Occasionally, a WordPress Plugin may not work as expected, or at all, or conflict with another WordPress Plugin.
- Check you've followed the instructions included with the WordPress Plugin exactly.
- Check that the Plugin has been activated in your Plugin Panel of your Administration Panels.
- Deactivate and re-activate the Plugin to see if this makes it work.
- Search the WordPress Support Forums for the name of the Plugin and keywords associated with the problem you are experiencing.
- Check the WordPress Plugins Directory for the notes on the Plugin and links to issues reported in the Forums.
- Go to the website of the Plugin author and check their blog and Plugin page for known issues or advice.
- Search the web with the name of the Plugin and keywords associated with the trouble.
- Post a question on the WordPress Support Forums with the name of the Plugin and specific problems in the title. For advice on how to improve your chances of getting help, see Finding WordPress Help.
- If the problem persists and you cannot seem to solve it, check to see if there are any similar WordPress Plugins that you can try instead.
- Try the following tips below for troubleshooting the problem yourself if you have no fear of going "under the hood."
Advanced Troubleshootings
If you are experiencing problems with a Plugin you installed or one that stopped working after upgrades, the following are the steps you need to take to troubleshoot the Plugin:
- If you manually installed the Plugin, use your FTP program to delete the Plugin folder/files and upload it again.
- If you made changes to the WordPress Theme template files to add the Plugin's code or customization, make sure they are correct, spelled right (including letter case), and placed in the appropriate place, e.g., within the WordPress Loop or outside of it.
- Check that you uploaded the file to the Plugins folder under wp-content. If you are uploading a new version to replace the old, delete the old version prior to uploading the new one.
- If the Plugin does not appear in the Plugins List, view the Plugin's main file in the Plugin Editor to ensure the Plugin's header text exists and is properly formed.
- If you're using a custom WordPress Theme, try using one of the default WordPress Themes to see if your issue is Theme related. If it is, contact the Theme developer for assistance.
- Deactivate all your Plugins to ensure they're not causing the problem. Reactivate the problematic one. If it works, there maybe a conflict. Activate the others one-by-one and test the site to see if the problem ceases or returns, which may indicate the conflicting Plugin.
