---
title: Updating a Headless Environment
description: Learn how to update and manage your headless environment settings, configurations, and deployments
url: https://developers.wpengine.com/docs/headless-platform/getting-started/updating-headless-environment/
image: https://developers.wpengine.com/og/docs/headless-platform/getting-started/updating-headless-environment.png
---

# Updating a Headless Environment

This guide covers how to update various aspects of your headless environment, including environment settings, build configurations, and deployment parameters.

## What can be updated?

Once a Headless environment is created and it has completed its first build you can still choose to update several of its components:

- **Environment Variables**: Update or add new environment variables as needed - Covered [here](https://developers.wpengine.com/docs/headless-platform/platform-guides/environment-variables).
- **Domains - Primary & other**: Modify primary and add other custom domains as needed - Covered [here](https://developers.wpengine.com/docs/headless-platform/platform-guides/domain-mapping).
- **Add Password Protection**: Select whether your website should be hidden with a password & what that password should be - Covered [here](https://developers.wpengine.com/docs/headless-platform/platform-guides/password-protection).
- **Change Environment Branch**: - Covered below.
- **Change WordPress Environment** - Covered below.

It is worth noting that updates to most of these components require a rebuild of the environment for changes to take effect, except for adding domains & updating the WordPress environment.

### Updating Environment Repository Branch

If you delete your original repository branch or want to build from a different branch, you can do it by clicking on the `Edit` button next to the branch name, selecting a branch and clicking `Save`:

![Edit branch UI](https://developers.wpengine.com/_astro/edit-branch-ui.DPWGZ_ZQ_18UePV.webp)

Clicking `Save` on edit branch will present you with a popup to `Confirm` redeployment of the environment (from the new branch’s code). You have the option to also check the `Don't show this again` checkbox if you want all future redeploys to trigger without this popup.

![Edit branch UI](https://developers.wpengine.com/_astro/edit-branch-redeploy-confirm.DpMj0Cam_1SO99h.webp)

For all subsequent builds the code will be sourced from the new branch you selected and all commits to this branch will cause the environment to rebuild.

You can’t change the Git repository linked to a Headless Platform app. If the original repository is gone, you must delete the app and its environments, then create a new app that pulls from the correct repository.

#### Updating linked WordPress Environment

To change the linked WordPress environment, click the settings cog by the WordPress environment name. From there, select a new environment, choose your plugin installation preference, and click `Save`:

![Edit wpInstall UI - 1](https://developers.wpengine.com/_astro/edit-wp-install-1.BnRNoS46_Z9Tq58.webp) ![Edit wpInstall UI - 2](https://developers.wpengine.com/_astro/edit-wp-install-2.DjygEDVZ_Z20rplm.webp)

Clicking `Save` will apply your changes, and if applicable install Headless plugins. All environment builds (new & existing) will now refer to this WordPress environment.

## Was this helpful?

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