Installing and using WordPress plugins

This article discusses everything you need to know about plugin install and use, including:

• About Plugins
• How to install a plugin
• EmPress plugin licensing
• Accessing previously installed plugins
• Plugin install troubleshooting

For assistance with setup and customization of an EmPress plugin, please use the menu at left and click on the specific plugins you've purchased. Here, you'll find even more articles relevant to each individual plugin!

If you’re new to WordPress, you might be wondering — what  is a plugin, exactly? 

Think of plugins like apps for your WordPress blog. They’re small programs or applications that each perform separate functions or tasks. Just as with smart phones, there are many companies and developers globally creating plugins for WordPress sites everyday. Many plugins are free, many are paid, and many have versions of both.

At EmPress, plugins allow us to offer unique customization features for your blog. All of our themes look great on their own, but with the purchase of one of our plugins, you gain access to additional features and functionality that can take your site to the next level.

1. Download your plugin .zip file. This is the file that was emailed to you via your purchase receipt once you finalized your checkout process. You can also access your plugin .zip files in the My Account settings at empressthemes.com/account.

• No .zip file? Read our tips on plugin install troubleshooting.
  

2. Login to WordPress and head to the Plugins menu. Login to your WordPress dashboard. On the left, you’ll see a menu of items that begins with  Dashboard. Hover over the Plugins tab, then click on Add New.

3. Click to add a new plugin. At the top of the screen, look for the  Add Plugins title. Then, click on the Upload Plugin button.

4. Install the plugin. Click on  Choose File, and in the dialog box that opens, select the plugin .zip file, and select open. Then, click Install Now.

5. Activate the plugin. Once the installation confirmation screen appears, be sure to click  Activate to enable your plugin. This will turn the plugin “on.”

We recommend customers register their plugin license key. This allows us to deliver plugin updates and fixes to you via your WordPress dashboard. 

• How to activate or update your plugin license

Should you need to deactivate a plugin at any time (whether one of ours, or another you’ve downloaded), you can find all plugins by going to the  Plugins tab, then selecting Installed Plugins. If you visit this area shortly after switching to WordPress and installing your theme, don’t be alarmed if you see Plugins you did not manually install! We package our themes with a few plugins for your benefit, and many WordPress installs automatically include certain plugins (often from your hosting provider).

If you downloaded your plugins using the Safari browser, Safari automatically unzips the files for you, and it will seem like you didn't receive a packaged .zip file. Here are a few options for accessing your product .zip files:

1. Re-download in a different browser.

We recommend Google Chrome, but any browser other than Safari should work. You may access your download files any time from the My Account link at the top of our shop website, or by navigating directly to empressthemes.com/account. When you login, you will see a menu of tabs which allow you to explore your account features, past purchases, etc. 

Click on the Downloads tab to view a list of all your purchases. Then, simply click the .zip file name you're trying to download.As long as you are not using Safari, these will download as zip files that you can then install in WordPress.

2. Zip the files on your computer.

Since you’re using Safari, we assume you’re on a Mac computer. You can easily zip the files back up yourself on a Mac. However, please note some customers have reported issues with re-zipping their files on a Mac, so we typically recommend using the first troubleshooting option in this article.

To re-zip a file on a Mac:

First, open a new Finder window and find your downloaded files.

Next, right-click on the folder and choose Compress. If you don’t have right-click functionality enabled on your mouse, you can click on the folder, then go to File > Compress in the top left menu. Your files should now be re-zipped!