Which PHP version your PrestaShop needs and how to upgrade it without breaking anything

PHP is the language PrestaShop is written in, and the version on your hosting matters more than it seems. It decides whether the server receives security patches, how fast pages are generated and which versions of PrestaShop and modules you can install. And it is one of the few improvements you can switch on from a drop-down in the hosting panel, provided everything is compatible.

How to find out which version you have

In the PrestaShop back office, under Advanced Parameters → Information, you will see the PHP version the store is running on. Check there and not just in the hosting panel: sometimes the panel says one thing and the store's folder uses another, because of a per-directory setting or an .htaccess that sets the handler.

Which PHP versions are supported

Each PHP version has a period of active support, another with security patches only and, after that, none. As a general reference, at the end of 2026:

The exact dates are on PHP's official supported versions page; check it when you plan, because the calendar moves on. "Unsupported" means that if a security flaw is discovered in that version, there will be no official fix. Some distributions and hosting providers maintain their own patches for old versions, but it is not something you can take for granted.

Which PHP each PrestaShop accepts

The PHP range is set by the PrestaShop version. Roughly:

For your store's exact version, and for PrestaShop 8.2, check the official requirements for that version. The practical consequence is clear: no 1.6 or 1.7 can run on a supported PHP version. If your store is there, upgrading PHP means migrating PrestaShop.

What you gain in performance

Every major PHP version has improved performance, and the jump from PHP 7 to PHP 8 was significant for applications like PrestaShop. We will not give you a figure, because it depends heavily on the store, the modules and the server, but in general you will notice:

• Shorter server response times on pages not served from cache: listings, search, cart, checkout.
• A snappier back office, especially in the order and product lists.
• More capacity on the same server during traffic peaks.

To make the most of it, make sure OPcache is enabled and properly sized on the new version. Without OPcache, any PHP version is slow with PrestaShop.

How to switch without breaking anything

1. Make a copy of the store in a test environment with the target PHP version. Many hosting providers let you create a test subdomain with another version.
2. Turn on debug mode on the copy to see the errors instead of a blank screen.
3. Go through the store: home page, categories, product page, search, cart, registration, checkout with each payment method and the customer account.
4. Go through the back office: orders, products, each module's configuration, invoice and delivery slip generation, exports.
5. Check the PHP and PrestaShop error logs. Deprecation notices do not break anything today, but they will in the next version.
6. Test the cron jobs and integrations: ERP, marketplaces, carriers, feeds.
7. Update or replace the modules that fail. If a module has no compatible version and is essential, that is your limit until it is resolved.
8. Make the switch in production at a quiet time, with a recent backup, and go through the essentials again. Be clear about how to go back to the previous version from the panel if something fails.

Why it does not pay to fall behind

Besides security, staying on an old PHP has a less visible cost. Module developers stop testing their new versions on PHP 7, the libraries used by payment gateways and carriers require recent versions, and the hosting itself ends up charging extra to maintain old versions or moving you to an older server. Each of these things is small on its own; together they make a store on old PHP ever harder to maintain and more expensive to migrate.

Settings worth reviewing with the switch

• memory_limit high enough for the back office and imports.
• max_execution_time in line with long-running tasks.
• display_errors turned off in production: visible errors leak paths and internal details.
• allow_url_include turned off and expose_php disabled.
• The extensions PrestaShop requires (intl, gd, zip, curl and mbstring, among others), which may not be enabled on the new version.

And do not leave it as a one-off change: put in your calendar when the version you are moving to stops being supported. Moving PHP up one version at a time, with the store kept up to date, is much simpler than jumping three versions in a hurry because the hosting is withdrawing yours.

How to solve it in PrestaShop

If you would like us to do it, with a Rekire support hours pack we set up the copy with the target PHP version, review the errors of the store and of each module, fix or replace whatever fails and make the switch in production. If your store is on 1.6 or 1.7, we propose a migration to PrestaShop 9, which is the only route to a supported PHP. And if you are looking for hosting designed for PrestaShop, Rekire's Hosting plan profesional is our offer for stores that want to stop worrying about the server.