Last week I created the first of 3 WooCommerce multi-site stores using SiteGround as our host.
For the first website setup, SiteGround had (past tense) a 1-click WordPress + WooCommerce installation. SiteGround discontinued that option before I got the other 2 sites up. Even though all 3 site are now networked together WooCommerce is not installed on the last 2 sites.
Can I simply install a WooCommerce plugin to the 2 last sites or do I have to massage Site #1 in some way?
Welcome to the WooCommerce plugin support forum, and thanks for your detailed message. I understand you’ve set up a WordPress Multisite network with plans for three WooCommerce stores, and after SiteGround discontinued their one-click WooCommerce install, you’re now wondering how to get WooCommerce running on the remaining two sites. That’s a great question, and I can see how the sudden change in options could make things a bit confusing.
You mentioned that the three sites are now networked together, which suggests you’re running a proper Multisite setup. In that case, you should have a Network Admin dashboard that allows you to install plugins for the entire network. From there, you can install the WooCommerce plugin once, and then activate it individually on each site in your network where you want to use it.
WooCommerce works just like any other plugin in a multisite environment. Once it’s installed through the Network Admin area, you can visit the plugin screen within each sub-site’s dashboard and activate it there as needed. There’s no need to adjust or “massage” Site #1 — WooCommerce doesn’t automatically carry over settings or products between networked sites, as each sub-site operates independently unless you’re using custom multisite sync tools.
Could you confirm whether you have access to the Network Admin section and whether WooCommerce is listed as a network-available plugin there? That will help ensure we’re on the right track moving forward.
Looking forward to hearing back so we can guide you further!
“Yes” I have access to the Network Admin section and “yes” WooCommerce is listed in the plugin section but it does not have an option for Network Activate/Deactivate. I suspect that’s due to WooCommerce being loaded on the first site via SiteGround(?).
Do I delete the plugin and reinstall and then Network Activate it?
Thanks for confirming that you have access to the Network Admin and that WooCommerce is showing up there. You’re absolutely right, the missing Network Activate option is likely due to how SiteGround originally installed WooCommerce directly onto the first site, rather than through the Network Admin. That setup can limit how the plugin is managed across the entire network.
In this case, the best next step is to deactivate WooCommerce on the first site (if possible), then delete the plugin from the Network Admin area. Don’t worry, deleting the plugin doesn’t delete your store data, since that’s stored separately in the database.
After that, reinstall WooCommerce from the Network Admin → Plugins → Add New screen. This will register it properly across the network. You’ll then be able to activate WooCommerce individually on each sub-site where you need it.
Let me know once you’ve done that or if you’d like help walking through any of the steps. I’d be happy to assist!
In this screenshot, I can see a notice: “This plugin cannot be deactivated or deleted until the plugins that require it are deactivated or deleted“.
Please note that WooCommerce cannot be deactivated while there are active plugins that depend on it. Please deactivate those dependent plugins first, and then proceed to deactivate WooCommerce.
If you face any other issue, share full-page screenshots so I can read the full text of the notices.
Looking forward to your response. 🙂
This reply was modified 1 year ago by Zee. Reason: Rewrite
I can see that WooCommerce shows “Network active”. Have you checked this page where you previously saw the greyed out “Deactivate”. When WooCommerce dependent plugins are inactive, this button should become active and work.
It says it’s Network Active but is not and I want to load WooCommerce on 3 networked sites, but Site #1 (where Siteground installed WordPress + Woocommerce) won’t let me delete it from the dashboard so I can manually load a new WooCommerce plugin.
Can I delete the original WooCommerce plugin from my Public_html >> wp-content >> plugins file?
Thank you for the update and for sharing the screenshot; it really helps to see what’s happening on your end.
One option you can try first is to deactivate all plugins across your sites. Start by deactivating any WooCommerce-dependent plugins from each individual site in your network. Then, from the Network Admin dashboard, deactivate any remaining plugins that could still be relying on WooCommerce. Once all dependent plugins are fully deactivated, check again to see if the “Deactivate” option for WooCommerce becomes clickable.
If that still doesn’t work, you can manually remove or rename the WooCommerce plugin folder from your public_html/wp-content/plugins directory using your hosting file manager or FTP. Once that’s done, head back to your Network Admin dashboard and reinstall WooCommerce. This should register it properly across the network and allow you to activate it per site as needed.
Let us know how that goes or if you run into anything else along the way. We’re here to help!
Update: I had to go into my file manager to delete the original Siteground installed Woo plugin and then manually reinstall it from the WP dashboard. And now I have WooCommerce on all three sites.
This is was likely caused by my web host as we are working through other multisite issues at this time.
Thanks so much for the update! I’m glad to hear you were able to get WooCommerce running on all three sites.
We really appreciate you taking the time to troubleshoot and share your experience. If you’re enjoying using WooCommerce, we’d be grateful if you could leave us a review — it helps us continue improving and supports others in the community.
