Along with installing WordPress plugin’s directly through the Automatic Plugin Installation, you can also install the plugins manually through an FTP client like Filezilla.
There are a number of reasons for why you would need to manually install a plugin including:
- If you want full control over the placement and overall process of the plugin
- Your server does not allow automatic installation of plugins
- The Plugin you wish to install is not included in the WordPress Plugin Directory
Before installing the plugin you should first determine if the plugin you want to use is even compatible with the version of WordPress you are currently using. Once you have confirmed that the plugin is in fact compatible, the next step is as follows
- Download the WordPress Plugin of your choice to your desktop
- If the file you downloaded is a .zip file, right click on the plugin folder and click extract
- Read through the “readme” file and follow the directions provided
- Using the FTP program of your choice, find the wp-content/plugins folder in your WordPress Directory
- Login to your WordPress site, and go to the Plugins screen
- Click Activate, and the plugin should be ready to use!