Unable to add/install Wordpress plugins : no "Add Plugin" option available

Support
1

What issue or error are you experiencing?

I recently installed Local and created a Wordpress website to develop localy, and want to add/install Wordpress plugins. But no option to do so seems to be avainable anywhere.

What steps can be taken to replicate the issue? Feel free to include screenshots, videos, etc

  • Install Local
  • Create a new website
  • Open Wordpress Dashboard
  • Hover over Plugins, or click on Plugins menu
  • No popup submenu appears with “Add Plugins”, nor “Add Plugins” option available in Plugins page

aberration
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System Details

  • Local Version: Version 9.2.6+6872

  • Operating System (OS) and OS version: Windows 10

All research i’ve done / topic i’ve found only talk about problems encountered during plugin installation, but not the impossibility to install any plugin at all.

Have I installed Local wrong, or missed a step ?
Or do I need to configure something in Wordpress to be able to install plugins ?

Please let me know if someone has any clue of what is preventing Wordpress plugin to be searched / installed.

Thanks in advance.

2

Screenshot 2025-08-15 at 8.40.29 AM
Screenshot 2025-08-15 at 8.40.29 AM1148×1414 72.1 KB

Hey @ArdanKrownz - Can you send a screenshot of your Local site in your app like this?

Also if you click on Site Shell underneath the site name like you see in my screenshot, does that load up or give you any kind of errors?

3

Hi @Nick-B, thanks for the quick response.

Here are screens for the Local site menu and the shell prompt :

ak_local
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ak_shell
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Nothing seems out of place from what I see. No error in the Shell prompt upon opening, unless I shall execute a specific command to “diagnose” the site ?

I dont suppose it could come from nginx, nor the PHP version, as ive already been running PHP 8.3 under Apache server on WAMP (WAMP not being running right now of course, as im trying to set LocalWP environment).

However I must mention that upon site creation, I chose “Custom” to select the the PHP version I need, as well as having the site using Subdirectories.
Could my issue has something to do with that ? As I found a topic refering to users having trouble with “Custom” options site once made.

4

Ah okay @ArdanKrownz so it looks like you’ve made a multisite. When working within the multisite your UI will be a little bit different. You can access the plugin menu by going to My Sites > Network Admin > Plugins. Once you click in there you’ll see the Add Plugin option at the top like you would on a regular WordPress site.

Screenshot 2025-08-15 at 9.24.07 AM
Screenshot 2025-08-15 at 9.24.07 AM1406×1114 149 KB

5

Oops. Looks like I made hasty beginner-mistake assuptions haha :sweat_smile:

Thanks a lot for the indication. As i used to work on a WAMP simple site (the option to turn site multi being somewhere within wordpress from what i recall), and worked on a multilanguage live site with plugins, i never realy worked under real wordpress multisite UI. Hence the Add Plugin option missing seeming strange, from what I assumed being the whole site admin page.

Big thanks again, and my bad for my little multisite management experience :folded_hands:

6

No problem at all @ArdanKrownz! We’re always happy to help :slight_smile: :green_heart: