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How to install a WordPress Plugin

3 Different ways to install WordPress plugin (Beginner’s Guide for 2024)

Before following the steps listed below, you should already have a plugin downloaded to your computer.

Step 1: Go to Plugins -> Add New

Navigate to search WordPress plugin

Step 2: On top of the page, click “Upload Plugin” button. If you have a plugin in a .zip format, click on “Choose File.”

Install WordPress plugin - On top of the page click Upload Plugin button then click on Choose file button

Step 3: Select the .zip file from your computer, Click “Install Now” button. Wait for a few seconds for WordPress to complete the installation.

Install WordPress plugin - Select the ZIP file from your computer and click on install now button

Step 4: Click on “Activate Plugin” button.

Install WordPress plugin - Click on activate plugin button

Method #3: Upload a plugin via FTP

This is another method that is very useful when you can not install a plugin using the WordPress dashboard.

You simply download the plugin from the WordPress plugin library, unzip it, and upload it to your WordPress plugin directory using FTP software.

You can use FileZilla which is free and available for all major operating system (Windows, Mac, Linux).

Step 1: Download and install FileZilla.

Step 2: Open the application, and connect to your site’s server using FTP.

Install WordPress plugin - Connect to your site server using FTP

Also Read: How to use FileZilla FTP client to connect Web server

Step 3: Navigate to WordPress directory (usually found in “www” or “public_html”) and open wp-content/plugins directory.

Install WordPress plugin - Open plugins directory

Step 4: Upload extracted plugin directly to plugins directory.

Install WordPress plugin - Upload extracted plugin directly to plugins directory

Step 5: Login to WordPress admin dashboard and navigate to “Installed Plugins” section.

Navigate to Installed Plugins section

Step 6: Find the new item on the list. Click the “Activate” button.

Install WordPress plugin - manually activate uploaded plugin

Conclusion

By finishing this tutorial you learned three different ways to install WordPress plugins. Go ahead and add new features to your WordPress site.

Customization possibilities are almost unlimited with thousands of free and premium WordPress plugins. If you have any issues regarding installing, activating, and deactivating plugins, let us know via the comments.

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Sunil Pradhan

Hi there 👋 I am a front-end developer passionate about cutting-edge, semantic, pixel-perfect design. Writing helps me to understand things better.

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Sunil Pradhan

Hi there 👋 I am a front-end developer passionate about cutting-edge, semantic, pixel-perfect design. Writing helps me to understand things better.