Setting up new plugins in wordpress can be done via a couple of ways. One way is to find and install plugins from within wordpress and another is to download them, extract them, and then upload them to your server.
Installing new plugins via WordPress
If you are running a newer version of WordPress, you can locate and install plugins directly from within the WordPress admin panel. To do so:
- Log into your WordPress admin panel
- Select "Plugins" → "Add New" from the menu
- To search for plugins:
- Set the dropdown to "Term", "Author", or "Tag"
If you know the name of the plugin, use Term - Enter the word you want to search for in the box
If you know the name of it, enter the name here - Select "Search Plugins"
Results will be displayed below.
- Set the dropdown to "Term", "Author", or "Tag"
- To browse by popular tags
- Under Popular Tags select a tag to view plugins which have that tag.
- Select "Install" next to any plugins you want installed
This will only install them.
You will still need to activate them and possibly configure them.
Installing new plugins manually via FTP
If you prefer to install plugins manually, or want to install a plugin not listed on the wordpress plugins site, you will need to download the plugin, upload it to your server, and then activate and configure it.
If you are unfamiliar with FTP, see before continuing.
Downloading a Plugin
Find the plugin you want and download it to your computer. When you download it, be sure to make note of the file name in case you cannot find it and need to search for it on your computer.
Extracting Plugins
Once you have your plugin downloaded, you will want to extract it and locate the directory that you need to upload to your server.
For instructions on extracting files, see How to extract zip files in windows. Mac users should just need to drag the zip file to stuffit expander and linux users should know how to extract a zip file.
Once extracted, you need to find the root directory of the plugin. The plugin root directory will contain a file with the name of the plugin ending in .php.
For example, if you extract a plugin named “my-plugin” to the folder “my-plugin”, but there is only another directory inside of that folder, you will need to look in that directory and keep looking until you find .php files (at least one). The folder containing the php file(s) is the one that you will want to upload to your site in order to use the plugin.
Normally, plugin writers will place the plugin in the top level of the compressed archive, meaning that if you extract the contents to “my-plugin”, you will find “my-plugin.php” inside of it…and need to upload the “my-plugin” directory.
Uploading your plugin
Once you have found the root plugin directory, upload the entire directory to your servers "wp-content/plugins" directory.
If you are not sure how to upload files or directories, see How to upload files to your server with FTP.
• FileZilla Instructions:
- Connect to your server via FTP
- Browse to the directory containing your plugins root directory
You should end up with the folder you want to upload displayed in the bottom left pane. - Browse to your plugins directory on the server
- In the top right pane select "public_html"
- In the top right pane select "wp-content"
- In the top right pane select "plugins"
You should now see your currently installed plugins in the bottom right pane.
- Upload your new plugin(s)
- Drag your new plugin folders from the bottom left pane to the bottom right pane
- Be sure you do not drag them into a folder on the bottom right pane
Once you have uploaded the plugin, you will need to locate and activate it within WordPress.
- Log into your WordPress Admin Panel
- Select "Plugins" from the admin menu
This should display your currently installed plugins. - Locate your new plugin(s)
If a plugin is not displayed, you most likely uploaded the wrong folder or uploaded it into the wrong folder on your server. Double check that you uploaded the plugins root folder and that you did not upload it into a subfolder of plugins on your server. - Select "Activate" next to your plugin(s)
Some plugins have configuration options. If your uploaded plugins do, you should look through them and make any necessary changes. Information on doing so can generally be found either in the installed plugin list or on the authors site (which is normally linked in the installed plugin list)