Use Your Plugins

Once you install a plugin, the next step is to start using it. This guide shows you how to work with the plugins you have installed on your site.

In this guide

1. Find the Plugin Settings
2. Learn How to Use a Plugin
3. Get Help With a Plugin
4. Use the Plugin File Editor (Advanced)

Find the Plugin Settings

Each plugin is different, but this general advice will help you find out where to go to start using a newly installed plugin on your site.

Plugins usually add new menu items to your dashboard. The example below highlights new menu items from plugins:

New plugin options in the dashboard

Other plugins will add their settings inside existing options like Settings, Tools, or Appearance:

A plugin adding an option under Settings in the dashboard

A plugin adding an option under Tools in the dashboard

Other plugins can add new panels and options within the editor:

A new box added to the editing screen from the Yoast SEO plugin

Learn How to Use a Plugin

After installing a plugin, you may need a tutorial on how to use it on your website. Any good plugin will provide support guides (often called “documentation” or “docs”) that show you how to get started with the plugin and explain the options and features it provides.

For instructions on how to use a plugin:

1. Visit your dashboard.
2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins.
3. Look for a link to Settings, Docs, or Support for information on how to use the plugin:

Examples of different documentation/support links

Not all plugins may provide links like these. If not, check the plugin’s website (often found by googling the name of the plugin) for a link to a help center, support guides, documentation, or video tutorials.

Get Help With a Plugin

Any good plugin will provide support via the WordPress.org forums, email, or live chat. You can contact the makers of that plugin directly for help with their plugin.

Here at WordPress.com, we’ll assist you with plugins made by us (such as Jetpack and WooCommerce.) However, we’re not able to assist with plugins not made by us – there are over 50,000 plugins so it would be impossible for us to be experts on them all! Our friendly WordPress.com Happiness Engineers are happy to provide general tips and troubleshooting related to third-party plugins, but more expert support may be available from the plugin’s author. Learn more in Get Help With Plugins and Themes.

Use the Plugin File Editor (Advanced)

The Plugin File Editor allows you to directly edit the code of an installed plugin. This tool is intended for site owners with advanced programming knowledge.

Editing plugins directly may introduce incompatibilities that break your site, and your changes may be lost in future updates. If you have to make direct edits to this plugin, test your changes on a staging site first.

To access the plugin file editor:

1. Visit your site’s dashboard.
2. Check under either Plugins or Tools (the location depends on your theme).
3. Click on Plugin File Editor.
4. In the upper right corner, choose the plugin you wish to edit from the dropdown and click the Select button.
5. On the right, click on the specific file of that plugin you wish to edit.
6. After making a change, click the Update File button at the bottom to save your changes.

Some plugins, like Jetpack and Akismet, are automatically managed on your site and cannot be edited in the Plugin File Editor.