Written by Admin on 2025-05-06

How to Download and Default to GD Plugin on WordPress: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you're using WordPress for your website or blog, chances are you're already familiar with the various plugins available to enhance your site's functionality. One of the most essential plugins for any site that deals with images is GD (or the PHP GD Library) - a powerful image manipulation library that allows for the creation, modification, and conversion of images of various filetypes.

In this article, we'll walk you through the process of downloading and defaulting to the GD plugin on WordPress, so you can start using it right away!

Step 1: Download the GD Plugin for WordPress

To get started, head over to the official WordPress plugin repository at https://wordpress.org/plugins. In the search bar, type in "GD" and hit enter. You should see a number of results pop up - make sure to select the plugin titled "GD" by the author "Milind More."

Next, click on the blue "Download" button on the right side of the plugin's page. The plugin will download to your computer in a ZIP file format.

Step 2: Install the GD Plugin on WordPress

The next step is to install the plugin on your WordPress site. To do this, log in to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to the "Plugins" section on the left-hand menu. Click on the "Add New" button at the top of the page.

On the next page, click on the "Upload Plugin" button located near the top of the screen. Then, click the "Choose File" button and select the ZIP file you downloaded in step one. Finally, click the "Install Now" button and wait for the plugin to install.

Step 3: Activate the GD Plugin on WordPress

Once the plugin has finished installing, navigate back to the "Plugins" section in your WordPress dashboard and click on the "Activate" button next to the GD plugin. This will enable the plugin on your site and allow you to start using its features.

Step 4: Default to the GD Plugin on WordPress

By default, WordPress comes with its own image manipulation library called "Imagick." However, if you've installed the GD plugin, you may want to default to it instead. This will ensure that all of your site's image-handling functions use GD instead of Imagick.

To default to the GD plugin, you'll need to add a line of code to your site's wp-config.php file. You can access this file by connecting to your WordPress site via FTP and navigating to the root directory. Once you've found the file, open it and add the following code:

define('WP_IMAGE_EDITOR', 'WP_Image_Editor_GD');

Make sure to save your changes to the wp-config.php file and upload it back to your site's root directory. Once you've done this, GD should now be the default image manipulation library on your site!

Conclusion

With the GD plugin installed and defaulting to it on your WordPress site, you'll be able to take your image-handling capabilities to the next level. Whether you're creating new images, modifying existing ones, or converting them to different filetypes, GD is a powerful tool that can help you get the job done more efficiently and effectively. So go ahead and download the GD plugin today - your site's images (and your users) will thank you for it!