Install and Get Started With Jetpack

Are you ready to blast off with Jetpack? Great! This document outlines what you’ll need to install and get started with Jetpack, several different ways you can get connected, and some frequently asked questions about the connection process.

Requirements to install and run Jetpack on a WordPress site

A web host that meets the minimum PHP and MySQL (or MariaDB) versions specified in the WordPress host requirements.
The latest version of WordPress. If your version of WordPress is out of date, you’ll see a prompt to automatically upgrade with a single click or can upgrade manually.
A WordPress.com account. Don’t have one yet? Sign up for one here, or create one during the Jetpack connection flow. You can find out here why having a WordPress.com account connected to Jetpack is important. You only need one WordPress.com account to access all our services (including Akismet, Crowdsignal, Gravatar, and WordPress.com itself) so if you use any of these services you already have a WordPress.com account you can connect to Jetpack. You can reset your WordPress.com password here if you need to.
A publicly accessible WordPress site: no password protection or Coming Soon / Maintenance Mode plugin in use.
A publicly accessible XML-RPC file.

Install Jetpack from WP Admin

You can install Jetpack from your site’s WP Admin. To install Jetpack via the WP Admin:

Go to Plugins → Add New.
Search for Jetpack. The latest version will be in the search results. Look out for “Jetpack – WP Security, Backup, Speed, & Growth” in the results.
Click Install Now.
Next, click Activate.
After activating, you will be prompted to set up Jetpack. Click Set up Jetpack.

When prompted, click Approve to connect your site to WordPress.com. This is necessary to use many of Jetpack’s features. Learn more about features that require a WordPress.com connection.
After approving the connection to WordPress.com, you will be prompted to select a Jetpack plan on the Pricing page. You can select a plan with the features you need such as the Security or Complete bundle or an individual product that fits your goals. You also have the option to scroll down to the bottom of the page and start for free by clicking Start with Jetpack Free.
You can confirm that your site is connected to WordPress.com with your account by going to Jetpack → Dashboard → At a Glance and checking the site and account connections under Connections.

Set up Jetpack with My Jetpack

You also have the alternative to connect Jetpack with your WordPress.com account from My Jetpack. To do that:

Go to Jetpack → My Jetpack.
Under Connection, click Connect.
You will then be prompted to connect your user account. Click Connect your user account.
When prompted, click Approve to connect your site to WordPress.com.

Install Jetpack using the command line interface

If you have installed WP-CLI, you can install Jetpack by running this command:

wp plugin install jetpack

Jetpack installation frequently asked questions (FAQs)

What if I have a multisite installation?

If you are using WordPress Multisite, Jetpack must be connected separately to WordPress.com, on each site in the network (on sites where Jetpack connections are desired). Any Administrator for that site can create the Jetpack connection. It does not have to be a different Administrator user or a different WordPress.com user for each site.

I have a local WordPress install or a private site. Can I use Jetpack?

Yes. You can still use many of Jetpack’s features. You’ll just need to enable Jetpack’s development mode.

I’m having trouble getting Jetpack connected to WordPress.com. How can I troubleshoot?

Please see our documentation on fixing Jetpack connection issues. If the issues persist, please see our other troubleshooting documentation.

How do I install Jetpack in my language?

Once you have installed WordPress in your own language, Jetpack will automatically switch to your language, as long as a translation file is available. More on contributing to Jetpack translations can be found here.

Why should I connect Jetpack?

Jetpack provides several essential services for your WordPress site. The most popular are:

Stats and analytics about your site traffic
Brute force attack protection to protect from malicious login attempts
A free Content Delivery Network (CDN) that automatically speeds up all your images and photos
Comprehensive security tools including real-time backups, malware scanning, and spam protection for comment sections and forms.

I’m having trouble getting Akismet installed/connected to WordPress.com. How can I troubleshoot?

Some Jetpack plans include Akismet spam protection. If you are having difficulty setting up Akismet, please see our documentation on Akismet issues.