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You can install WPML and receive automated updates by first using our OTGS Installer plugin. Then, register WPML in your WordPress admin to enable automatic updates for both the base plugin and its components. Once registered, you’ll get updates directly in the admin panel.

Before installing, make sure your site meets WPML’s minimum requirements

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How to install WPML for the first time?

The first time you use WPML, you can manually install it using the OTGS Installer plugin. This also allows you to register WPML so you can receive automated updates to future versions.

  1. Log in to your WPML.org account and go to the Downloads section.
  2. Download the OTGS Installer plugin. This allows you to install all the necessary WPML components.
Downloading the OTGS Installer plugin
  1. Log in to your site. In the WordPress admin, go to the PluginsAdd New and click Upload Plugin. Select the ZIP file that you downloaded from your account and click Install Now.
Uploading the ZIP file
  1. Activate the OTGS Installer. Then, click Register WPML and Get a key for this site. This redirects you to WPML.org to generate a site key.
Registering WPML
  1. Download and activate the WPML Multilingual CMS plugin. This is the base WPML plugin that every site needs. You can also select any other WPML components you would like to install and activate.
Download and activate WPML Multilingual CMS
  1. WPML’s setup wizard starts automatically once the download is finished. The setup wizard walks you through how to add languages to your site, choose your language URL format, and select your translation mode. It also detects and suggests which other WPML components you need based on the plugins already installed on your site.

If your site is hosted on WordPress.com, it’s not possible to use the OTGS Installer plugin to install WPML. Instead, you need to download the WPML Multilingual CMS plugin from the Downloads page, then manually upload and activate it on your site. The setup wizard will walk you through registering WPML and downloading any additional WPML components you might need.

You can also learn about installing beta and development versions of WPML.

How can I register WPML to receive automated updates?

To use the OTGS Installer plugin or go through the WPML setup wizard, you’re required to register WPML. Registering allows you to receive automated updates directly to the WordPress admin.

Depending on which WPML account type you buy, you can install it on a different number of production sites. Plus you get extra site keys you can use on development sites:

Account type# of production site keys# of development site keys
Blog13
CMS39
AgencyUnlimitedUnlimited

To register WPML:

  1. Start the setup wizard, and click Get a key for this site on the step to register. If you already have WPML configured on your site, you can register by going to PluginsAdd New Plugin and clicking the Commercial tab. Click Get a key for this site to generate a site key in your WPML account.

Registering in the setup wizard

Registering from the Plugins page

If your site is hosted on WordPress.com, you won’t find the Commercial tab under Plugins → Add New Plugin. Once you manually upload and activate WPML to your site, register it by going to Plugins → Installed Plugins and clicking the Register link beneath the WPML plugin. 

  1. This opens your WPML.org account where you can choose the type of site (production or development) and the number of automatic translation credits you want to assign to the site.
Choosing the type of site
  1. Copy the generated site key, and paste it into the field in the setup wizard to finish registering your site.
Copy the site key so you can paste it back to WordPress

After registering, you will receive updates for WPML and its components automatically to the site that you just registered, and you can easily download any other available WPML components.

Installing WPML components while going through the setup wizard

Installing WPML components on the Commercial tab of the Add Plugins page

How can I register development sites?

WPML gives you 3 times the number of production site keys to use on development sites. This means you don’t have to “waste” your production site keys on development sites.

Sites that register WPML using a development site key display a banner on the top of their site’s front-end and backend stating it’s a development site. Other than that difference, you can receive automated updates and use all the WPML features, just like a regular site key.

When you’re ready to move a development site to production:

  1. Log into your WPML.org account and go to your list of registered sites.
  2. Click the gear icon next to the site you want to move to production.
  3. Return to your site, and you’ll see the banner is no longer visible.
Clicking on the gear icon to move your site from development to production

If you continue to see the banner after moving your site to production, you need to generate a new site key and re-register WPML.

If you need to move your site back to a development site key, you need to unregister WPML and re-register.

If you frequently move your site between development, staging, and production, you can also set your site up for automatic WPML registration using PHP.

Having a problem with registration? See some common troubleshooting tips.

If you use the complimentary Toolset Types plugin included with your WPML account, please ensure you register it as a WPML plugin instead of a Toolset plugin. Follow our instructions on how to register the complimentary Toolset Types plugin for details.

How can I unregister WPML?

You can unregister your site to stop receiving updates automatically or to free up the site key from a site you no longer need.

To unregister:

  1. Go to PluginsAdd New and click the Commercial tab.
  2. Click Unregister WPML from this site.
Unregistering WPML from your site
  1. Then, log into your WPML account and click on Register WPML on your sites to see the list of sites you have registered.
  2. Click the Trash icon next to the site for which you no longer want to receive updates.
Deleting a site key from your WPML.org account

How can I update WPML?

Once you register WPML on your site, you will receive updates automatically.

Whenever a new version of WPML is available, notices appear in the Updates and Plugins sections of the WordPress dashboard.

WPML updates will appear like any other WordPress updates in your admin dashboard

On the Plugins page, click Update now to install each new update.

Updates don’t affect your content (including translations), but before performing any updates, we recommend backing up your database. This includes WordPress, your theme, and plugins.

To make a database backup, you can use plugins like Duplicator and BackupBuddy. You can also take a database dump using your hosting control panel.

If you prefer not to receive updates automatically, you can update your site manually.

Why aren’t updates showing on the Plugins page, and how do I check for new ones?

To ensure that each update is working fine before sending to everyone, we release new WPML versions, and all WPML plugins, to clients gradually. Your site’s Plugins page will show a WPML update only when we release it to 100% of websites.

Unless the release fixes a specific issue on your site, it’s best waiting for the update to appear on its own.

You can learn how to check for updates and get a release right away on the page about how WPML’s gradual rollout process works.

How can I update sites that use WooCommerce Multilingual?

If you run a multilingual store with WPML and WooCommerce Multilingual, we recommend upgrading the plugins in the following order:

  1. WPML Multilingual CMS plugin
  2. Other WPML plugins (including WooCommerce Multilingual)
  3. WooCommerce