--- title: Installing Popup Maker on Your WordPress Site description: "This guide covers three installation methods for installing the **free core Popup Maker plugin** available on [WordPress.org](https://wordpress.org/plugins/popup-maker/). Table Of Contents - [1. Installing Directly From the WordPress Plugin Directory](#installing-directly-from-wp) - [Why install directly from the WordPress Plugin Directory?](#why-install-directly-from-wp) - [Installation Steps](#installation-steps-1) -…" url: "https://wppopupmaker.com/docs/getting-started/install-and-activate/" updated: "2026-07-20" category: Using Popup Maker / Getting Started --- # Installing Popup Maker on Your WordPress Site This guide covers three installation methods for installing the **free core Popup Maker plugin** available on [WordPress.org](https://wordpress.org/plugins/popup-maker/). Table Of Contents - [1. Installing Directly From the WordPress Plugin Directory](#installing-directly-from-wp) - [Why install directly from the WordPress Plugin Directory?](#why-install-directly-from-wp) - [Installation Steps](#installation-steps-1) - [2. Manually Uploading Through WordPress Admin](#manually-uploading) - [When should you manually upload a plugin?](#when-should-you-manually-upload) - [Installation Steps](#installations-steps-2) - [3. Using FTP](#using-ftp) - [Why should we ever use FTP to install a plugin?](#why-use-ftp) - [Installation Steps](#installation-steps-3) - [Verifying Your Installation](#verifying-your-installation) **Installing Pro or Pro+?** After installing the free core plugin, see our [Pro installation & activation guide](https://wppopupmaker.com/docs/pro-and-pro-plus/installing-popup-maker-pro-and-proplus/) for downloading [Pro and Pro+](https://wppopupmaker.com/pricing/) from your account and activating your license. Let's dive in. First up, the recommended method: installing directly from the WordPress Plugin Directory. ## 1. Installing Directly From the WordPress Plugin Directory ### Why install directly from the WordPress Plugin Directory? Installing directly from WordPress is the easiest option for beginners—one click, and you're done. Not to mention: - WordPress handles updates automatically (you'll get notifications when we release new versions). - No downloading ZIP files or FTP uploads. - Works for 95% of WordPress sites. ### Installation Steps Watch the 1-minute video or [skip to the step-by-step instructions](#method-1-step-1). [Installing Popup Maker on Your WordPress Site](https://www.youtube.com/embed/4qL5-zze2o8?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://wppopupmaker.com&modestbranding=1&showinfo=0&rel=0) **Step 1.** Log in to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins, then click **Add Plugin**. ![pm add plugin](https://wppopupmaker.com/wp-content/uploads/pm-add-plugin.png) **Step 2**. In the search box, type "Popup Maker" and look for "Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popups Builder" by Daniel Iser. ![pm search popup maker](https://wppopupmaker.com/wp-content/uploads/pm-search-popup-maker.png) **Step 3**. Click **Install Now**. WordPress will automatically download and install the plugin. ![pm install now 1](https://wppopupmaker.com/wp-content/uploads/pm-install-now-1.png) **Step 4**. Once installed, click **Activate**. You'll then be redirected to your Plugins page. ![pm activate](https://wppopupmaker.com/wp-content/uploads/pm-activate.png) Next, let's look at Method 2: Manual Upload via WordPress Admin, useful if you have a ZIP file already downloaded. ## 2. Manually Uploading Through WordPress Admin ### When should you manually upload a plugin? - You already downloaded the plugin ZIP file (e.g., you need a specific older version instead of the latest). - You need to prepare an offline installation. - Your hosting provider only allows manual plugin uploads. ### Installation Steps **Step 1.** Visit the [Popup Maker plugin page on WordPress.org](https://wordpress.org/plugins/popup-maker/), click **Download**, and save the popup-maker.zip file to your computer. **Step 2.** In your WordPress admin panel, go to **Plugins** > **Add Plugin**, and click **Upload Plugin**. ![Plugins > Add Plugin > Upload Plugin](https://wppopupmaker.com/wp-content/uploads/pm-upload-plugin-cr.png) **Step 3.** Click **Choose File** or **Browse**, select the popup-maker.zip file you downloaded, and then click **Install Now**. ![Click Install Now to upload and install from a ZIP file](https://wppopupmaker.com/wp-content/uploads/pm-install-now-2-cr.png) **Step 4.** Once the upload finishes, click **Activate Plugin**. ![Click Activate Plugin after uploading and installing from a ZIP file](https://wppopupmaker.com/wp-content/uploads/pm-activate-plugin-cr.png) Finally, for server restrictions or multiple plugins, Method 3: FTP Installation. ## 3. Using FTP ### Why should we ever use FTP to install a plugin? - The first 2 methods are not available to you. - The first 2 methods are blocked by server upload restrictions. - You need to install several plugins at once (bulk upload). - Maybe you prefer FTP! Most people skip FTP installation—it's old-school. But when WordPress won't cooperate, or you're installing offline, FTP is an excellent fallback plan. ### Installation Steps **Step 1.** Follow [Step 1 from method 2](#method-2-step-1) to get the ZIP file, then extract the file on your computer to get the popup-maker folder. **Step 2.** Connect to your site via FTP or SFTP, navigate to /wp-content/plugins/, and upload the entire popup-maker folder. **Step 3.** Log in to your WordPress backend, go to **Plugins** > **Installed Plugins**, find Popup Maker in the list, and click **Activate**. ![Plugins > Popup Maker > click Activate](https://wppopupmaker.com/wp-content/uploads/plugins-pm-click-activate.png) Now, let's verify that everything is installed correctly. ## Verifying Your Installation Follow these steps to find Popup Maker in your dashboard and check the Popup Maker installation. **Step 1.** Find **Popup Maker** in the side menu on your WP admin dashboard. If you see it, the installation succeeded! ![Click Popup Maker](https://wppopupmaker.com/wp-content/uploads/click-popup-maker-2.png) **Step 2.** Check the version number. Go to **Plugins** > **Installed Plugins**, then find **Popup Maker**, and read the version number. Confirm that number with the latest version on the [Popup Maker plugin page on WordPress.org](https://wordpress.org/plugins/popup-maker/). ![installed plugins page cr](https://wppopupmaker.com/wp-content/uploads/installed-plugins-page-cr.png) **Step 3.** Test the **Settings** page. Back on the side menu, click **Popup Maker** > **Settings**. If the settings page loads, Popup Maker's back end is working. ![pm settings general](https://wppopupmaker.com/wp-content/uploads/pm-settings-general.jpg)