# Install the plugin

> Download the PowerWP AI zip from your account, upload it in WordPress, activate it, and keep it up to date through Dashboard › Updates.

PowerWP AI installs like any other WordPress plugin, from a zip file. Installing takes a minute. Then you activate your license and connect your AI app.

## Install it

:::steps
1. **Get the zip.** [Get the Free plan](/checkout/?add-to-cart=64) or sign in to your account on powerwp.ai, open **My account › Downloads** and download `powerwp-ai-<version>.zip`. Paid and Free plans both have it there. Do not unzip it.
2. **Open the upload screen.** In WordPress go to **Plugins › Add Plugin** (**Add New** in older versions) and choose **Upload Plugin**.
3. **Upload the zip.** Choose the file and select **Install Now**.
4. **Activate.** Select **Activate Plugin**.
5. **Run the checks.** Open **PowerWP AI › Dashboard**, find **Environment checks** and select **Run checks**. Fix anything marked as a problem before you connect an app.
:::

A **PowerWP AI** menu now appears in the WordPress sidebar with Dashboard, Connections, Memory, Recipes, Activity, Changes, Backups, Settings, License and Help. The plugin also has a **Settings** link on the Plugins screen that opens it.

If your host blocks plugin uploads, unzip the file and upload the `wpai-mcp` folder to `wp-content/plugins/` by SFTP, then activate the plugin on the Plugins screen.

## What activation sets up

- Database tables for connections, the activity log and the change history.
- A private storage folder for snapshots and backups, normally inside `wp-content`.
- A small must-use loader in `wp-content/mu-plugins/` that makes [rescue mode](/docs/safety/rescue-mode/) possible. If that folder is not writable, the Environment checks on the **PowerWP AI › Dashboard** warn you.
- A first update and license check with the PowerWP update service. It sends technical details about the site, never content, orders or customers. See [what is sent](/docs/security/data/#what-the-update-service-receives).

Next, open **PowerWP AI › License** and enter your key. See [Activate your license](/docs/get-started/license/).

## Updates

New versions arrive like any other plugin update, under **Dashboard › Updates** and on the Plugins screen. PowerWP AI asks the PowerWP update service once a day whether a newer release exists.

WordPress installs a PowerWP AI update only if the package carries a valid signature from the PowerWP release key that is built into the plugin. A package without a valid signature is refused. An AI app connected through PowerWP AI cannot update the plugin itself.

Updates and support are included while a paid plan is active, and the Free plan gets plugin updates too. If a paid plan ends, the site goes back to the Free plan 3 days after the end date: your AI app can still read the site, but it can't change anything until you subscribe again. See [Activate your license](/docs/get-started/license/#when-a-license-ends).

## Requirements

WordPress 6.0+, PHP 7.4+, HTTPS and an AI app with remote MCP support. See [Requirements and compatibility](/docs/get-started/requirements/) for the full list.

## Removing the plugin

Deleting PowerWP AI also deletes its data by default: connections, site memory and recipes, the activity log, the change history, and the private folder with snapshots and backups. Download any backup you want to keep first. Switch off **Settings › Uninstall › Delete all data on uninstall** if you want to keep the change history.

## Optional: keep snapshots and backups outside the web root

Recommended for production sites. Snapshots and backups can contain private data. By default PowerWP AI keeps them in a folder named `wpai-mcp-` plus a random suffix, protected by an `.htaccess` file. You can move the folder out of the web root by adding a line to `wp-config.php`, above the line that says to stop editing:

```
define( 'WPAI_MCP_STORAGE_DIR', '/home/your-user/wpai-private' );
```

Use an absolute path that the web server can write to. The example path is only an example. Set it right after installing.

On nginx, which ignores `.htaccess` files, either use this constant or add a rule to your server block. The **Environment checks** card on **PowerWP AI › Dashboard** tells you whether you need it, and the rule is printed under [wp-config constants](/docs/reference/constants/#wpaimcpstoragedir).

:::cards
- [Activate your license](/docs/get-started/license/) — Paste your key and check your plan.
- [Quickstart](/docs/get-started/quickstart/) — Connect your first AI app.
- [Requirements and compatibility](/docs/get-started/requirements/) — Hosts, headers, firewalls and AI apps.
:::

Source: https://powerwp.ai/docs/get-started/install/