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infoWordPress Core•hourglass_bottomTimeouterrorerrorsystem_updateUpdatelocksslcodecURL•labelCommon•warningModerate

Failed to download WordPress package

The error occurs when WordPress cannot retrieve the core archive from wordpress.org or downloads.w.org. The request fails due to network blocks, timeout limits, SSL handshake problems, or PHP settings that prevent remote file access.

Recent core releases add strict ZIP validation, so malformed URLs inside the archive also trigger the failure. The issue surfaces during updates, theme or plugin installations, and health checks.

Symptoms

[dashicons-warning]
Dashboard error message
Unable to download the WordPress X.X.X package from https://wordpress.org/. Please try again later or contact the server administrator.
[dashicons-admin-network]
cURL error displayed
cURL error 7: Failed to connect to downloads.w.org port 443 or cURL error 28: Operation timed out.
[dashicons-admin-site]
Site Health warning
WordPress could not establish a secure connection to WordPress.org.

Common Causes

Outbound firewall or proxy block
Firewall rules or proxy settings prevent the server from reaching wordpress.org over port 443.
Insufficient HTTP timeout
Default timeout of 15 seconds expires before the archive is fully received on slow links.
SSL/TLS handshake failure
Outdated OpenSSL or missing CA bundle stops a secure connection from being established.
PHP configuration limits
allow_url_fopen disabled, low max_execution_time, or low memory_limit aborts the download process.
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