How to Install a WordPress Plugin (Step by Step Guide)

After installing WordPress and its setup, you may want to install a plugin to add extra functionality to your site. Plugins are like add-ons that help you extend the functionalities of your WordPress site.

Basically, here we’ve discussed two different ways by which you can install and set up a plugin for your WordPress website.

1. Install from WordPress Dashboard
2. Install from WordPress Admin Plugin Upload.

1. Install from WordPress Dashboard

Installing free plugins from the dashboard is the easiest method to get your plugin for the website. You can only install a free plugin in the WordPress plugin directory right from your WordPress dashboard.

For this, you can follow the following steps:

1. Log in to WordPress Dashboard.
2. From the WordPress admin menu, navigate to Plugins > Add New.
3. On the input field at the top right, enter the name of the plugin that you want to install and hit enter to search it.
4. From the search result, click the `Install Now` button in the plugin item you’re looking
5. Once the plugin is installed, click on Activate button to activate the plugin to work with it.
6. To check and configure settings, go to Plugins >Installed Plugins.

And that is it! Now your plugin is installed, activated, and ready to use.

2. Install from WordPress Admin Plugin Upload

The second method for installing the plugin is slightly different from the first one. With this method, you can install both free and premium plugins for your site. It’s useful if you’ve already downloaded a plugin file on your computer.

Here are steps to follow:

1. Log in to WordPress Dashboard.
2. In your WordPress admin menu, navigate to Plugins > Add New.
3. Click on the ‘Upload Plugin’ button on the top of the page.
4. Choose the file and select the plugins file(zip) downloaded earlier on your computer.
5. Press ‘Install Now.’
6. After installation is completed, activate the plugin.

After successfully activating the plugin, some plugins require a few setups, whereas some don’t. They work automatically on your site. Upon completing a few installation setups, your plugin is now ready to use on your site.