How to Install Plugins in WordPress

Plugins aid you to enhance the functionality of your WordPress blog such as advertising, on-site surveys, and various other features. There are also plugins that can assist you with aspects like search engine optimization, security, and data backup. There are actually numerous plugins available for the most popular blogging platform in the world, and you can browse through them and add as many as you desire without even leaving your administrator dashboard.

Steps to Install WordPress Plugins

By default, a brand new WordPress blog will already have several plugins already installed on it, including the Akismet comment spam filter. However, as you develop your blog, you will likely want to add new plugins for a variety of reasons.

1. Login to your WordPress admin dashboard and navigate to the “Plugins” section from the sidebar. A list of installed plugins will be displayed. You can also filter this list by active and inactive plugins as well as those that have updates available for them.
2. To add a new plugin, click on “Add New”.

3. On the next page, you can browse through the most recent or featured plugins by clicking the corresponding links. Alternatively, if you already know what type of plugin you want, you can enter a keyword into the search box and click “Search Plugins”.

3. Scroll down the search results to locate the plugin you wish to install. Click on “Install Now” and click “OK” to confirm.

4. Click on “Activate Plugin” in order to access, configure, and customize the plugin from your admin dashboard. Depending on the specific plugin you installed, a new option may appear in the sidebar, either at the top level or within the Settings section. Simply click on this new button to configure the plugin. In the case of the WP-Polls plugin shown in the example screenshot below, a new section titled “Polls” will appear in the sidebar after the plugin is activated.

4. If you want to uninstall a plugin, simply return to the Plugins page, hover over the plugin you want to remove, and click on “Delete”. You must deactivate the plugin first. Alternatively, you can temporarily deactivate it to remove it from your site.

Updating WordPress Plugins

Plugin developers often release new versions of their WordPress plugins to address issues like compatibility problems with newer versions of the platform, fix any bugs discovered after the initial release, or add new features. When updates are available for any plugins, you will be notified on the admin dashboard homepage.

1. Click on “Updates” near the top of the sidebar. The number of available updates will be displayed here as well.

2. Check the box next to “Select All” in the Plugins section and click on “Update Plugins”.

3. Wait for the process to complete. WordPress will notify you once all your plugins have been updated.

4. You can also update any installed WordPress themes using the same method.