This document provides an introduction to WordPress multisite functionality. It explains that multisite allows a single WordPress installation to host multiple sites and defines key multisite terms. It then outlines the administration interface for multisite including pages for managing sites, users, themes, plugins, and settings across the network. It also describes common actions network administrators can take like enabling themes and activating plugins for all or individual sites.

1. An Introduction

3. From the Codex…
 Multisite is a feature of WordPress that
allows multiple virtual sites to share a
single WordPress installation.
 Also known as a network of sites

4. Before installing Multisite
 Choose sub-domain or sub-directory
 http://codex.wordpress.org/Before_You_
Create_A_Network
 http://codex.wordpress.org/Create_A_N
etwork
 http://codex.wordpress.org/Multisite_Net
work_Administration

8. Sites Page
 Add and delete sub-
sites
 Deactivate/Activate
sub-sites
 Mark sub-sites as
spam
 Delete sub-sites
 Link to sub-site’s
dashboard
 Link to front of sub-
site

9. Users Page
 Add/Delete users
 Edit user profiles
 See which sites users are assigned to
 View/Edit list of Super Admins

10. Themes Page
 Add/Delete Themes
 Edit Theme files
 Network activate/deactivate themes

11. Plugins Page
 Add/Delete Plugins
 Edit Plugin files
 Network activate/deactivate plugins

12. Settings Page
 Network-wide settings
 Notification email settings
 Registrations
 Media uploading size limit
 Media uploading acceptable file types
 Plugins menu for sub-site dashboards

13. Updates page
 Update WordPress Core
 Update themes
 Update Plugins
 Update whole network

15. Actions from Network
Admin:
 Theme enabled for use on sub-sites
 Adding new themes
 Editing theme files
 Deleting themes

16. Enable a theme – All sites
1. Network Admin > Themes
2. Click “Network Enable” under theme
name

17. Enable a theme – One site
1. Network Admin > Sites
2. Click “Edit” under the site name

18. 3. Click the “Themes” tab

19. 4. Click the “Enable” link under the
theme(s) to enable

21. Activate Plugin – All sites
1. Network Admin > Plugins
2. Click “Network Activate”

22. Activate plugin – One site –
Super Admins
1. Network Admin > Sites
2. Click the “Dashboard” link

23. 3. Click on the “Plugins” menu
4. Click the “Activate” link for the plugin

24. Activate Plugin – One site –
Non-super admin
You can’t!
Unless …

25. Allow Site Admins to Activate
Plugins
1. Network Admin > Settings
2. Scroll to the very bottom
3. Check the box to enable Plugins
4. Save

27. Banning
 Ban certain site names
 Ban users based on one or more email
domains
 Limit allowed emails to one or more
domains

28. Upload Settings
 Size limit for total sub-site uploads
 File types allowed to be uploaded
 Maximum single file size

30. Info Tab
 Set domain name (NOT for domain
mapping)
 Set path (for sub-directory multisites)
 Mark as:
 Public
 Archived
 Spam
 Deleted
 Mature

31. Users Tab
 Add/Remove users from sub-site
 Add existing users, already registered in the
network
 Add new users
 Set User Roles for sub-site

32. Settings Tab
 Directly modify most settings for the
sub-site

34. Domain mapping
 Use “WordPress MU Domain Mapping”
 http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/word
press-mu-domain-mapping/
 Carefully follow installation instructions
 Cannot map primary domain

35. Plugin Order matters
Plugins are loaded in this order:
1. Must-use plugins (in /wp-content/mu-
plugins)
2. Network Activated Plugins
3. Site activated plugins
NOTE: Site activated plugins are
skipped for the wp-activate.php page, and
when WordPress is being installed