How To Make Sure A Plugin Is Installed And Registered Properly

Topics

What are plugins?
- How do they relate to WordPress core?
- What are some examples?
Finding and Installing Plugins
- Finding Plugins
- Plugin Compatibility
  - Compatibility of New Plugins
  - Compatibility of Installed Plugins
- Installing Plugins
  - Automatic Plugin Installation
  - Upload via WordPress Admin
  - Manual Plugin Installation
- Plugin Favorites
  - Favorite a Plugin
  - View a User'south Favorite Plugins
- Updating Plugins
  - Manual Plugin Update From The Dashboard
  - Manual Plugin Update From The Plugins Folio
  - Enable Automatic Plugin Update
  - Disable Automated Plugin Update
  - Majority Update WordPress Plugins
- Uninstalling Plugins
  - Automatic Uninstallation
- Troubleshooting
  - Resources To Aid Diagnose The Issue
  - Possible Resolutions
    - Brand sure that the plugin is activated after it is installed.
    - If you lot know which plugin is causing the outcome:
    - If you don't know which plugin is causing the effect:
  - Plugin Direction
    - Must-Use Plugins
  - Developing Plugins

What are plugins?

WordPress Plugins are PHP scripts that extend the functionality of WordPress. They heighten the features of WordPress or add together entirely new features to your site. Plugins are frequently developed by volunteers and are commonly free to the public.

Plugins are available via the WordPress Plugin Directory. Although plugins you find here are thoroughly tested and considered prophylactic to use, they are of varying quality and are often works in progress.

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How do they relate to WordPress core?

The WordPress content management system software, or WordPress core, provides the principal functionality for publishing content and managing users. Each WordPress plugin is an additional piece of software that tin be easily installed to extend the functionality of WordPress core.

This allows y'all to customize your WordPress site with your desired functionality. Since so much functionality is provided through plugins, WordPress core is full-featured and customizable, without having to include everything for everyone.

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What are some examples?

Some of the more popular plugins in the WordPress Plugin Directory fall into these categories:

Spam control
SEO
Information import and consign
Eastward-commerce
Security
Caching

This is just a small sample. There are thousands of plugins available in the directory, so there's a skilful chance you'll discover some that are useful to you.

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Finding and Installing Plugins

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Finding Plugins

You tin can browse and search for plugins in the WordPress Plugin Directory. Each plugin listed at that place is available for download as a zip file y'all can upload to your WordPress site.

An alternative mode to observe and install plugins is from inside the WordPress admin screens. Navigate to Plugins > Add New, and you can scan and search for plugins from within your dashboard.

Each plugin listed in that location has an "Install Now" button so y'all tin can easily add it to your site.

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Plugin Compatibility

If a plugin hasn't been updated since the about contempo update to WordPress core, it may be incompatible, or its compatibility may exist unknown. You can view compatibility information about plugins from the Add together Plugins page, or from the Installed Plugins list.

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Compatibility of New Plugins

To learn virtually the compatibility of a plugin before y'all install it, navigate to Plugins > Add New. Each plugin description on this folio includes a notation that reads "Compatible with your version of WordPress" or "Untested with your version of WordPress." Yous tin can click the "More than Details" link to encounter data about this plugin's compatibility.

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Compatibility of Installed Plugins

To learn about the compatibility of plugins you lot've already installed, click the "Plugins" link in the left nav of your site'southward dashboard. Each particular on this list should comprise a "View details" link. Click this to see information about this plugin's compatibility with different versions of WordPress.

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Installing Plugins

There are 3 means to install WordPress plugins.

Automatic Plugin Installation. Any plugin available in the WordPress Plugins Directory tin be installed via the built-in plugin installer.

Upload via WordPress Admin. You tin easily add a new plugin by uploading a nix archive of the plugin from your local calculator.

Manual Plugin Installation. In some cases, yous may need to manually upload a plugin directly using an SFTP client.

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Automatic Plugin Installation

This is the simplest method of installing a plugin. To add a plugin using the congenital-in plugin installer:

Navigate to Plugins > Add New.

Use the search grade in the top-right to search by keyword, author, or tag.

On the search results that announced, click a plugin's title or the link 'More Details' to read more about it, including installation notes, plugin documentation, or other useful data.
Click the Install Now button to install the plugin.
Once the plugin installation is complete, click Activate to activate the plugin.

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Upload via WordPress Admin

If yous have a copy of the plugin as a goose egg file, you tin can manually upload information technology and install information technology through the Plugins admin screen.

Navigate to Plugins > Add New.
Click the Upload Plugin push button at the meridian of the screen.

Select the naught file from your local filesystem.

Click the Install Now button.

When the installation is consummate, you'll meet "Plugin installed successfully." Click the Activate Plugin button.

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Transmission Plugin Installation

In rare cases, y'all may need to install a plugin by manually transferring the files onto the server. This is recommended only when absolutely necessary, for example when your server is not configured to permit automatic installations.

This procedure requires you to be familiar with the procedure of transferring files using an SFTP client. It is recommended for avant-garde users and developers.

Here are the detailed instructions to manually install a WordPress plugin past transferring the files onto the webserver.

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Plugin Favorites

Yous can add a plugin to your list of favorites, and y'all can view and easily install some other WordPress.org user's favorite plugins.

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Favorite a Plugin

Log in to the WordPress Plugins Directory using your WordPress.org ID.
Discover the plugin you want to like and go to the plugin's folio.
Click the centre icon side by side to the Download button.

Once yous take favorited a plugin, it will testify up in your WordPress.org public profile. If you take published a review of the plugin, your rating of the plugin will also appear here.

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View a User's Favorite Plugins

To see a WordPress.org user's favorite plugins (including your own):

Scan to the Add together Plugins admin screen (Plugins > Add New).
Click the Favorites tab.

Blazon the user'southward name in the "Your WordPress.org username" field.

Click Get Favorites.
Each of the plugins listed here has an 'Install Now' button that you can use to add the plugin to your site.

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Updating Plugins

Plugin developers update their plugins occasionally by calculation new features, improving code quality, and keeping them secure. To ensure that these changes are applied on your site immediately, you lot should proceed your WordPress plugins upwards to date. This helps to improve your site's WordPress security and performance.

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Manual Plugin Update From The Dashboard

Your WordPress Dashboard automatically notifies yous when a plugin needs to exist updated — you can view this notification nether the Dashboard->Updates tab.

Scroll down to the Plugins section.

Select the checkbox for the plugins you want to update and and so click 'Update Plugins' button.

Notation: Ever make sure you take a current backup of your site before updating your plugins. Sometimes problems can happen during the update process.

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Manual Plugin Update From The Plugins Page

You can notice the plugins that need to be updated on your site's Plugins page.

To find any plugins installed on your site that need to be updated:

Click the "Plugins" link in the left nav of your site's dashboard.
Expect downward the list of installed plugins for any that include a line reading "There is a new version…"
Click the "View version…" link in that note to view details about the plugin's update.
Click the "update now" link to update the plugin.

Annotation: Always make certain you have a current backup of your site before updating your plugins. Sometimes problems can happen during the update procedure.

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Enable Automatic Plugin Update

WordPress introduced automatic updates for WordPress plugins in WordPress 5.v. This allows you to enable automatic updates for private WordPress plugins directly from the Plugins Page in the WordPress dashboard.

Go to Plugins -> Installed Plugins page inside WordPres Admin area. Here you'll see the list of all your installed plugins. Each plugin in the listing has a link 'Enable auto-updates' in the right-near column (under Automated Updates).
Select the checkbox for the plugins you lot want to enable auto-update and click the link 'Enable auto-updates' for the selected plugin. This will enable automatic updates for the selected plugin.

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Disable Automatic Plugin Update

To stop your plugins from updating automatically, do the following:

Go to Plugins -> Installed Plugins page inside WordPres Admin area. Here you'll see the list of all your installed plugins.
Each plugin in the list that has auto-update enabled will have a link 'Disable auto-updates' in the right-nigh column (under Automated Updates).
Select the checkbox for the plugin yous want to disable machine-update and click the link Disable automobile-updates' for the selected plugin. This will disable automatic updates for the selected plugin.

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Bulk Update WordPress Plugins

If y'all have several plugins on your website that need an update, so you can bulk update those plugins. It is always recommended to do a quick review of all the plugins before updating.

Go to the Plugins folio and click on the 'Update Available' link. This will evidence you the listing of all plugins that have updates available.

Click the checkbox to select all the plugins y'all want to update.

From the 'Bulk Deportment' drop downwards, select 'Update' and click 'Utilize'.

If all goes well with the updates, yous will see a message saying that the updates were completed successfully.

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Uninstalling Plugins

Plugins have a prophylactic and piece of cake-to-use uninstaller. If that is non available, yous can also manually uninstall the plugins.

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Automatic Uninstallation

The safety and easy way to uninstall a plugin is via the WordPress admin screen.

Navigate to your Plugins admin screen and locate the plugin to exist uninstalled.
Select the checkbox next to the plugin proper noun and click the "Deactivate" link.

Once the plugin is successfully deactivated, click the plugin'due south "Delete" link.

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Troubleshooting

Occasionally, a WordPress Plugin may non work equally expected. This section provides helpful resources and steps you can take for troubleshooting plugin issues.

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Resources To Help Diagnose The Effect

Review the plugin's documentation to ostend that you've followed the instructions. You can find this information in the Plugins page nether the name of each Plugin > View details.

Notation: If you have access to the plugin files, y'all can besides find this information in the Plugin'southward folder inside readme.txt.

Search the WordPress Support Forums for the name of the Plugin and keywords associated with the problem you lot are experiencing or the specific mistake message that is displayed.
Search the WordPress Plugins Directory for the name of the Plugin. On the Plugins folio, select the Support tab to read about issues reported in the Support Forums for that plugin.

Become to the website of the plugin author and check their blog and Plugin page for known bug or advice.

Search the web with the name of the Plugin and keywords associated with the problem you are experiencing or the specific error message that is displayed.
Post a question in the WordPress Support Forums with the name of the Plugin and keywords associated with the trouble yous are experiencing or the specific error message that is displayed. Brand sure to include the trouble in the title of the question. For communication on how to better your chances of getting assist, come across Finding WordPress Help.

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Possible Resolutions

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Make certain that the plugin is activated after it is installed.

Go to the Plugins > Installed Plugins from the WordPress admin screen.
Find the Plugin and click 'Activate'.

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If you know which plugin is causing the consequence:

Conciliate that plugin and activate it once more to see if this helps.

In some cases, the plugin may be buggy or incompatible. Conciliate the plugin. Search for other similar plugins, install and activate it and run into it this revolves the event.

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If you lot don't know which plugin is causing the issue:

Sometimes issues may be caused past a conflict with unlike WordPress plugins. In that location are a few different ways y'all can tell which plugin is causing the result.

You installed a unmarried plugin and experienced issues with your site before long later that.
You lot updated a single plugin and experienced bug with your site soon afterward that.
At that place'southward an error message telling you exactly which plugin file is causing the result.
Try deactivating plugins 1 at a time until you find the one that's causing the issue.
In one case you find the plugin that is causing the issue, you lot tin can either deactivate and activate it over again to encounter if this helps. Or you lot tin can find other like plugins from the WordPress Plugins Directory, install and activate information technology and encounter if this resolves the issue.

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Plugin Direction

Plugins are managed from the Plugins admin screen of your WordPress site.

Here you volition find a list of all installed plugins, whether they are active or inactive. From this screen, you lot tin can activate, deactivate and delete plugins.

Plugins listed in bold are currently active.

Each plugin on the listing also contains links to further information most the plugin.

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Must-Use Plugins

Must-utilise plugins (a.one thousand.a. mu-plugins) are plugins installed in a special directory inside the content folder and which are automatically enabled.

Must-use plugins do not show in the default list of plugins on the Plugins folio and cannot exist disabled except past removing the plugin file from the must-use directory, which is found in wp-content/mu-plugins by default.

For more details, please refer Must Use Plugins.

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Developing Plugins

The WordPress community relies on plugin developers to maintain a healthy and growing collection of plugins. A big part of what makes WordPress valuable is the all-encompassing and freely available plugins.

You can help WordPress users past creating your ain plugins for distribution through the WordPress plugin directory.

You can get started with the WordPress plugin development using the resource in the WordPress Plugin Developer Handbook.