How to Install and Update Multiple WordPress Plugins at Once

Every new site starts the same way: install the same ten plugins, one ZIP at a time, through Plugins → Add New → Upload. Premium plugins that aren’t on WordPress.org make it worse, and updating one of them manually means deactivating, deleting and re-uploading. Here’s how to do it in bulk.

Option 1: WP-CLI

With SSH access, WP-CLI installs any number of plugins in one command, from WordPress.org, a ZIP file or a URL:

# From WordPress.org, and activate them
wp plugin install query-monitor classic-editor --activate

# From ZIP files you uploaded
wp plugin install ~/zips/*.zip --activate

# Overwrite an installed plugin with a newer ZIP
wp plugin install ~/zips/my-premium-plugin.zip --force

Fast and scriptable, but it needs a server with SSH and WP-CLI, which many shared hosts and client sites don’t have.

Option 2: a starter site

Keep a “starter” site with your standard plugins and settings, and clone it for new projects with a migration plugin. Great for a fixed toolkit, less flexible when each project needs a different set.

Option 3: bulk upload in wp-admin with DevKit

DevKit‘s Plugins Manager adds bulk installs to the dashboard:

Drag and drop several ZIP files into the upload area at once (or click to choose them). It works the same for one or ten files.
Activate after upload, optionally. WordPress has no hook for this, so double-check that each plugin is actually active.
Overwrite existing version: replace an installed plugin with a new ZIP without deactivating it first, so its settings stay intact. Useful for premium plugins, and for your own plugins where you build locally and upload only the production files.
Install from Google Drive: keep your toolkit in a Drive folder and install from it (you’ll need a Google API key with the Drive API enabled, and the folder).
Install by WordPress.org user: find and install plugins published by a specific WordPress.org author.

You can also download several installed plugins at once, to move a set of plugins from one site to another.

Tips

Keep your ZIP toolkit versioned (file names with version numbers), so you know what you’re installing.
Check licenses: after installing premium plugins, activate their license keys, or they won’t update.
For plugins you maintain yourself, consider real updates instead of re-uploading: see how to update private WordPress plugins from GitHub.

Bulk plugin installs in wp-admin

DevKit’s Plugins Manager: drag and drop many ZIPs, overwrite without deactivating, install from Google Drive.