Title: cannot network activate plugins Last modified: August 19, 2016 --- # cannot network activate plugins * Resolved [mistermagoo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mistermagoo/) * (@mistermagoo) * [15 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-network-activate-plugins/) * Hi, I have an issue with my just installed multisite; can’t activate the plugins nor the theme to the mapped site. * I added the mapping mode to be able to have “external domains”: masterdomain. com – otherdomain.com. * I can only access the wp-admin of the external domain via superadmin, more not. * I cannot activate the plugins nor the themes to the other external domains. I tried the network activation, and also added “plugin commander” and “plugin premium package manager for networks”. None works. Do you know why the external domain is not 100% linked to the superadmin site? * I looked everywhere online. Please help, thanks. Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 26 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-network-activate-plugins/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-network-activate-plugins/page/2/?output_format=md) * [Andrea Rennick](https://wordpress.org/support/users/andrea_r/) * (@andrea_r) * [15 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-network-activate-plugins/#post-1873478) * Did you try and ensure the extra sites actually worked before mapping them? * Network activate – it depends on the plugins. It just turns the plugin on for each site. It does not do a thing with settings. * Thread Starter [mistermagoo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mistermagoo/) * (@mistermagoo) * [15 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-network-activate-plugins/#post-1873511) * Hi, * The mapped site is fully working, and I have installed only one until now. * I just tried to activate another plugin and it doesn’t show on the plugin page of the mapped site, nor it’s working. As you say, perhaps it depends on the plugin (ads squares widget). Do you have a plugin to test that normaly works on multisite? * [Andrea Rennick](https://wordpress.org/support/users/andrea_r/) * (@andrea_r) * [15 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-network-activate-plugins/#post-1873556) * > I just tried to activate another plugin and it doesn’t show on the plugin page > of the mapped site, nor it’s working. * Yes, it depends on the plugin. Not all are built to work in a network, for starters. * Did you network activate it? If so you will not see it in the plugins menu on sub sites. * And unless a plugins is specifically built to be network activated, it will not be activated reliably on sub sites. * Thread Starter [mistermagoo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mistermagoo/) * (@mistermagoo) * [15 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-network-activate-plugins/#post-1873559) * I did network activate it, plus I installed after plugin commander -the same:( * hmm… well I guess for now the network activation is rather in a development state, because for now it’s almost obselete. Probably in next updates it will allow all plugins to work. It’s realy sad, because for me was the main purpouse of multisite. * But the themes? It doesns’t work either. Do you have an idea? * And what about you? Are you running mapped sites? If so, do you use network plugins? * [Andrea Rennick](https://wordpress.org/support/users/andrea_r/) * (@andrea_r) * [15 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-network-activate-plugins/#post-1873562) * no, network activate is not in development version. The plugins you are tryong to network activate are the ones that need fixing. * Also, you still have not explained what you are trying to do. * Yes, I run multiple multisite installs, a lot of which have multiple mapped domains. * I only network activate plugins when: – the plugin instructions say to – I’ve thoroughly tested the plugin and I know it works. * I still think you’ve misconstrued what network activation means. * Thread Starter [mistermagoo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mistermagoo/) * (@mistermagoo) * [15 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-network-activate-plugins/#post-1873563) * Do I need to create a special folder to make the plugins available in the network( activation only)? * Thread Starter [mistermagoo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mistermagoo/) * (@mistermagoo) * [15 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-network-activate-plugins/#post-1873564) * Ok, I will check the plugins first if it says that it is network available, but what about the themes? How can I make it work on the mapped domain? * [Andrea Rennick](https://wordpress.org/support/users/andrea_r/) * (@andrea_r) * [15 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-network-activate-plugins/#post-1873575) * > Do I need to create a special folder to make the plugins available in the network( > activation only)? * no, install plugins exactly where each plugin tells you to. For most of them, they go in the /wp-content/plugins/ folder. * > but what about the themes? How can I make it work on the mapped domain? * Did you enable installed themes network-wide? * Further reading: [http://wpmututorials.com/basics/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-creating-a-network-of-multiple-sites-in-3-0/](http://wpmututorials.com/basics/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-creating-a-network-of-multiple-sites-in-3-0/) * Thread Starter [mistermagoo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mistermagoo/) * (@mistermagoo) * [15 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-network-activate-plugins/#post-1873578) * ok, I checked the network installed themes again, and they are all active, but in the edit mode of the mapped site, the widget “list of themes to select” is not there! * Strangely, it appears only when I deactivate all themes from the superadmin. Then in the widget of the edit mode, I select a theme for the mapped site, press update, but there are no modifications to the mapped site. * In other words, it’s inverted, but it does nothing anyway. * [Andrea Rennick](https://wordpress.org/support/users/andrea_r/) * (@andrea_r) * [15 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-network-activate-plugins/#post-1873586) * > but in the edit mode of the mapped site, the widget “list of themes to select” > is not there! * Because that list only shows DISABLED themes, so you can enable them on a site by site basis and not network wide. * > Then in the widget of the edit mode, I select a theme for the mapped site, > press update, but there are no modifications to the mapped site. * Because enabling a theme for site is completely different than activating a theme. * Enabling makes it show in the theme’s Appearance menu. * Activating a theme makes it apply to the front side of the blog. * Thread Starter [mistermagoo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mistermagoo/) * (@mistermagoo) * [15 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-network-activate-plugins/#post-1873588) * Sorry, but it’s still not working. I have enabled all themes in the superadmin, but how to activate now the theme to the mapped site? * [Andrea Rennick](https://wordpress.org/support/users/andrea_r/) * (@andrea_r) * [15 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-network-activate-plugins/#post-1873590) * > but how to activate now the theme to the mapped site? * Go to the admin area of that site. Visit Appearance -> Themes. Click on “activate theme”. * Thread Starter [mistermagoo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mistermagoo/) * (@mistermagoo) * [15 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-network-activate-plugins/#post-1873591) * I allready check that of course, and no new theme appears in the mapped site under change theme. * But I was thinking perhaps you want to have a look? I know it’s too much asking, but perhaps we can save time and just post here what was the issue. * [Andrea Rennick](https://wordpress.org/support/users/andrea_r/) * (@andrea_r) * [15 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-network-activate-plugins/#post-1873604) * > no new theme appears in the mapped site under change theme. * And what themes are enabled under Super Admin -> Themes? Those are the ones that should show. * Sorry, no. I can’t go look. Disable every single plugin you have. * Can you see themes under Appearance on the main site? * Thread Starter [mistermagoo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mistermagoo/) * (@mistermagoo) * [15 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-network-activate-plugins/#post-1873605) * ok, I deactivated all plugins in both sites, besides the mapping plugins. The mapped domain is still not responding. No there’s allways the same ‘2010’ theme available. * I will try to update all services, and deactivate and reactivate the mapping plugins. Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 26 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-network-activate-plugins/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-network-activate-plugins/page/2/?output_format=md) The topic ‘cannot network activate plugins’ is closed to new replies. ## Tags * [mapped domain](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/mapped-domain/) * [multisite](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/multisite/) * [plugin activation](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/plugin-activation/) * [superadmin](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/superadmin/) * [wordpress-mu](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/wordpress-mu/) * In: [Networking WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/multisite/) * 26 replies * 2 participants * Last reply from: [mistermagoo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mistermagoo/) * Last activity: [15 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-network-activate-plugins/page/2/#post-1873618) * Status: resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics