Installing a WordPress plugin is a quick and easy way to add new features and functionality to your website. Whether you’re looking to improve your site’s SEO, add a contact form, or create an online store, there’s likely a plugin that can help.

Before Getting Started

You can’t install plugins if you’re using WordPress.com. Users often tell us that they can’t find the Plugins menu in their WordPress dashboard because they’re using WordPress.com, which comes with its own rules.

If you don’t pay for their business plan, you can’t add plugins to WordPress.com. On the other hand, if you host your own WordPress.org site, you can install any plugin you want immediately.

If you want to swap from WordPress.com to WordPress.org, read our tutorial on how to do it right. After saying that, let’s look at how to add a WordPress plugin to your website.

How to install a plugin on WordPress

But if you’d rather just read text instructions, you can use our step-by-step guide to install a WordPress plugin. We’ve talked about all three ways to install a WordPress plugin: through search, uploading it, and manually installing it through FTP.

Use WordPress Plugin Search to add a plugin.

The plugin search is the easiest way to add a WordPress plugin to your site. The only bad thing about this choice is that the plugin must be in the WordPress directory, which only has free plugins. First, go to the Plugins » Add New page in the admin area of your WordPress site.

You’ll see a screen like those in the screenshot above. You can locate the plugin by typing the name of the plugin or the function you want to find. You can select the finest plugin for you. Since we were looking for the best contact form plugin for WordPress, WPForms, we’ll click the “Install Now” button.

Now, WordPress will get the plugin and put it in for you. After you do this, you’ll see that the “Install Now” button changes to “Activate.” You can add a WordPress plugin to your site, but it won’t work until you turn it on. So click the “Activate” button to start using that plugin on your WordPress site.

That’s it; your 1st WordPress plugin is now successfully installed. The next step is to set up the settings for the plugin. Because these settings are different for each plugin, we won’t talk about them in this post.

Install a Plugin via the WordPress Plugin Upload interface

Paid plugins for WordPress are not listed in the directory of plugins. The first way can’t be used to install these plugins. Because of this, WordPress has a way to install these kinds of plugins called upload. We will offer you how to utilize the upload option in the admin area to add WordPress plugins.

First, you must get the plugin from its origin (a zip file). Next, go to the admin area of WordPress and go to the Plugins » Add New page. Then, click the “Upload Plugin” button near the top of the front page. This will show the form for uploading plugins.

Here, you need to click the “Choose File” button and pick the file for the plugin you downloaded earlier. After picking the file, click the Install button. Now, WordPress will take the file from your computer and upload and install it.

After the installation is finished, you will notice a message like this. Click on the Enable Plugin link to use the plugin after it has been installed. You would have to change the settings so that they work for you. Because these settings are different for each plugin, we won’t talk about them in this post.

FTP-Manual Installation of a WordPress Plugin

In rare cases, your WordPress hosting provider may have file restrictions that make it hard for you to install a plugin from the admin area. In this case, using FTP to install the plugin manually is the best thing to perform. The FTP manager method is the hardest for people who are just starting.

First, you will need to get the source file for the plugin (it will be a zip file). Next, you must open the zip file on your computer and get the files out. When you open the plugin zip file, a new folder with the same name will be made. You must utilize an FTP client to upload this folder to your website by hand.

You would have to use the FTP manager to get to your host. If you don’t know your FTP username and password, contact the company that hosts your WordPress site and ask. Open the FTP customer on your desktop and use the login information given to you by your web host to connect to your site. Once attached, go to the /wp-content/plugins/ folder on your site.

Next, upload the folder you took out of the zip file to your web server’s /wp-content/plugins/ folder. After you upload the files, you must go to the WordPress admin area and tap on the Plugins link in the update menu. On the plugins page, you’ll see that your plugin has been installed.

To utilize the plugin, click the “Activate” link below it. After turning on the plugin, you may need to change its settings. Each WordPress plugin has its settings, which vary from plugin to plugin, so we won’t go over them.

Some plugins may require additional steps to set up or configure, so read the plugin’s documentation for more information.

It’s also important to note that not all plugins are created equal. Before installing a plugin, be sure to check its reviews and ratings to ensure that it’s reliable and well-maintained. Additionally, regularly updating your installed plugins is a good practice to keep them secure and running smoothly.

In conclusion, Installing a WordPress plugin is a great way to add new features and functionality to your website. With this guide, you can easily install and start using a plugin immediately. Just be selective about your plugins, and keep them updated for optimal performance.