---
title: Update package not available when updating HomeRunner
description: "When you click **Update** on the HomeRunner plugin, WordPress reports \"Update package not available.\" **Why this happens.** The site does not have a valid…"
url: "https://homerunner.io/docs/why-does-the-homerunner-plugin-update-fail-with-update-package-not-available-err/"
updated: "2026-10-26"
category: Setup and plugins
---

# Update package not available when updating HomeRunner

When you click **Update** on the HomeRunner plugin, WordPress reports "Update package not available."

**Why this happens.** The site does not have a valid HomeRunner license key saved. The update server shows every site the new version number, but only provides the download package to a licensed site, so WordPress reports the error at the moment you click **Update**. Seeing the update notice does not mean your license is working, which is why the problem often stays hidden until someone actually tries to update.

If you have been installing HomeRunner by uploading ZIP files manually, that is a common reason the license was never saved. The Toolkit and Conversion Kit plugins do not require a license key, so they may continue updating while the main HomeRunner plugin stays stuck.

**How to fix it.**

1. If you do not have a HomeRunner license key, contact support to get one.
2. In wp-admin, go to **HomeRunner > License & Updates**, paste the key, and click **Save License**. You should see a "License activated" confirmation. Click **Save License** even if a key already appears in the field, because saving also clears the WordPress update cache.
3. If a duplicate inactive HomeRunner plugin row exists on the **Plugins** screen, usually left over from a manual ZIP upload, delete the inactive copy. Do not activate it alongside the live one.
4. Run the update on the active HomeRunner row as normal. Future releases then come through as standard plugin updates.

Still stuck? [Contact the HomeRunner team](https://homerunner.io/contact/) with your site address and what you tried, and we take it from there.