Installing extensions

After purchasing an extension or theme from the Woo Marketplace, the next step is to install it on your site. You can install your purchase automatically or manually using a .zip file.

We recommend using one of the automatic installation methods, as they require fewer steps and ensure your site is connected to WooCommerce.com for updates and support.

Before you begin

↑ Back to top

To use automatic installation or receive automatic updates for paid extensions and themes, your site needs the WooCommerce.com Update Manager plugin. This plugin oversees product updates and support for paid extensions and themes purchased from the Woo Marketplace.

You are prompted to install the WooCommerce.com Update Manager the first time you install a paid Woo Marketplace product. If you are already using paid Woo Marketplace extensions, a prompt appears on the Plugins page of your WP Admin or at WP Admin > WooCommerce > Extensions > My Subscriptions.

If you need to install the WooCommerce.com Update Manager manually, use the following link:

→ Download the WooCommerce.com Update Manager

Local stores: WooCommerce.com can’t install the Update Manager on a store that runs on your computer or a private network. Download it with the link above and upload it. See One-click install doesn’t work for local sites.

Automatic installation

↑ Back to top

There are three ways to install a Woo Marketplace purchase automatically.

Option 1: From the order confirmation page

↑ Back to top

After completing your purchase on WooCommerce.com, you can install your product directly from the order confirmation page.

1. Look for the Add to store button on the order confirmation page.
2. If you have not yet connected a site, enter your store URL when prompted.
3. Approve the connection between your site and WooCommerce.com.
4. The product begins installing on your site automatically.

For future purchases, your connected site is available for selection, and installation requires fewer steps.

Option 2: From your WooCommerce.com dashboard

↑ Back to top

You can install a product at any time from the My Subscriptions section of your WooCommerce.com account.

1. Go to My Subscriptions on WooCommerce.com.
2. Click the Add to store button next to the product you want to install.

3. Choose a connected store, or connect a new store.
4. Follow the prompts to install and set up the product.

Option 3: From your site’s WP Admin

↑ Back to top

If your site is already connected to WooCommerce.com and the WooCommerce.com Update Manager plugin is installed, you can install extensions directly from WP Admin.

1. In your site’s WP Admin, go to WooCommerce > Extensions > My Subscriptions.
2. Find the extension you want to install under Available to use.
3. Click the Install button.
4. The extension or theme installs automatically.

Manual installation

↑ Back to top

If you prefer to install your purchase manually, or if automatic installation is not available for your setup, you can download the product as a .zip file and upload it to your site.

Step 1: Download the .zip file

↑ Back to top

Download the extension or theme .zip file from one of two places:

• From My Subscriptions: Click the three-dot (ellipsis) menu next to the product, then select Download extension.

• From Downloads: Click Download in the row for each extension to download the .zip file.

Step 2: Upload and install the product

↑ Back to top

Extensions (plugins):

1. In your site’s WP Admin, go to Plugins > Add New Plugin.
2. Click Upload Plugin.
3. Click Choose File and select the .zip file you downloaded.
4. Click Install Now.
5. Click Activate to activate the extension.

Themes:

1. In your site’s WP Admin, go to Appearance > Themes.
2. Click Add New Theme.
3. Click Upload Theme.
4. Click Choose File and select the .zip file you downloaded.
5. Click Install Now.
6. Click Activate to activate the theme.

For more information, see the WordPress.org guides for managing plugins and using themes.

REST API requirement for automatic installation

↑ Back to top

To connect your site to WooCommerce.com and use automatic installation, your site’s REST API must be accessible.

If your site is hosted on WordPress.com and is set to Private, the automatic installation feature is not available. To use automatic installation, set the site to Coming Soon instead. See the WordPress.com privacy settings guide for instructions.

Alternatively, you can install extensions and themes manually using the .zip file method described above.

If one-click install doesn’t work

↑ Back to top

One-click install (automatic installation) works by WooCommerce.com sending requests to your store’s REST API. When it can’t, the install page tells you why. Find the message you saw below.

You can always install another way. Both work even when WooCommerce.com can’t reach your store:

• From your store: in WP Admin, go to WooCommerce > Extensions > My Subscriptions and click Install. Your store downloads the extension itself. See Option 3.
• Manually: download the .zip file and upload it to your store.

Check what WooCommerce.com sees

↑ Back to top

WooCommerce.com starts every install by opening https://yourstore.com/?rest_route=/. You can open the same address yourself.

• Open it in a private browser window, replacing yourstore.com with your store’s address.
• If you see a page of text starting with {"name":, your store’s REST API is answering.
• If you see a login screen, an error, a “coming soon” page or a security check, that’s what WooCommerce.com sees too.

If it works for you but the install still fails, something is treating requests from outside differently, often a firewall or a security plugin that blocks unknown visitors or other countries.

We couldn’t reach your store’s REST API

↑ Back to top

WooCommerce.com reached your store, but something turned the request away before WooCommerce could answer. Usually that’s a firewall, a security plugin or a server rule.

• Remove the password or login wall. Password-protected staging sites, maintenance and “coming soon” plugins, and WordPress.com sites set to Private turn away outside requests. On WordPress.com, set the site to Coming Soon instead.
• Check your security plugin. Plugins that limit the REST API to logged-in users block one-click install. Allow access to the REST API in its settings rather than turning the plugin off.
• Check your firewall or CDN. Bot protection at your host or CDN can block WooCommerce.com’s requests. Ask your host to allow requests to /wp-json/ and ?rest_route=/.
• Run the check above, then select Retry from WooCommerce.com.

Error code: blocked

We couldn’t reach your store

↑ Back to top

WooCommerce.com couldn’t connect to your store’s address at all. The domain may not point to your server yet, the server refused the connection, or the store is only available on a private network.

• Open your store from another network, like your phone on mobile data. If it doesn’t load there, WooCommerce.com can’t reach it either.
• Check the address. WooCommerce.com uses your Site Address (URL) from Settings > General. If you’ve just moved domains, DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to reach everyone.
• Only reachable on a private network or VPN? Treat it as a local store, see local sites.

Error code: unreachable

We couldn’t make a secure connection to your store

↑ Back to top

Your store uses HTTPS, but WooCommerce.com couldn’t verify its SSL certificate. Usually it has expired, it’s self-signed, or the server isn’t sending an intermediate certificate.

• Open your store in a browser. A security warning means the certificate has expired or is self-signed. Your host can renew it or issue a free one.
• No warning in your browser? Browsers often fill in a missing intermediate certificate on their own, servers don’t. Ask your host to check that the full certificate chain is installed.

Error code: ssl

Your store returned an error

↑ Back to top

Your store answered, but with a server error. This also happens while a store is in maintenance mode.

• Maintenance mode? Wait until it ends, or turn it off, then try again.
• Look for a PHP error. In WP Admin, go to WooCommerce > Status > Logs and look for a fatal-errors log, or ask your host for the server error log. The error usually names the plugin or theme behind it.

Error code: server_error

Your store took too long to respond

↑ Back to top

WooCommerce.com waits about 15 seconds for your store to answer, and yours didn’t answer in time.

• Try again in a few minutes. Busy servers, backups and cache rebuilds slow a store down for a while. Select Retry.
• If it keeps happening, your store may be slow on every request. Ask your host to check the server load, or look for a plugin that slows down every page.

Error code: timeout

One-click install doesn’t work for local sites

↑ Back to top

One-click install needs WooCommerce.com to reach your store. A store that runs on your computer or a private network can’t be reached from the internet, so WooCommerce.com doesn’t try.

Your store counts as local when its address is:

• localhost, or a name without a dot
• a private IP address, such as 127.0.0.1, 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x
• on a local development domain: .local, .test, .localhost, .lan, .internal, .home, .localdomain, .example, .invalid, .ddev.site or .lndo.site

That covers most local tools, such as Local, DDEV, Lando, wp-env and Studio.

To install on a local store, either:

• connect your store, then click Install in WooCommerce > Extensions > My Subscriptions in WP Admin, or
• download the .zip file from My Subscriptions on WooCommerce.com and upload it at Plugins > Add New Plugin > Upload Plugin.

To get updates on a local store, install the WooCommerce.com Update Manager the same way. Download the Update Manager and upload it. WooCommerce asks for this on local stores in a notice, in WooCommerce > Extensions > My Subscriptions and on the Update Manager’s row on the Plugins screen. Once it’s active and your store is connected, updates arrive as on any other store.

Testing on a staging site with a public address? One-click install works there, as long as WooCommerce.com can open it without a password.

Error code: local_site

One-click install isn’t available for this host

↑ Back to top

Some free hosting services show every visitor a browser check before the site loads. WooCommerce.com can’t pass it, so it doesn’t try.

Install from your store or manually instead, see above.

Error code: free_host

Your store’s WooCommerce doesn’t support one-click install

↑ Back to top

Your store’s REST API answered, but the installer WooCommerce.com talks to wasn’t listed. It comes with WooCommerce, so usually WooCommerce is deactivated or out of date, or a plugin is hiding its REST API routes.

• Check WooCommerce is active under Plugins, and update it to the latest version.
• Check the installer is listed. Open https://yourstore.com/?rest_route=/ and search the page for wccom-site. If it’s missing while WooCommerce is active and up to date, a security or performance plugin is likely removing REST API routes.

Error code: no_installer

Installation is taking too long

↑ Back to top

After a minute, the progress screen offers Taking too long? Download and install manually. If WooCommerce.com gives up, you’ll see Installation attempts exceeded or Installation status check failed instead.

• The install may still finish in the background. Check Plugins in your WP Admin before doing anything else.
• If it isn’t there, download the .zip file and upload it. If it is there but inactive, select Activate.

After installation

↑ Back to top

Once your extension or theme is installed, it needs to be connected to your WooCommerce.com account to receive updates and support.

• If your site is already connected to WooCommerce.com, the product connects automatically after installation.
• If your site is not yet connected, a Connect button appears. Click it to link the product to your account and enable updates and support.

For more details about connecting your site, see Connect your site to WooCommerce.com.

Related documentation

↑ Back to top

• What are WooCommerce.com subscriptions?
• Connect your site to WooCommerce.com
• Activate and manage your subscriptions
• Troubleshoot common issues
• WooCommerce.com Update Manager introduction

Questions and support

↑ Back to top

Do you still have questions and need assistance? 

• Get in touch with a Happiness Engineer via our Help Desk. We provide support for extensions developed by and/or sold on WooCommerce.com, and Jetpack/WordPress.com customers.
• If you are not a customer, we recommend finding help in the WooCommerce support forum or hiring a Woo Agency Partner. These are trusted agencies with a proven track record of building highly customized, scalable online stores. Learn more about Woo Agency Partners.