How to Manage Plugins in WordPress Dashboard

Plugins are essential tools that enhance the functionality of your WordPress website. From adding design capabilities to improving performance and enabling payment gateways, plugins play a critical role in how your site operates. This article will guide you through managing plugins using the WordPress dashboard.

Accessing the plugins section

To manage plugins:

1. Log into your WordPress admin dashboard.
   

   Note:

   You can click the W icon located at the top-right corner of your website thumbnail in the 10Web dashboard to securely log in to your WordPress admin panel.

2. In the left-hand sidebar, click on Plugins. This will expand into:

• Installed Plugins
• Add Plugin
• Plugin File Editor
  

Click on Installed Plugins to view all plugins currently on your site.

Filtering plugins

To help you manage plugins more efficiently, you can filter them using the tabs above the plugin list:

• All: Shows all installed plugins.
• Active: Displays plugins currently active on your site.
• Inactive: Lists plugins that are installed but not activated.
• Update Available: Highlights plugins that have updates pending.
• Must-Use: These are essential plugins enabled by default.
• Drop-in: Used for advanced functionalities like database or object caching.
• Auto-updates Enabled/Disabled: Allows you to quickly identify which plugins have automatic updates turned on or off.

Performing bulk actions

You can manage multiple plugins at once using the Bulk actions feature:

1. Check the boxes next to the plugins you want to manage.
2. Select an action from the dropdown menu. Available options include:
   
   • Activate
   • Deactivate
   • Update
   • Delete
3. Click Apply to execute the selected action.

This is especially useful when updating or deactivating several plugins at once.

Managing individual plugins

Each plugin in the list includes several controls and pieces of information:

• Action Links: Options like Activate, Deactivate, Settings, or Troubleshoot.
• Plugin Description: A short summary of what the plugin does, including version and developer info.
• Automatic Updates: A note indicating whether auto-updates are enabled. You can often toggle this option directly from the list.

Enabling auto-updates

Keeping plugins up to date is important for security and performance. To enable automatic updates:

1. Locate the plugin in the list.
2. Click on the Enable auto-updates link (if currently disabled).

You can disable this later if needed, but enabling auto-updates helps ensure plugins stay current without manual intervention.

Adding new plugins

To install a new plugin:

1. Click the Add Plugin button at the top of the Plugins page.
2. Use the search bar to find a plugin from the WordPress repository, or upload a plugin .zip file from your computer.
3. Click Install Now, and then Activate to start using it.

Editing plugin code (advanced)

Under Plugins > Plugin File Editor, experienced users can directly view or modify plugin code.

Best practices for plugin management

• Keep only the plugins you use; deactivate and delete the rest.
• Regularly update your plugins to prevent security vulnerabilities.
• Enable auto-updates for trusted plugins.
• Check compatibility before updating, especially for major versions.
• Use the Troubleshoot option if a plugin causes errors on your site.

Conclusion

Managing plugins through the WordPress dashboard is straightforward and powerful. With options to filter, update, activate, or delete plugins, you have full control over your site's functionality. Regularly reviewing and maintaining your plugins will help ensure a secure, fast, and reliable WordPress experience.