What is a WordPress plugin and how do I install a new plugin?

Introduction

Plugins are components that add specific functionality to an existing software product. This also applies to the WordPress platform. Like most CMSs, WordPress has a set of core features that provide all the functionality you need to develop a simple website. However, in most cases, you will eventually reach a point where you want to add more complex functions or features to your website. This is where plugins come into play. They allow you to extend the functionality of your website by implementing certain features.

Thanks to the huge WordPress community, there are over 50,000 free and commercial plugins you can choose from and integrate the functionality you want.

In this tutorial we will show you how to proceed step by step to install a new plugin on your WordPress site.

Related topic: To install a new WordPress theme

Go to the plugin installation page

First, log in to your WordPress admin dashboard. You can do this by entering your domain followed by "/wp-admin" enter, e.g. "mydomain.ch/wp-admin", where "mydomain.ch" stands for your domain name.

Once you are logged in, navigate in the menu bar on the left side to Plugins > Install.

When you click "Install" you will be taken to a new page where you can start the installation of the plugin.

Install WordPress plugin

There are two general methods to Install WordPress plugins, and we will discuss both so that you can decide which method is most convenient for you. Both are very simple and easy to follow. Therefore, we are confident that you will be able to cope with both methods.

The first method consists in searching for the desired plugin directly in the WordPress admin dashboard and proceeding with the automatic installation. Note that this method is usually intended for free WordPress plugins.

The second method consists of downloading the plugin installation archive either from the official WordPress plugin directory or from another third-party source and uploading it via the WordPress admin dashboard.

Installing plugins with the automatic installer

To install the plugin directly from the Add Plugins page, you must first locate the plugin you want. You can do this by browsing the available plugins by the categories displayed at the top of the page: Featured, Popular, Recommended or Favorites.

You can also use the search function in the upper right corner of the page. There you will find a drop-down menu that will help you systematize your search:

{ "keyword". - Searches the names and descriptions of the plugins for the specified keyword.
"Author" - Searches for plugins created by the author.
"Tag" - Look for plugins that are marked as such.

After you have selected the Search term in the search field WordPress will display all plugins that match your search criteria. When you have found the plugin you are looking for, simply click on the button "Install now".

The installation will now start. Please wait a moment until the installation is completed. After that the "Install now" button will change to "Enable". Click this button to activate the plugin.

After activating the plugin you will be taken to the area "Installed Plugins" forwarded and can use it.

Install plugins with download archive

As mentioned earlier, this method is intended for installing plugins downloaded either from the official WordPress plugin directory or from a third-party source.

At this point, we assume that you have the required Have already downloaded installation archive. If not, please download it.

Once you have the archive file on your local computer, please click on the button "Upload Plugin", located at the top of the plugin installation page.

After that, a new window will appear where you need to upload the desired archive. To do this, please click on the button "Select file", navigate to the files on your local computer and locate the archive.

Once the upload process is complete, please click the button "Install now"to start the installation.

When the installation is complete, the "Activate Plugin" button appears. As in the previous example, you must click this button to fully activate the plugin.

You will be redirected to the list of plugins installed on your website again. There you can use the new plugin.

Congratulations! Now you know how to install a WordPress plugin. As promised, the process is very simple. We hope that you managed to successfully install and activate the desired plugin according to our instructions. If you have encountered any difficulties, please send an Ticket request to our support team.