What does Plugin mean in WordPress?

Last updated on June 26th, 2022 at 11:41 am

The plugins act as extensions of the default features of WordPress. Plugins are one of the most important parts of a WordPress site.

In fact, WordPress is one of the leading website building platforms thanks to the additional features and functionalities that its plugins provide.

When you install a plugin to your site, you basically install an additional script written in the PHP programming language. This additional PHP code called plugin is composed by different minor program modules. These modules are logically implemented so that the plugin as a whole has a specific purpose on the site.

How to install a Plugin in WordPress

Let’s assume that you want to add a Contact form for your WordPress site so that your users can get in touch with you. This can be achieved by installing a plugin such as Contact form 7. Once the plugin is installed, it can be further customized so that it meets your needs.

The following are the standard steps for installing a plugin in WordPress:

1. Log in to your WP Dashboard and go to Plugins > Add New. Then search for the plugin by typing its name in the search box. Find the plugin that you’re interested in and click on the Install Now button.

How to Activate a WordPress plugin

1. To activate the plugin, click on the Activate blue button.

The plugin is now active. You can go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and locate the newly installed plugin. In most of the cases there should be a Settings option for the plugin so that you can further tweak the options of the plugin.

How to Delete a WordPress plugin

To uninstall or delete a WordPress plugin, you will have to Deactivate it first. As having a big number of plugins installed on your WordPress site isn’t a good practice, deactivating the ones that are not in use could be beneficial for the performance of your site.

Author: wpbackend

Content creator at wpbackend.com

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