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MainWP marks plugins and themes as “Possibly Abandoned” when their last-updated date exceeds your configured tolerance. The default is 365 days. This is a prompt to investigate the item’s maintenance status, not proof that its author has stopped development.

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Why This Matters

Abandoned plugins and themes can create problems for your sites:

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How MainWP Detects Abandonment

MainWP checks the last-updated date on wordpress.org for each plugin and theme. If no update has been released within your configured threshold, the item is flagged as possibly abandoned.
WordPress.org dates are the default source. Items without usable dates can be checked with the optional local-file fallback described below.

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Local File Date Fallback in 6.3

MainWP Dashboard 6.3 adds Abandoned check by local file date under top-right user menu > MainWP Settings > General Settings > Updates Settings (/wp-admin/admin.php?page=Settings). It is disabled by default and requires MainWP Child 6.3 or later. Enable it, save settings, and sync the affected sites before checking again. When WordPress.org cannot provide a usable last-updated date, MainWP Child compares a local file’s modification date with Abandoned plugins/themes tolerance:
  • Plugins use their main plugin file.
  • Themes use style.css.
This can cover premium, custom, private, or delisted items. The file must exist and be readable. A usable WordPress.org date takes priority; the fallback does not replace it. Locally detected rows describe the age of the file modification. Copying, restoring, or deploying files can change this date without a new author release. Review the vendor’s maintenance information before deciding the item is abandoned.

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Where to View Abandoned Items

Find abandoned items at:
  • Sites > Plugins > Abandoned Plugins (/wp-admin/admin.php?page=PluginsAbandoned)
  • Sites > Themes > Abandoned Themes (/wp-admin/admin.php?page=ThemesAbandoned)

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What to Do with Abandoned Items

  1. Assess the risk - Consider if the plugin is critical and if alternatives exist
  2. Check GitHub - Some plugins have active development on GitHub even without wordpress.org updates
  3. Find alternatives - Search for actively maintained replacements
  4. Plan migration - Replace abandoned items before they cause issues

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Adjust the Threshold

To change the number of days or disable this check, see How to change tolerance for Abandoned Plugins and Themes.