Install a Plugin – WordPress.com Support

Plugins are powerful tools developed by the vibrant WordPress community, designed to extend the functionality and features of your WordPress website. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of installing plugins on your WordPress.com site, ensuring you can enhance its capabilities effectively.

Essential Considerations Before Plugin Installation

It's important to note that WordPress.com websites offer a robust set of built-in functionalities, often surpassing those found on a self-hosted WordPress site. This means that many common features you might consider adding via a plugin are already integrated into your WordPress.com experience. Before proceeding with plugin installation, we recommend reviewing the following list to determine if the desired functionality is already available on your site.

Features Included with All WordPress.com Sites:

All WordPress.com sites come equipped with a powerful array of features designed to support your website's performance, security, and user engagement right out of the box. These include:

• Security Protection: Comprehensive measures to keep your site safe from threats.
• Akismet: Advanced anti-spam protection to filter out unwanted comments and submissions.
• Essential SEO Tools: Built-in Search Engine Optimization features to help your content rank better.
• WordPress.com Stats: Our proprietary analytics solution, offering insights similar to Google Analytics.
• Content Delivery Network (CDN): Ensures fast content delivery to your visitors globally.
• Contact Forms: Easy-to-create forms for visitor communication.
• Email Subscriptions: Tools to build your audience with email sign-ups.
• Enhanced Commenting System: Includes features like comment likes, user mentions, notifications, and more for dynamic discussions.
• Versatile Galleries: Create stunning image displays, including tiled galleries, slideshows, and various other visual formats.
• Content Carousel: Showcase your posts in an engaging, rotatable format.
• Payment Buttons: Simple solutions for accepting payments directly on your site.
• Paid Content Block: Restrict premium content to paying subscribers, enabling monetization.
• Social Media Sharing Buttons: Integrate buttons to encourage sharing of your posts and pages across social platforms.
• Donation Features: Easily accept contributions from your supporters.
• Content Exports: Create comprehensive backups of your site's content for safekeeping.
• Data Imports: Facilitates migration from numerous popular blogging and website platforms.
• Infinite Scroll: Improves user experience by loading new content automatically as visitors scroll.
• Related Posts: Displays relevant articles to keep visitors engaged with your content.
• Post and Comment Likes: Allows visitors to show appreciation for your content.
• Rich Embeds: Seamlessly display content from various popular external platforms.
• Event Countdown Block: Create anticipation for upcoming events.
• Eventbrite Events Integration: Easily display and link to your Eventbrite events.
• Interactive Polls: Engage your audience by creating polls for feedback or fun.
• Duplicate Posts & Pages: Efficiently clone existing content for quicker creation.

Additional Features with WordPress.com Plans:

By upgrading your WordPress.com site to a paid plan, you unlock even more powerful capabilities and integrations.

Premium Plan Enhancements:

The Premium Plan significantly expands your site's potential, including all features from the Personal plan, plus:

• Google Analytics Integration: Connect your site with Google Analytics for advanced visitor insights.
• WordAds Advertising: Monetize your content through our advertising program.
• PayPal Buttons: Streamlined PayPal payment integration for products or services.
• Video Uploads (VideoPress): High-quality, ad-free video hosting and streaming.
• Custom CSS Editor: Fine-tune your site's design with advanced Cascading Style Sheets.
• Appointment Booking Integration: Easily manage and schedule appointments directly from your site.
• OpenTable Block: Seamlessly integrate restaurant booking functionality.

Business Plan Advanced Capabilities:

The Business Plan provides a robust platform for growing businesses, incorporating all features from the Personal and Premium plans, along with:

• Advanced SEO Tools: Enhanced Search Engine Optimization features for greater visibility.
• Automated Site Backups and One-Click Restore: Critical for data security and peace of mind, allowing easy recovery.
• Staging Sites: Safely test changes and updates in a separate environment before deploying live.
• Full Plugin Installation Access: The capability to install any third-party WordPress plugin.
• Third-Party Theme Uploads: Freedom to use custom themes beyond the WordPress.com library.
• Custom Code Integration: Add advanced functionalities using JavaScript, iframes, and other custom code.
• SFTP, SSH, and Database Access: Comprehensive developer tools for advanced site management.

Furthermore, our Commerce plan encompasses all the aforementioned free and paid features, combined with everything essential for establishing and operating a successful online store.

Consider Third-Party Services Wisely:

While many third-party companies offer supplementary WordPress services, it's worth noting that WordPress.com plans already incorporate numerous features often provided by external services like Cloudflare or Sucuri. These include critical functionalities such as speed optimization, intelligent caching, detailed web analytics, robust security features, SSL certificates, and an integrated Content Delivery Network (CDN). Before committing to a third-party service, we strongly advise verifying that the desired feature isn't already a part of your existing WordPress.com site plan, ensuring you don't incur unnecessary costs.

Step-by-Step Guide to Plugin Installation

The ability to install custom plugins is a key feature available to sites subscribed to the WordPress.com Business and Commerce plans, as well as the legacy Pro plan. If your site is on a Business plan, please ensure it has been activated. For users with Free, Personal, or Premium plans, an upgrade to a higher plan is necessary to unlock this functionality.

After you have identified the most suitable plugin for your specific requirements, you can proceed with its installation on your website by carefully following these steps:

Begin by ensuring your admin interface style is configured to your preference.

1. Navigate to your website’s main dashboard. This is your central hub for managing all aspects of your WordPress site.
2. Locate and click on the Plugins option in the left-hand sidebar menu. This will take you to the plugin management area.
3. From here, you can browse through a selection of popular plugins by scrolling down, or utilize the search bar to find a specific plugin by name or desired functionality.
4. Click on any plugin's name to access its detailed information page. This page will provide essential insights into its features, operational mechanisms, and configuration options.
5. Thoroughly review the following critical information before installation to ensure the plugin meets your needs and is reliable:
   • Ratings: Examine user feedback and ratings. A consistently low rating might signal potential issues or a less-than-optimal user experience.
   • Last Updated: A recent update date is a strong indicator of active development and ongoing support, which is crucial for compatibility and security. Avoid plugins that haven't been updated for an extended period.
   • Active Installations: A high number of active installations typically signifies a popular, well-maintained, and widely supported plugin within the community.
   • Tested Up To: Confirm that the plugin is compatible with the current version of WordPress your site is running. WordPress.com sites automatically stay updated to the latest WordPress version, simplifying this check.
6. Once you are confident in your selection and satisfied with the plugin's details, click the prominent “Install and activate” button. This action will add the plugin to your site and enable its functionalities immediately.

Installing Premium Plugins from the WordPress.com Marketplace

The WordPress.com Marketplace features a curated selection of high-quality premium plugins designed to offer advanced functionalities for your site. These are prominently displayed on the main Plugins page. To explore the full range of available premium plugins, simply click on the “Browse all” link, typically found next to the "Must-have premium plugins" heading.

To acquire and install a premium plugin from the WordPress.com marketplace, follow these detailed steps:

1. Access your website’s dashboard, which serves as your primary control panel.
2. From the left-hand navigation menu, click on Plugins. This action will direct you to the marketplace interface.
   • If you are operating within the classic WP Admin interface, the marketplace can be found under Plugins in the left sidebar.
3. Browse and select the premium plugin that best suits your needs, or click “Browse all” to see the complete listing of available premium options.
4. Upon selecting a plugin, you will see a “Purchase and activate” button. Before clicking, you will have the option to choose your preferred billing cycle, typically between monthly and annual subscriptions. This button will initiate the installation process on your site.

5. Proceed to the checkout screen to finalize your purchase securely. Once the transaction is complete, the premium plugin will be automatically installed and activated, making it immediately ready for use on your site.

All premium plugins purchased through WordPress.com are considered subscriptions and can be efficiently managed within the Purchases section of your account. For more information on managing your plugin subscriptions and other digital assets, please refer to our guide on managing your purchases.

Installing Plugins Using a .zip File Upload

Not all plugins are listed within the primary WordPress.com plugin directory. In instances where you obtain a plugin directly from a developer's website or a third-party marketplace, it will typically be provided as a compressed .zip file. This method allows you to manually upload and install the plugin on your site.

Before proceeding, ensure your admin interface style is configured to your preference. Then, follow these steps to install your plugin via a .zip file:

1. Begin by visiting your website’s dashboard.
2. In the left-hand menu, click on Plugins, and then select "Add New".
3. At the top of the "Add Plugins" page, you will see an "Upload Plugin" button. Click this to proceed.
4. Click the "Choose File" button and navigate to the .zip file of the plugin you wish to install on your computer. Select the file.
5. Once the file is chosen, click "Install Now". WordPress will upload and unpack the plugin for you.
6. After the installation is complete, you will see a success message. Click "Activate Plugin" to enable its functionalities on your website. The plugin is now ready for configuration and use.

It is crucial to ensure that the .zip file you are uploading contains only the plugin's core files and is from a trusted source to maintain your site's security and stability.

Installing Plugins via Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP)

For advanced users or specific scenarios, plugins can also be installed directly onto your WordPress.com site using Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP). This method involves transferring the plugin files from your local computer to your website's server.

Follow these steps for SFTP plugin installation:

1. First, download the plugin's .zip file from its source to your local computer and then extract it. You will end up with a folder containing all the plugin's files.
2. Connect to your WordPress.com site using an SFTP client (e.g., FileZilla, Cyberduck). You will need your SFTP credentials, which can typically be found in your WordPress.com dashboard under "SFTP/SSH" access.
3. Once connected, navigate to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory within your site's file structure.
4. Upload the entire extracted plugin folder (from Step 1) into the /wp-content/plugins/ directory on your server. Ensure all files and subfolders are transferred correctly.
5. After the upload is complete, log into your WordPress.com website's dashboard.
6. In the left-hand menu, click on Plugins. You should now see the newly uploaded plugin listed among your installed plugins.
7. Click "Activate" next to the plugin's name to enable it on your site.

Using SFTP requires careful attention to detail to prevent file corruption or directory issues. Always ensure you are uploading the correct plugin files to the appropriate directory.