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How to Install WordPress Plugin via FTP

install-wordpress-plugin-via-ftp

Installing Plugins on WordPress is an essential thing to do to make it more versatile. WordPress plugins can be installed by various methods. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) method is an easy way to install plugins to WordPress. If you have a hosting account that enabled the FTP access, you can quickly upload the plugin to the Web disk of your website and can easily install it on the WordPress platform. In this guide, we are guiding you through the step-by-step procedures to install WordPress plugins using the FTP method. So, carefully follow the steps given below.

Steps to Install WordPress Plugin via FTP

  1. Download the desired plugin you want to install via FTP.
  2. Open the downloaded plugin zip file.
  3. Extract the folder to your desktop.
  4. Then, Launch your FTP client like Filezilla and login to it.
  5. After logged in, navigate to the folder /wp-content/plugins/.
  6. Just drag and drop the extracted folder of the plugin into the FTP client plugin folder.
  7. This will upload the plugin file to the web disk of your website, and you can open it from the WordPress dashboard.
  8. The plugin is now successfully installed. But you need to activate it to start using the plugin.
  9. To activate the plugin, navigate to the “Plugins” page from WordPress.
  10. Find the plugin you uploaded.
  11. Just, click on the link “Activate” link to activate the plugin.

Now, your plugin is completely installed and activated on your WordPress platform. Thus, you and start using it. The FTP method is the most effective, while other methods fail.

While accessing the web disk using the FTP client, don’t accidentally delete or move any folder there. It may hurt your website. So, do each step carefully.

FAQs

These are some of the most frequently asked questions about installing WordPress plugins using FTP.

I cannot upload the plugin file to the server

If you are not able to upload the plugin files to the server, it might be because you don’t have the necessary permissions. Take a look at the WordPress file and folder permissions and make sure that it is configured properly.

I cannot update the plugin after installing it via FTP

This happens because WordPress doesn’t have the necessary permissions to access the plugin folder. In order to fix this issue, give the www-data group on your server access to the plugins folder by running the command “sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/yourwebsite/wp-content/plugins/“. Be sure to revert it if you need better security by running “sudo chown -R $user:$user /var/www/yourwebsite/wp-content/plugins/” after updating the plugin. Replace $user with your username on the server.

Which folder should I upload the WordPress plugins to?

You should upload the plugin to the “/var/www/yourwebsite/wp-content/plugins/” folder. For example, if you are installing the Jetpack plugin, it will be in the “/var/www/yourwebsite/wp-content/plugins/jetpack” folder.