The7 fix
WPBakery or Slider Revolution Won't Update on The7? Here's the Catch
The copies of WPBakery Page Builder and Slider Revolution that came with The7 are genuine, but they are covered by the theme author's license and not by one of yours. That is why the plugin's own update button fails and why the activation notice never goes away. The fix starts in the The7 menu, not on the Plugins screen.
What you are seeing
- 'Update package not available' appears when you press update
- A notice keeps asking you to activate your copy of WPBakery
- Slider Revolution keeps its template library locked
- The vendor's site lists a newer release than The7 offers you
- The Plugins screen in the The7 menu asks for a purchase code
Why it happens on The7
Most common first.
- 1
The theme itself is out of date
Dream-Theme packages new plugin releases alongside its theme releases, and the newest bundled copies are offered to a current theme. A site that is many theme versions behind is offered old plugin versions, or none. The order is theme first, plugins second.
- 2
No registration, no downloads
Bundled plugin packages come from the theme author's servers and are served to registered sites. If the purchase code was never entered, or is registered to a staging address or a former domain, the downloads stop while everything else carries on working.
- 3
The update is being run from the wrong place
The WordPress Plugins screen and each plugin's own license tab ask the plugin vendor for the new version. The vendor wants a direct license, which a bundled copy does not have, so the request is refused. The bundled route runs through The7, Plugins.
- 4
The bundled release has not caught up yet
A new WPBakery or Slider Revolution version reaches direct license holders first. The theme author tests it and adds it to the bundle afterward. The gap is normally short, and it matters most when the release fixes a security flaw.
- 5
The package downloads but cannot be written
Wrong file ownership after a migration, a full disk or a security plugin that locks the plugins folder will all stop WordPress replacing the old files. The update appears to start and then reports a failure.
How to fix it, in order
Least invasive first. Stop at the step that fixes it.
- 1
Back up and write down the versions
A builder update can change how existing pages render, so take a full backup or work on a staging copy. Note the current versions of The7 under Appearance, Themes and of WPBakery and Slider Revolution under Plugins. You will want them if a page looks different afterward.
- 2
Register the site with its purchase code
Go to My The7 in the The7 menu. If the site is unregistered, enter the purchase code from the ThemeForest account that bought the theme. If the code is tied to another address, deregister it on that site first, or use a second license if both sites are live.
- 3
Update The7 before anything else
Go to Dashboard, Updates and bring the theme current. If you run a child theme, check its overrides on staging first. Our fix page on themes that break after an update covers what to look for.
- 4
Update from the theme's Plugins screen
Open The7, Plugins. The bundled plugins with newer copies available are listed there. Update them from that screen and leave the vendor's activation prompts alone. Then open a few key pages and the builder itself to confirm both still load.
- 5
Reinstall a plugin that stays stuck
Export your sliders from Slider Revolution before touching it. Then deactivate and delete the stuck plugin and install it again from The7, Plugins, which fetches the current bundled copy. WPBakery layouts are stored in the pages themselves, so they return when the builder does.
- 6
Decide whether a direct license is worth it
Buy the plugin from its vendor if you need the Slider Revolution template library and add-ons, the vendor's support or updates on release day. Otherwise the bundled copy is enough, and the notice can simply be ignored.
Keep it from coming back
- Keep the purchase code in your own records, under a ThemeForest account you control
- Update the theme before its plugins every time, on a staging copy first
- Delete bundled plugins you do not use rather than leaving them installed and forgotten
- Look at the The7 Plugins screen monthly instead of waiting for a notice
The permanent fix
A faster Next.js build, with a CMS made for your business
If every update round means finding a purchase code, updating a theme in order to update a builder and testing three vendors' releases against each other, upkeep has become a job in itself. That is the running cost of a site assembled from bundled parts. A Next.js build with a custom CMS has no theme license, no bundled builder and no slider plugin, so there is nothing to keep in step and the pages go out as static files.
| On The7 today | On Next.js with a custom CMS | |
|---|---|---|
| What you keep updated | WordPress, the theme, its builder and every bundled plugin, all in step | Nothing on a schedule. There is no theme or plugin stack to fall out of step |
| How a page is served | Built from the database on each visit, through the theme and its builder | Built ahead of time and served as finished files from servers near the visitor |
| How you edit it | A general-purpose builder with every option the theme ships | A CMS built around what your business actually changes: services, prices, photos, posts |
| What can break it | An update to any one of those parts, or a license that lapses | A change someone makes on purpose, tested before it goes live |
Your content, your addresses and your rankings come with you: every page is moved, every old address is redirected, and you get a login to an editor that only shows what you need. A repair is still the right call for many sites, and we will say so when it is.
Want this fixed on your The7 site?
Tell us what you are seeing. We look at the site, tell you plainly what is wrong and what it takes, and quote a fixed price before any work starts.
Which of these sounds like you? (pick any)
Frequently asked
No. The bundled copy updates through The7, Plugins once the theme is registered and current. A separate purchase only changes where the updates come from and adds the vendor's support. It is a convenience, not a requirement.
Because the copy that came with The7 has no purchase code of its own. Your existing sliders work without one. Registration with a direct license unlocks the template library, the add-ons and updates straight from the vendor.
Yes, provided the bundled copy is still being updated through the theme. The notice is an offer of a direct license. The real risk is quieter: a builder that has not moved in a year because the theme was never registered.
In the Downloads section of the ThemeForest account that bought the theme, under the license certificate for The7. If a developer bought it, the code is in the developer's account, which is often the one inbox nobody at the company can still open. A new license in your own name settles it for good.
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