Although most updating tasks are the same or similar, sometimes there are differences.

Keeping Joomla updated to the latest stable version helps to keep your website secure and working properly.

Most help items are the same or similar for Joomla regardless of what version you are using. What you see on your screen may be different than the help item somewhat if your version is different.

Joomla currently has three main versions.

• Version 1.5.xx is the current version that is best used for live sites requiring a shopping cart (VirtueMart) and the best selection of extensions.
• Version 1.6.xx is an improved version of 1.5 but is not yet ready for VirtueMart and has a limited number of extensions available.
• Version 1.0.xx was the first Joomla version and is still used by a number of site owners.

Here's how to tell which version of Joomla you have. After you login, look at the top right area of the black bar - the version number is listed in the corner for 1.5.xx:

In version 1.6.xx the version number is shown at the bottom of the admin page:

In version 1.0.xx the version number is also shown at the bottom of the admin page: