This guide walks you through installing and setting up the Woo License Verification plugin on your WordPress website – one step at a time. Even if you have never installed a WordPress plugin before, just follow each step in order and you will be ready to sell licensed products within minutes.
Before you begin: You need an active WordPress website with WooCommerce already installed and running. This plugin works on top of WooCommerce – it cannot work without it. If you do not have WooCommerce yet, install it first from your WordPress Plugins screen.
What You Need Before You Start
| Requirement | Why You Need It |
|---|---|
WordPress (version 6.5 or newer) |
The platform this plugin runs on. If your WordPress is older, update it first. |
WooCommerce (version 8.0 or newer) |
Woo License Verification is a WooCommerce extension – it adds to your existing shop. |
PHP 7.4 or newer |
This is the programming language WordPress uses behind the scenes. Your hosting provider manages this – most modern hosts already meet this requirement. |
The plugin ZIP file |
You received this as a download after purchasing the plugin. It is a single |
WordPress admin access |
You must be logged in as an Administrator on your WordPress site to install plugins. |
Complete Setup Guide – 9 Steps
1. Download the plugin ZIP file to your computer
After purchasing, you will have received a download link or a ZIP file called something like woo_license_verification.zip. Save this file somewhere easy to find on your computer – your Desktop or Downloads folder is perfect.
Very important: do NOT unzip or extract this file. WordPress needs the file in its original ZIP format to install it correctly. If you accidentally unzip it, delete the folder and download it again.
2. Log in to your WordPress admin panel
Open your web browser and go to your website’s admin address. This is usually your website address with /wp-admin added at the end – for example: https://yourstore.com/wp-admin. Enter your WordPress username and password, then click Log In. You should see the WordPress dashboard – the black menu bar on the left is how you navigate everything.
3. Go to Plugins → Add New Plugin → Upload Plugin
In the left menu of your WordPress dashboard, click on Plugins. This shows you a list of all plugins currently on your site. At the top of the page, click the button that says “Add New Plugin”. You will then see a new button appear near the top left that says “Upload Plugin” – click that. A box will appear asking you to choose a file.
4. Upload the ZIP file and install the plugin
Click “Choose File” (or “Browse”) in the upload box and find the woo_license_verification.zip file you downloaded in Step 1. Select it, then click “Install Now”. WordPress will upload the file and install the plugin automatically. You will see a progress screen – this usually takes just a few seconds. Do not close the browser window while it is uploading.
5. Activate the plugin
Once the upload finishes, WordPress shows you a success screen with a link that says “Activate Plugin”. Click that link. The plugin is now installed AND active on your website. If you ever need to re-activate it later, go to Plugins → Installed Plugins, find “Woo License Verification” in the list, and click Activate below it.
6. Confirm the plugin is working and find the menu
After activating, look at the left side menu in your WordPress dashboard. You should now see a new item called “License Verification” (or similar). Click on it to open the plugin dashboard. You will see a summary panel showing total licenses, active licenses, plans, and support tickets – all showing zero right now because you have not set anything up yet. That is completely normal and expected at this stage.
7. Create your first license plan
A license plan is a set of rules that controls how a license key works – how long it lasts and how many computers it can be used on. You need at least one plan before you can start selling licensed products. In the left menu, go to License Verification → Plans and click “Add New Plan”. Give your plan a name (for example, “Annual License” or “Lifetime License”), set the duration and max activations, then save it. Full instructions are in License Plans.
8. Assign the plan to a WooCommerce product
Now that you have a plan, you need to attach it to the product your customers will buy. Go to Products in your WordPress dashboard and open (or create) the product you want to sell with a license. In the product data area at the bottom of the page, you will see a tab called “License”. Click that tab, select your plan from the dropdown, and click “Update”(or Publish if it is a new product). Full instructions are in Link Plans to Products.
9. Place a test order and verify everything works
You are now ready to test your setup. The easiest way is to place a test purchase on your own store – use WooCommerce’s built-in “Cash on Delivery” payment method to skip real payment processing. After placing the order, go to License Verification → Licenses in your WordPress admin. You should see a new license key listed there, linked to the test order. You can also check it from the customer side by logging in as the test customer and going to My Account → Licenses. If you see the key there, everything is working perfectly.
What the Plugin Sets Up Automatically
When the plugin activates for the first time, it does several things for you automatically so you do not have to configure them manually:
| What Gets Created | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
Database tables |
The plugin creates its own storage area in your WordPress database to hold plans, license keys, activations, and support tickets. This happens completely in the background – you do not need to do anything. |
Licenses tab in My Account |
Your customers automatically get a new “Licenses” section when they log in to their WooCommerce account. They can see all their license keys there – no setup needed from you. |
Support tab in My Account |
A “Support” section also appears in My Account, allowing customers to open help tickets directly from their account dashboard. |
Sample license plans |
Three example plans are pre-installed to help you understand how plans work: Starter, Professional, and Lifetime. You can use these as-is, edit them, or delete them and create your own. |
Recommended Next Steps
After completing setup, follow this order to get fully running:
- License Plans – Create and customise your license plans
- Link Plans to Products – Attach plans to the products you want to sell
- License Key Generation – Understand exactly when and how keys are generated
- Plugin Settings – Adjust generation settings and configure shortcodes
- REST API – If your software needs to verify licenses automatically, set up the API
Common Problems During Setup
| Problem | What It Means | How to Fix It |
|---|---|---|
Error: “WooCommerce is required” |
WooCommerce is not active on your site |
Install and activate WooCommerce first, then activate this plugin again |
The “Licenses” tab does not appear in My Account |
WordPress permalink settings need refreshing |
Go to Settings → Permalinks and click “Save Changes” – do not need to change anything, just clicking Save is enough |
ZIP file upload fails |
File is too large for your server’s upload limit |
Contact your hosting company and ask them to increase the PHP upload limit to at least 32MB |
No license key generated after test order |
The product does not have a plan assigned |
Edit the product, go to the License tab, select a plan, and update the product |