Drupal migration & upgrades
Move Drupal 6/7/8/9 to a supported Drupal 10 or 11.
Drupal PHP requirements, by version
Drupal 11 requires PHP 8.3. Drupal 10 requires PHP 8.1. Drupal 7, 8, and 9 are end of life — a PHP bump on those cores is not a supported destination.
Look up your version
Which PHP does this Drupal release need?
Use this before you ask a host to “just raise PHP.” The minimum is a core requirement. Contributed modules and custom code can still break on a PHP version core accepts.
| Drupal | Community status | PHP | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Ended 5 January 2025 | Typical sites sit on PHP 7.4 or older. PHP 8 is not a safe destination for an unmodified Drupal 7 codebase. | Do not treat a PHP bump as the fix. Bridge for a dated window, or migrate. |
| 8 | Ended 2 November 2021 | PHP 7.0–7.4. PHP 8 breaks most Drupal 8 sites. | Migrate. Do not stay and raise PHP. |
| 9 | Ended 1 November 2023 | PHP 7.3 at launch, 7.4 from 9.4, PHP 8.0 from 9.1. Not beyond PHP 8.1. | Move to Drupal 10 or 11. See migration. |
| 10 | Supported until 9 December 2026 | Minimum PHP 8.1 (8.1.6 recommended). Current 10.4–10.6 also support 8.2, 8.3, and 8.4. PHP 8.5 is not supported. | Stay on 8.3 or 8.4, and plan the move to 11 before December 2026. Drupal 11 migration. |
| 11 | Current supported line | Minimum PHP 8.3. PHP 8.1 and 8.2 are not supported. 8.3 and 8.4 are. PHP 8.5 from 11.3 onward. | This is the target for new work in 2026. Plan a Drupal 11 migration. |
| 12 | Scheduled the week of 7 December 2026 | PHP 8.5, per the announced platform requirements. | Not a reason to wait if you are still on Drupal 7, 8, or 9. |
If the table says migrate
A PHP upgrade and a Drupal upgrade are often one job
Hosts sunset old PHP on a predictable schedule. A Drupal 7 site can stop deploying even when “nothing changed” in Drupal, because the runtime it needs is gone. Raising PHP on that site without a migration usually breaks modules that were never written for PHP 8.
On a supported Drupal 10 or 11 site, a hosting-aware PHP upgrade is narrower: check what the host offers, fix deprecations in custom code, update or replace contrib, then raise PHP on staging and regression-test before production.
- Compatibility audit of core, contrib, and custom code
- Deprecations resolved before the runtime changes
- Staged cut-over, fixed price, agreed scope
Questions
Drupal PHP — FAQ
What PHP version does Drupal 11 require?
PHP 8.3 or newer. PHP 8.1 and 8.2 are not supported on Drupal 11. PHP 8.3 and 8.4 are. PHP 8.5 is supported from Drupal 11.3. This is the opposite of the older line that grouped Drupal 10 and 11 as “PHP 8.1 or newer.”
What PHP version does Drupal 10 require?
PHP 8.1 or newer, with 8.1.6 recommended. Current Drupal 10.4 through 10.6 also support 8.2, 8.3, and 8.4. PHP 8.5 is not supported on Drupal 10. Drupal 10’s own support ends on 9 December 2026.
What are Drupal 7 PHP requirements in 2026?
Live Drupal 7 sites commonly depend on PHP 7.4 or older. PHP 8 is not a supported destination for an unmodified Drupal 7 codebase. Because both Drupal 7 and those older PHP runtimes are unsupported, treat the work as a dated bridge or a migration.
What are Drupal 9 PHP requirements?
Drupal 9 required PHP 7.3 at launch, PHP 7.4 from 9.4, and gained PHP 8.0 from 9.1. It does not support PHP beyond 8.1, and community support ended on 1 November 2023. The useful question is how to move the site, not how to keep Drupal 9 on a newer runtime.
Will upgrading PHP break my Drupal site?
It can if done blindly. Older modules and custom code may use PHP features removed in newer versions. A hosting-aware upgrade resolves those deprecations first and tests on a staging copy.
How much does a Drupal PHP upgrade cost?
Fixed price after a short assessment of Drupal version, PHP version, and the module list. No open-ended hourly billing.
Related
Next step from the table
Drupal 7 end of life
Dates and the three paths, including when PHP is the pressure.
Drupal support & maintenance
Ongoing care so the site does not fall behind again.
About Arthur Baghdasaryan
Who checks the compatibility, and the work behind it.
On an old PHP version?
Send the URL. I’ll tell you which row you are on, and whether this is a PHP bump or a migration.
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