourself. A menu, a contact form, a simple product catalog and promotional pages can all be set up this way.
- It needs no extensions, database exports or subscriptions.
- It takes too long for large sites or sites with many users.
- Once you finish, compare the old and new site page by page to make sure nothing is missing.
4. Developer script
This suits large sites, sites with custom post types, and sites where search rankings matter a lot. A developer writes an import made for your content and maps the old URLs to the new ones. It costs more, but you don’t depend on a tool that may stop being updated.
Common Problems and Solutions
Passwords and users
Imported WordPress passwords will not work in Joomla. Ask users to reset theirs after the move, and send them a short email explaining why. A plain database export copies the user table without handling any of this.
Categories and tags
Posts that had several categories in WordPress end up with one in Joomla. Go through the imported articles and assign the right category to each, and rebuild any tags that did not come across.
Comments
Joomla does not include a comment system, so comments from WordPress are not migrated by the CMS Migration extension. If comments matter to you, look for a Joomla comments extension that supports your version and check how it imports existing comments before you rely on it.
URLs and rankings
Joomla builds its URLs differently from WordPress, so many links will change.
- Compare your list of old URLs against the new ones.
- Set up a 301 redirect from every URL that changed.
- Test every link and form once the site is live.
- Compare the page count of the old and new sites to catch anything missing.
Themes and design
There is no direct way to convert a WordPress theme into a Joomla template. The CSS from your old theme has to be moved by hand and the design rebuilt as a Joomla template. If the design matters to you, a front-end developer who knows Joomla will do this faster and with fewer mistakes.
Choosing a tool
Before you install or pay for anything, check three things on the tool’s official page:
- Your Joomla version (5 or 6) is listed as supported.
- It has been updated recently.
- It covers the data you need to move, such as users, comments and tags.
Latest Joomla Updates in 2026
Joomla 6 is the current major version, and the 6.1 release adds proof-of-work CAPTCHA, a visual workflow editor, media custom fields, and module versioning with multilingual associations.
Core updates can be applied automatically within a major version, and the option is switched on by default for new Joomla 6 installations.
- PHP 8.3 is the minimum Joomla 6 will run on, though PHP 8.4 is the version to aim for if you want better performance and security.
- Joomla 5.4 works as the bridge to Joomla 6, since it includes the backward compatibility plugin along with pre-update checks for the move.
- Joomla 3 and Joomla 4 are past end of life, and Joomla 5 will only receive security fixes until 12 October 2027.
- Multi-factor authentication, a list of vulnerable extensions, and the new spam protection all help keep sites safer.
- Rankings and visitor experience are both affected by speed and Core Web Vitals, so caching, image optimization, and fast hosting belong in any upgrade or migration plan.
Whether you are moving over from WordPress or upgrading a site that already runs on Joomla, check that every extension and template has a Joomla 6 compatible release before you begin.
If your website has custom extensions, complex integrations, or compatibility issues, you may need to hire Joomla developer support to handle the migration, update existing functionality, and make sure everything works correctly after the upgrade.
Final Notes
Looking back over everything Joomla offers, its extension library stands out, covering areas such as SEO, e-commerce, and social media integration. User management is another strong point, since administrators can set up groups with their own permissions, which helps a lot on sites with several contributors or different levels of access. Multilingual support is built in as well, so a business that wants to reach customers in more than one country can do it from a single site.
Joomla also scales well. A personal blog, a corporate website, and an online store can all run on it, because developers have plenty of room to adapt it to the project. The version you run matters a great deal this year, though: Joomla 6 is the one to build on, Joomla 5 serves as the stepping stone toward it, and any site still on Joomla 3 or 4 should be upgraded as soon as it can be. Backing up first, working on a staging copy, and checking every extension for compatibility keep the risk of an upgrade low, and the result is a site that stays supported until at least 2029.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Joomla still supported in 2026?
Yes. Joomla 6 is the current version and is fully supported. Joomla 5 receives security fixes only until 12 October 2027. Joomla 3 and Joomla 4 are no longer supported.
Is it safe to keep using Joomla 3 or Joomla 4?
It is not recommended. Neither version receives security patches from the Joomla project, so newly discovered vulnerabilities stay unfixed.
What PHP version does Joomla 6 need?
PHP 8.3 is the minimum and PHP 8.4 is recommended.
Can I upgrade directly from Joomla 3 to Joomla 6?
Not in a single step. The supported route goes through Joomla 4.4 and 5.4, although for older sites a fresh Joomla 6 install with migrated content is often easier.
Will my extensions work after upgrading?
Only if their developers have released versions compatible with Joomla 6. Check each extension before you upgrade, and replace any that have been abandoned.
Does Joomla update itself?
Joomla 6 supports automatic core updates within a major version. Major upgrades still have to be done manually.
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