Most QGIS plugins are installed from the official Plugin repository and this is the process covered here. To install a plugin from the QGIS plugin repository go to the Plugins menu and chose “Manage and Install Plugins”
![](https://usercontent.one/wp/www.geoinformatics.online/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image.png?media=1660852834)
This will open the plugin manager
![](https://usercontent.one/wp/www.geoinformatics.online/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image-2-1024x611.png?media=1660852834)
The plugin manager has 5 sections
- Tasks: Here the typical choices are All (Show all plugins), installed (show all installed plugins), and useful for removing a plugin. Not installed (show all installed plugins) useful for installing a plugin. Upgradable (shows all plugins that can be updated)
- Search: locate plugins by words in name or description
- List: List of (filtered) plugins. Click the plugin in this list to see its info
- Info area: Shows general information about the plugin
- Actions: What to do with the selected plugin.
Use example: Install the “Data Plotly” plugin
In the search field type “plot”, this will find all plugins where the word is in or part of a word in the plugin description.
![](https://usercontent.one/wp/www.geoinformatics.online/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image-3-1024x604.png?media=1660852834)
Select the plugin “Data Plotly” from the list of plugins and click “Install Plugin”
![](https://usercontent.one/wp/www.geoinformatics.online/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image-4.png?media=1660852834)
Hiding/unhiding installed plugins including the Processing menu
I problem I often comm across is that the processing menu is missing from QGIS and the typical reason is that the prossesing is a plugin that (by accident) can be hidden. To hide and unhide plugins go to the installed tab of the plugin manager
![](https://usercontent.one/wp/www.geoinformatics.online/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/image-4.png?media=1674039083)
Here you can hide plugins by removing the little tick mark in front of a plug-in or unhiding it by adding the little tick mark.