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How to Download a Single Plugin or Theme as a ZIP

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To download a single plugin or theme as a ZIP straight from your dashboard, install Download Plugins and Themes in ZIP from Dashboard. It adds a Download ZIP link next to every installed plugin and theme, so you can grab a copy without FTP, cPanel or a file manager. This is a free feature.

Download one plugin #

  1. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
  2. Find the plugin you want and click its Download ZIP link, shown alongside the usual action links such as Activate or Deactivate.
  3. Your browser downloads a ZIP of that plugin’s folder.

Download ZIP link next to a plugin on the Plugins screen

Download one theme #

  1. Go to Appearance > Themes.
  2. Click a theme to open its details, then use the Download ZIP link.
  3. Your browser downloads a ZIP of that theme (including a child theme, if that is what you selected).

Download Must-Use and Drop-in plugins #

The per-item link also works for special plugin types. On the Plugins screen, switch to the Must-Use or Drop-in filter at the top of the list first, then use the Download ZIP link on the item. This is the only way to download those plugins with this tool: the “Download all” and periodical download features deliberately skip Must-Use and Drop-in plugins because they live outside the regular plugins folder.

What ends up in the ZIP #

Two free settings under WPFactory > Download plugins and Themes shape the archive:

Label Option key Default What it does
Add plugin directory / Add theme directory alg_download_plugins_dashboard_plugins_add_main_dir
alg_download_plugins_dashboard_themes_add_main_dir		 Yes Keeps the main folder (for example my-plugin/) inside the ZIP. Set to No to package the inner files at the top level.
Append plugin version / Append theme version alg_download_plugins_dashboard_plugins_append_version
alg_download_plugins_dashboard_themes_append_version		 No Adds the version number to the ZIP filename, for example my-plugin.2.0.0.zip. The separator character is set by Version separator character (default .).

All of these settings are free. See the full Settings Reference for every option.

Requirements #

  • Downloading a plugin needs the activate_plugins capability; downloading a theme needs switch_themes. Both are part of the Administrator role.
  • Your server needs the RecursiveIteratorIterator class and the zlib extension. The plugin checks these when you click a download and shows a notice if either is missing.

Get more from Download Plugins and Themes #

Per-item downloads are free. Download Plugins and Themes in ZIP from Dashboard Pro adds scheduled (periodical) downloads, a bulk “Download ZIP” action for selected plugins, and control over the download link’s appearance. See what Pro unlocks.