A plugin changelog is the short record of what changed between releases. It is easy to skip. On a site that depends on a handful of plugins, those notes are often the only warning you get before a form, a checkout, or an admin screen starts behaving differently.

Start at the version you are running now, not at the summary pinned to the top. Move forward one release at a time until you reach the version you are about to install. Four kinds of lines deserve a slow read.

Behavior changes use words like "now requires," "removed," "replaced," and "default changed." A setting you counted on may be gone. A renamed hook or a retired shortcode will not explain itself on the Plugins screen. If a filter was removed, search your theme and your custom snippets for that name before you update.

A security fix is a reason to update soon, and a reason to see what the fix tightened.…