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Installation

This guide will walk you through installing the Web Stories for WordPress plugin on your WordPress site. Choose the installation method that works best for you.

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System Requirements

Before installing, ensure your environment meets these requirements:

WordPress

Version 6.6 or higher

PHP

Version 7.4 or higher
The plugin requires certain PHP extensions to function properly: date, dom, json, libxml, and spl. These are typically available on most WordPress hosting environments.
The easiest way to install Web Stories for WordPress is directly from your WordPress admin dashboard.
1

Access Plugin Installation

Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard and navigate to Plugins > Add New.
You need administrator privileges to install plugins on your WordPress site.
2

Search for Web Stories

In the search box on the top right, type Web Stories and press Enter.The official “Web Stories” plugin by Google should appear at the top of the search results.
3

Install the Plugin

Click the Install Now button on the Web Stories plugin card.WordPress will download and install the plugin automatically. This usually takes just a few seconds.
4

Activate the Plugin

Once installation is complete, the button will change to Activate. Click it to activate the plugin.After activation, you’ll see a success message and the Web Stories menu will appear in your WordPress admin sidebar.
Installation complete! You can now start creating web stories. Jump to the Quick Start Guide to create your first story.

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Method 2: Manual Installation

If you prefer to install the plugin manually or need to upload a specific version, follow these steps.
1

Download the Plugin

Download the latest version of Web Stories for WordPress from the WordPress.org plugin directory.Click the Download button to get the .zip file.
2

Upload via WordPress Admin

Navigate to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress admin dashboard.Click the Upload Plugin button at the top of the page.
3

Choose the File

Click Choose File and select the web-stories.zip file you downloaded.Click Install Now to upload and install the plugin.
4

Activate the Plugin

After the upload completes, click Activate Plugin.The Web Stories menu will now appear in your WordPress admin sidebar.

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Alternative: FTP/SFTP Upload

For advanced users with direct server access:
1

Extract the ZIP File

Extract the web-stories.zip file on your local computer. This will create a folder named web-stories.
2

Upload via FTP/SFTP

Using your FTP client, upload the entire web-stories folder to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory on your server.
/wp-content/plugins/web-stories/
3

Set Permissions

Ensure the uploaded files have appropriate permissions (typically 644 for files and 755 for directories).
4

Activate in WordPress

Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard and navigate to Plugins.Find “Web Stories” in the list and click Activate.
When uploading files via FTP/SFTP, ensure all files are transferred completely and the directory structure is preserved.

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Method 3: Installation via WP-CLI

For developers and those comfortable with the command line, WP-CLI provides the fastest installation method.
1

Connect to Your Server

SSH into your server and navigate to your WordPress installation directory.
cd /path/to/wordpress
2

Install the Plugin

Use WP-CLI to install the plugin directly from the WordPress.org repository:
wp plugin install web-stories
This will download and install the latest version of the plugin.
3

Activate the Plugin

Activate the plugin using WP-CLI:
wp plugin activate web-stories

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One-Line Installation

You can combine installation and activation into a single command: 
wp plugin install web-stories --activate

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Install a Specific Version

To install a specific version of the plugin: 
wp plugin install web-stories --version=1.42.0 --activate
Use wp plugin list to verify that Web Stories is installed and active after installation.

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Verifying Installation

After installation, verify that the plugin is working correctly:
1

Check for the Stories Menu

Look for the Stories menu item in your WordPress admin sidebar. This is the main access point for creating and managing web stories.
2

Check for PHP Compatibility Issues

If you see any error notices, ensure your server meets the minimum requirements:
  • PHP 7.4 or higher
  • Required PHP extensions: date, dom, json, libxml, spl
3

Review Plugin Status

Navigate to Plugins in your WordPress admin to confirm that Web Stories shows as “Active”.

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Post-Installation Configuration

Once installed, you may want to configure some basic settings:

Publisher Logo

Navigate to Stories > Settings to upload your publisher logo, which appears on your stories.

Analytics

Configure Google Analytics tracking by adding your Analytics ID in the Settings page.

Default Settings

Set default author, archive page settings, and other preferences.

Integrations

Connect with Site Kit by Google for enhanced analytics and insights.

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Troubleshooting

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Plugin Won’t Activate

The plugin requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Contact your hosting provider if you need to upgrade.You can check your PHP version by navigating to Tools > Site Health in WordPress.
Ensure you’re running WordPress 6.6 or higher. Update WordPress if needed via Dashboard > Updates.
The plugin requires specific PHP extensions. If you see an error about missing extensions, contact your hosting provider to enable them:
  • DOM extension
  • JSON extension
  • Date extension
  • libxml extension
  • SPL extension
If manually uploading, ensure the plugin directory has correct permissions (755 for directories, 644 for files).

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Plugin Conflicts

Some WordPress plugins may conflict with Web Stories. If you experience issues, try temporarily disabling other plugins to identify conflicts, then reach out to the support forum.

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AMP Validation Issues

Web Stories are powered by AMP technology. If you encounter AMP validation errors:
  1. Check that other plugins aren’t adding invalid markup to your stories
  2. Temporarily disable other plugins to isolate the issue
  3. Report the issue in the support forum

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Updating the Plugin

Keep Web Stories for WordPress up to date to benefit from new features, improvements, and security fixes.

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Automatic Updates

WordPress will notify you when updates are available:
  1. Navigate to Dashboard > Updates
  2. Find Web Stories in the plugin list
  3. Click Update Now

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Enable Auto-Updates

You can enable automatic updates for the plugin:
  1. Go to Plugins in your WordPress admin
  2. Find Web Stories in the list
  3. Click Enable auto-updates under the plugin name
Always back up your site before updating plugins, especially on production sites.

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Uninstalling the Plugin

If you need to remove Web Stories for WordPress:
1

Deactivate the Plugin

Navigate to Plugins and click Deactivate under Web Stories.
2

Delete the Plugin

After deactivation, click Delete to remove the plugin files.
Deleting the plugin will remove all settings, but your published stories will remain in your WordPress database as a custom post type.

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Next Steps

Now that you have Web Stories for WordPress installed, you’re ready to create your first story!

Create Your First Story

Follow our quick start guide to create and publish your first web story in minutes.

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Getting Help

If you encounter any issues during installation:

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