Replace The Default WordPress jQuery With Updated Version

James Parsons by James Parsons • Updated Feb 6th, 2024 •2 Comments•

WordPress comes shipped with jQuery; as of today, I believe it's 3.7.1.

If you want to upgrade this to a different version, though, or if you'd prefer to load Google's hosted version that is likely faster loading than your self-hosted version, you can do so with this code by adding it to your functions.php file:

/**
 * Replace the default jQuery with an updated version from Google's CDN.
 */
 
add_action( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', 'replace_default_jquery_with_google_cdn' );
function replace_default_jquery_with_google_cdn() {
    $ver = '3.7.1'; // Update this to change the jQuery version.
    wp_dequeue_script( 'jquery' );
    wp_deregister_script( 'jquery' );
    wp_register_script( 'jquery', 'https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/' . $ver . '/jquery.min.js', false, $ver, true );
    wp_enqueue_script( 'jquery' );
}

Simply replace the version number in this code with the version you'd like to use. This will swap the WordPress jQuery library with Google's super fast-loading version.

Or, if you'd prefer not to use Google-hosted libraries and want to self host, you can use this version:

/**
 * Replace the default jQuery with updated version
 */

add_filter( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', 'replace_default_jquery_with_fallback');
function replace_default_jquery_with_fallback() {
    wp_dequeue_script( 'jquery' );
    wp_deregister_script( 'jquery' );
    wp_register_script( 'jquery', "https://www.yourdomain.com/wp-content/themes/yourtheme/js/jquery.min.js", '', '', false ); // Replace this your jQuery link
    wp_enqueue_script ( 'jquery' );
}

This will dequeue the built-in copy and load your local copy instead. Make sure to swap the example link with your self-hosted version.

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Written by James Parsons

James Parsons is the founder and CEO of Content Powered, a premier content marketing agency that leverages nearly two decades of his experience in content marketing to drive business growth. Renowned for founding and scaling multi-million dollar eCommerce businesses through strategic content marketing, James has become a trusted voice in the industry, sharing his insights in Search Engine Watch, Search Engine Journal, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc, and other leading publications. His background encompasses key roles across various agencies, contributing to the content strategies of major brands like eBay and Expedia. James's expertise spans SEO, conversion rate optimization, and effective content strategies, making him a pivotal figure in the industry.