wp plugin install

Overview

Install plugins from WordPress.org, a zip archive, or a direct URL without touching the dashboard. Combine with --activate to install and enable in a single command.

What It Does

wp plugin install downloads and installs a plugin from WordPress.org (by slug), a local zip file, or a remote zip URL. It creates the plugin directory under wp-content/plugins/ and extracts the files. Optionally, it activates the plugin immediately.

Syntax

wp plugin install <plugin|zip|url>... [--version=<version>] [--force] [--activate] [--activate-network] [--insecure]

Arguments & Options

Argument / Flag	Description
PLUGIN	WordPress.org plugin slug
ZIP	Path to a local .zip file
URL	URL of a .zip plugin package
--version=VERSION	Install a specific version
--force	Overwrite existing installation
--activate	Activate after install
--activate-network	Network-activate on multisite after install
--insecure	Skip SSL verification

Basic Usage

Install from WordPress.org

wp plugin install woocommerce

Install and activate immediately

wp plugin install woocommerce --activate

Install a specific version

wp plugin install woocommerce --version=8.9.0

Install from a local zip file

wp plugin install /path/to/my-custom-plugin.zip --activate

Install from a URL (premium plugin)

wp plugin install https://example.com/downloads/my-plugin.zip --activate

Force reinstall (overwrite existing)

wp plugin install woocommerce --force

Install multiple plugins at once

wp plugin install woocommerce contact-form-7 yoast-seo litespeed-cache --activate

Expected Output

Installing WooCommerce (9.0.1)
Downloading install package from https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/woocommerce.9.0.1.zip...
Unpacking the package...
Installing the plugin...
Plugin installed successfully.
Activating 'woocommerce'...
Plugin 'woocommerce' activated.
Success: Installed 1 of 1 plugins.

Real-World Scenarios

Scenario 1: Fresh WordPress setup with standard plugin stack

#!/bin/bash
PLUGINS=(
  "woocommerce"
  "contact-form-7"
  "yoast-seo"
  "litespeed-cache"
  "acf"
  "wordfence"
)

for plugin in "${PLUGINS[@]}"; do
  wp plugin install "${plugin}" --activate
done

echo "All plugins installed and activated ✅"

Scenario 2: Install a specific version for compatibility testing

# Install an older WooCommerce for testing
wp plugin install woocommerce --version=8.5.0 --force --activate

Scenario 3: Install a premium plugin from URL (with auth token)

# Many premium plugins distribute via secure download URLs
wp plugin install "https://api.mypremiumshop.com/downloads/plugin.zip?token=XXX" --activate

Scenario 4: Install from a zip in a deployment pipeline

# Company private plugin delivered as zip artifact
wp plugin install ./build/my-company-plugin.zip --activate --force

Scenario 5: Network-install and activate on multisite

wp plugin install woocommerce --activate-network

Best Practices

1. Use --activate by default — install + activate in one step is cleaner.
2. Specify --version when pinning — ensures reproducible environments.
3. Use --force only when reinstalling after crashes or security incidents.
4. Install multiple plugins in a single command — more efficient than running separately.
5. Verify after install with wp plugin status SLUG.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Cause	Fix
Error: Plugin not found	Wrong slug or not on WordPress.org	Verify slug on wordpress.org/plugins
SSL verification failed	Server CA issue	Use --insecure (on trusted networks only)
Plugin installs but fails to activate	PHP/dependency error	Check PHP error log; resolve dependency
Destination folder already exists	Plugin already installed	Add --force to overwrite
Zip not installing	Malformed zip or wrong structure	Unzip and inspect; ensure main plugin PHP file is valid

Quick Reference

wp plugin install woocommerce                          # Install from WP.org
wp plugin install woocommerce --activate               # Install + activate
wp plugin install woocommerce --version=8.9.0          # Specific version
wp plugin install my-plugin.zip --activate             # From local zip
wp plugin install https://example.com/p.zip --activate # From URL
wp plugin install plugin-a plugin-b plugin-c --activate # Multiple
wp plugin install woocommerce --force                  # Reinstall

Next Steps

• wp plugin activate — activate without reinstalling.
• wp plugin update — keep plugins current after install.
• wp plugin list — verify installed plugins.
• wp plugin uninstall — remove a plugin and its data.