How to Install a WordPress Plugin

When installing a plugin you have two options

Installing the plugin through the site
Installing it manually

Before you begin, you will need the following things:

Hostname. This can be your site's IP address or domain name. If you have not brought your site live yet, you can follow this instructions, Bringing Your Site Live with M anaged.com
FTP Username and FTP Password. These will have been sent to you in your initial welcome email after signing up. If you do not have this email and do not know your FTP credentials, see Set Up or Change FTP Account Username or Password or Submit a Support Ticket to request your FTP details.
The admin login details for your WordPress site

Installing the Plugin Through the Site

Log in to your WordPress site at http://yourdomainname.com/wp-login.php.
Click on Plugins > Add New.
In the search box search for a plugin you wish to install. NOTE: If the plugin you are trying to install is not part of the official WordPress plugin database, you will need to follow the steps in Option #2.
Once you have found the plugin you wish to install, click Install Now.
1. You may be asked for FTP credentials to install the plugin. You should only have to give it FTP credentials once.
On any pop-up requiring you to confirm the install, click Ok.
The plugin should install itself, and present you with the option to either Activate the Plugin, or Return to the Plugin Installer.
Select the option you wish to proceed with.
That's it, your plugin should now be installed and if you chose it, it should be activated as well.

Installing Your Plugin Manually
Sometimes you will need to install a plugin manually. You may need to do this if your situation matches one of the following:

If you want control over where and how the plugin is installed.
If the automatic install does not work for you
The plugin you are trying to install does not exist in the Official WordPress Plugin Directory

It is always important to back up your site completely before proceeding. See Back Up Your Website Using Plesk.

To install the plugin manually:

Download the necessary plugin to your desktop computer.
1. If the plugin is in a ZIP archive, you will need to extract it out of the ZIP archive.
If the plugin came with a Read Me file, look it over for specific installation instructions you should follow.
Using your favorite FTP program, upload the plugin folder to the wp-content/plugins folder.
Log in to your WordPress site.
Click on Plugins > Installed Plugins.
Verify that your plugin you uploaded shows up in the list of installed plugins.
From here you can activate and deactivate your plugin. NOTE: If there were extra installation instructions for your plugin, they should be followed before activating your plugin.

Your new plugin should be installed and ready for use.

Article ID: 125, Created: April 5, 2012 at 8:44 PM, Modified: September 2, 2014 at 10:27 AM

How to Install a WordPress Plugin

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