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How to Install a WordPress Plugin – Step by Step for Beginners
After installing WordPress, the first thing every beginner must learn is that the thanks to install a WordPress plugin.
In simple words, WordPress plugins are like apps for your WordPress website. They allow you to feature new features to WordPress sort of a contact form, slideshow, handcart , and more.
There are thousands of free and paid plugins available for WordPress. In this step by step guide, we’ll show you ways to put in a WordPress plugin.
If you’re using WordPress.com, then you can’t install plugins.
We often get complaints from users saying that they can’t see the plugins menu in their WordPress dashboard. It is because you’re using WordPress.com, which has its limitations.
You cannot install plugins on WordPress.com unless you upgrade to their business plan. On the opposite hand, you’ll install any plugin you would like on your self hosted WordPress.org website right out of the box (See the differences between self hosted WordPress.org vs WordPress.com).
If you would like to modify from WordPress.com to WordPress.org, then read our tutorial on the way to properly move from WordPress.com to WordPress.org.
That being said, now let’s take a glance at the way to install a WordPress plugin on your website.
How to Install a WordPress Plugin
However, if you only want to follow text-instructions, then you’ll follow our step by step tutorial on the way to install a WordPress plugin.
We have covered all three way: installing a WordPress plugin using search, uploading a WordPress plugin, and manually installing a WordPress plugin using FTP.
Ready? Let’s get started.
Install a Plugin using WordPress Plugin Search
The easiest way of fixing a WordPress plugin is to use the plugin search. The only downside of this feature is that a plugin must be within the WordPress plugin directory which is restricted to only free plugins.
First thing you would like to go to the Plugins » Add New page inside your WordPress admin area.
You will see a screen just like the one within the screenshot above. Find the plugin by typing the plugin name or the functionality you’re trying to find . After that, you’ll see a bunch of listings just like the example below:
You can pick the plugin that’s best for you. Since in our search, we were trying to find WPForms which is that the best WordPress contact form plugin, we’ll click the ‘Install Now’ button next thereto .
WordPress will now download and install the plugin for you. After this, you’ll notice the ‘Install Now’ button will become the ‘Activate’ button
A WordPress plugin are often installed on your site, but it’ll not work unless you activate it. So go ahead and click on on on the activate button to start out out using that plugin on your WordPress site.
That’s all, you’ve successfully installed your first WordPress plugin.
The next step is to configure the plugin settings. These settings will vary for every plugin therefore we’ll not be covering that during this post.
Install a Plugin using the WordPress Admin Plugin Upload
Paid WordPress plugins aren’t listed within the WordPress plugin directory. These plugins can’t be installed using the primary method.
That’s why WordPress comes with the upload method to place in such plugins. We will show you ways to place in WordPress plugins using the upload option within the admin area.
First, you would like to download the plugin from the source (which are going to be a zipper file). Next, you would like to travel to WordPress admin area and visit Plugins » Add New page.
After that, click on the ‘Upload Plugin’ button on top of the page.
This will reveal the plugin upload form. Here you need to click on the ‘Choose File’ button and select the plugin file you downloaded earlier to your computer.
After you have selected the file, you need to click on the ‘Install Now’ button.
WordPress will now upload the plugin file from your computer and install it for you. You will see a success message like this after the installation is finished.
Once installed, you need to click on the Activate Plugin link to start using the plugin.
You would have to configure the settings to fit your needs. These settings will vary for each plugin therefore we will not be covering that in this post.
Manually Install a WordPress Plugin using FTP
In some rare cases, your WordPress hosting provider may have file restrictions that might limit your ability to place during a plugin from the admin area.
In this situation, your best bet is to place within the plugin manually using FTP.
The FTP manager method is that the least friendly for beginners.
First you will need to download the plugin’s source file (it will be a zip file). Next, you would like to extract the zip file on your computer.
Extracting the plugin zip file will create a replacement folder with the same name. This is the folder that you simply got to manually upload to your website employing a FTP client.
You would got to access your host through the FTP manager. If you’re doing not have your FTP username and password, then contact your WordPress hosting provider and ask them.
Open the FTP client on your computer and attach together with your website using the login credentials provided by your web host. Once connected, you’d wish to visit the /wp-content/plugins/ folder on your website.
Next, upload the folder you extracted from the zip file to the /wp-content/plugins/ folder on your web server.
After uploading the files, you need to visit the WordPress admin area and click on the Plugins link in the admin menu. You’ll see your plugin successfully installed on the plugins page.
You need to click on the Activate link below the plugin to start using it.
Upon activating, you may need to configure the plugin settings. WordPress plugins come with their own settings which differ from one plugin to another so we will not describe them here.
FAQs About Installing WordPress Plugins
As a beginners you will have few questions on installing WordPress plugins. As the largest WordPress resource site, we’ve heard all of them.
Here are a number of the foremost commonly asked questions on installing WordPress plugins.
1. How do I find the best WordPress plugins to install on my website?
There are quite 55,000 WordPress plugins on the free WordPress plugin directory alone. Many more are available as premium plugins. This makes it a touch difficult for beginners to seek out the simplest plugin for the feature they have .
We have compiled an inventory of all the essential WordPress plugins that the majority WordPress websites need.
We even have an in depth tutorial on choosing the simplest WordPress plugin where we show you what to seem for when trying to find a plugin.
2. What is the difference between installed and active plugins?
WordPress allows you to put in a plugin and not use it in the least . In order to use a plugin on your site, you would like to ‘Activate’ it.
You can see active plugins by visiting the ‘Plugins’ page within the WordPress admin area. They will be highlighted with a blue background.
Plugins with the white background are installed on your website but not active.
3. Should I delete inactive plugins?
If you are not using a plugin, then it is recommended to delete it from your website. For more on this topic, see our article on why should you delete inactive plugins in WordPress.
4. How many plugins I can install in WordPress?
You can install as many WordPress plugins as you would like . It is not the amount of plugins that affect your website speed, but the standard of these plugins. For more information, see our article on what percentage WordPress plugins you ought to install.
5. How do I uninstall a WordPress plugin
You can uninstall a WordPress plugin by visiting the Plugins page within the WordPress admin area. If the plugin you would like to get rid of is currently active, then first you’ll got to deactivate it. After that, you’ll simply click on the delete link to get rid of it from your website.
For more detailed instructions, see our guide the way to properly uninstall a WordPress plugin.
We hope this helped you learn how to install WordPress plugins.
You may also want to ascertain our plugins category where we write on the simplest WordPress plugins that you simply can use to accomplish whatever you’re looking to try to to . Each of these articles comes with step-by-step instructions on the way to found out individual plugins.