How To Install A WordPress Plugin

One of the key benefits of WordPress is its extensibility.

Your WordPress site is yours to customize—and thanks to plugins, customization is a breeze.

There are two main methods you can use to install a WordPress plugin, and we’ll cover both of them in this tutorial.

How To Install A Plugin From WordPress.org

If you’ve found a plugin you like in the free WordPress.org repository, there’s no need to download it—you can install it directly through your own WordPress dashboard.

1) In your WordPress dashboard, click Add New under the Plugins section of the main menu.

2) Search for the name of the plugin you found on WordPress.org. Alternatively, you can browse plugins from this screen as well.

3) To install a plugin, simply click “Install Now.” You can also click the “More Details” link to read a full description, browse reviews, etc.

This will automatically install the plugin on your site, with no downloads necessary.

How To Install A WordPress Plugin From A ZIP File

When you download a plugin—either from the WordPress.org repository or a third-party source like CodeCanyon—it’ll usually come in the form of a ZIP file.

Installing a WordPress plugin from a ZIP file is easy.

1) In your WordPress dashboard, click Add New under the Plugins section of the main menu.

2) At the top of the page, click Upload Plugin.

3) Choose your file, and then click Install Now.

Don’t Forget To Activate Your Plugin

After you’ve installed a plugin, you’ll still need to activate it before you can begin using it.

WordPress will usually prompt you to activate your plugin immediately after installing it, but you can also click Installed Plugins under the Plugins menu to view all of your site’s available plugins and activate/deactivate them as needed.