Checking for updates shouldn't break your focus
You're editing a page. Or configuring WooCommerce shipping. Or reviewing an order. You want to quickly check if any plugins need updating.
The standard WordPress way: stop what you're doing, navigate to Dashboard → Updates, wait for it to load, scan the list, navigate back. If you want to update, each plugin requires its own click and page reload.
It's not hard. It's just enough friction that you skip it more often than you should.
What most people do instead
The default workflow interrupts whatever you were actually doing.
A better way: check and update from anywhere
Open the TrueCommander navigator from any admin page. Type check plugin updates. Hit enter.
The full list appears inline: plugin name, current version, new version, active/inactive status, compatibility warnings, and an Update button for each. Update one, check the result, move to the next. All without leaving the page.
Shown in advanced mode, where commands start with tp. In easy mode you type the same command without the tp prefix.
PHP incompatibility blocks the update. If a plugin requires a PHP version your server doesn't have, the Update button is replaced with "Blocked." No broken sites from version mismatches.
How it works
Same update data WordPress uses. Better presentation, smarter checks.
-refresh to force a fresh check from WordPress.org.| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Command name | check plugin updates |
| Update a plugin | -update=plugin-slug (or click the Update button) |
| Force refresh | -refresh bypasses WordPress's 12-hour cache |
| Compatibility | PHP version check (blocks), WP version check (warns) |
| Sort order | Active plugins first, then alphabetical |
| Can be used in |
Real example
You manage a client's WooCommerce store. It's Tuesday morning and you're configuring a new shipping zone. You open the navigator and type check plugin updates.
Result: 3 plugins need updating. WooCommerce 8.7.0 → 9.0.1 (major version), Yoast SEO 22.1 → 22.4 (minor), Contact Form 7 5.8.4 → 5.9.0 (blocked, requires PHP 8.1, server runs 8.0).
You update Yoast first (low risk, minor version). Green check. You run check plugin updates again. Two remaining. You leave WooCommerce for the staging site (major version jump). Contact Form 7 stays blocked until the server PHP is upgraded.
Total time: 45 seconds. You never left the shipping zone page.
Goes further with TrueCommander
Checking updates is step one. Automating the check is what keeps you informed.
Featured in: The 15-minute weekly maintenance routine, WooCommerce pre-launch checklist, and Security lockdown guide.
Frequently asked questions
tp check plugin updates lists every plugin with an available update from the navigator, showing the current and new version, whether it is active, and its WordPress compatibility.-update=slug to update one specific plugin straight from the navigator, without leaving the keyboard for the Plugins page.-refresh to bypass the cached results and pull a fresh check from WordPress.org, useful right after a plugin author ships a fix you are waiting for.