How to install a WordPress extension ?
Here is a new tutorial particularly suitable for beginners in WordPress. WordPress is a powerful CMS with many native features. But it can happen that such functionality is missing compared to what you expect from your web project. This is where WordPress extensions (or WordPress plugins) come in. You will discover with this guide what is a WordPress extension, where to find free or paid plugins for WordPress and especially how to simply install a plugin.
Summary
What is a WordPress plugin?
A WordPress plugin (or extension) is a collection of files that allow you to add or modify WordPress functionality. WordPress actually has many basic possibilities for a website: management of pages, articles, users, comments, etc.
Where can i find an extension for WordPress?
Via WordPress.org
One of the main benefits of WordPress is its extremely dynamic community and the many free resources that exist. Plugins are no exception, since there are more than 50,000 free plugins for WordPress. These plugins are not complicated to find since they are all listed on the official WordPress site at this address: https://fr.wordpress.org/plugins/. This is called the official WordPress directory.
You just need to use the site’s search engine to find the WordPress plugin that suits your needs (security plugins, SEO extensions, etc.).
Via the administration of your site
The other solution to find a free WordPress extension is to go directly through the backoffice of its WordPress site.
Go to the administration of your site and click on Plugins in the left menu of your site’s admin then on Add New.
it is possible to do a direct search via the search form (top right) but also that you can find extensions through WordPress suggestions (extensions highlighted, popular, recommended and favorites at the top left) .
It’s another way to access the official WordPress plugin directory.
Paid WordPress plugins
Many plugins are free and accessible directly via the official directory of extensions. There are however paid WordPress plugins (also called Premium plugins). You can buy, download and install them from a number of marketplaces such as CodeCanyon, iThemes, WPMU DEV, etc.
NB: it is not necessarily because a plugin is paid that it is better than a free extension. It’s just that its developers decided to make their work profitable.
Installation of a WordPress plugin in zip format
If you have downloaded a plugin outside the official WordPress extensions directory, as in the case of a paid / premium plugin, you will have in your possession a compressed archive (zip archive) which contains your extension. If you are already a confirmed user, you should know that there is a way to decompress the archive and send the plugin folder to the /wp-content/ plugins/ directory of WordPress via FTP with software like FileZilla. But if you are a novice, know that it is quite possible to go through the administration of your WordPress site to easily send and install your paid extension.
This is how to create your website with WordPress.
Here is the procedure to follow to install an extension in zip format:
- As for installing a free plugin, go to the WP site administration, look for Plugins on the left in the menu then click on Add New.
- At the top, next to the Add Extensions title, click the Upload Plugin button.
- As mentioned “If you have a .zip extension, you can install it by uploading it here. “, You will then be able to upload your zip archive containing your extension. Click on the Browse button, select the archive of your plugin on your computer then click on Open.
- Then click on the Install button to start installing the WordPress plugin.
- Your extension is installed by the WordPress extension installer, all you have to do is click the Activate extension button.
- Once your extension is installed, you will now need to configure your extension. A link to the plugin settings is usually found in the list of extensions or in the left menu of the WordPress administation panel.
