Install and manage modules

Modules are bundles of code that provide specific features and capabilities to your site, without you writing any code. This page shows how to install the modules included with Drupal CMS, find contributed modules on Drupal.org, and uninstall what you no longer need.

Goal

New features turned on by installing modules through the Extend area, and modules whose features you no longer need uninstalled cleanly.

Prerequisites

• A running Drupal CMS site, from the launcher or DDEV.
• An administrator account.

Steps

The Extend area lists both modules and recipes. A module is a package of code that integrates with Drupal’s APIs to add or change features: the Views module enables advanced content querying and display, the Webform module creates forms for user submissions, and the Pathauto module generates URL aliases automatically. A recipe assembles existing modules and configuration into a preconfigured solution; the recommended add-ons in Drupal CMS are recipes, and the recipes page in the developer docs explains the format. Project is the generic term for any package hosted on Drupal.org: a module, a theme, or a recipe. For fully custom features, developers can author their own modules.

Install an included module

1. Go to Extend/admin/modules. The page lists the modules already included in your Drupal CMS site, each with a checkbox and a description of what it does. Modules that are already installed appear checked.
2. Find the modules you want to enable and check the corresponding checkboxes.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Install.

A success message confirms the installation and, for some modules, links to pages where you configure the new features.

Find and install contributed modules

Thousands of contributed modules on Drupal.org customize your site further. If you want to integrate a third-party service or add a feature, chances are high an existing solution gets you started. Use the built-in project browser to find one:

1. Go to Extend/admin/modules.
2. Select the Browse link.
3. Use the search tools and filters to locate the module or recipe you want to install.
4. Select Install for each module you want.

Evaluate a module before installing it

Contributed modules are maintained by the Drupal community on Drupal.org. Each project name on the Browse projects page links to its project page on Drupal.org, which includes an extended description, release information, an issue queue for support and bug reports, and links to available documentation. The Drupal User Guide’s Finding Modules tutorial covers using that information to evaluate a module.

Uninstall a module

Uninstall modules whose features you no longer need.

Caution

Uninstalling a module can be destructive. Most modules warn you about the changes they make, but back up your site before uninstalling.

1. Go to Extend → Uninstall/admin/modules/uninstall, which lists the modules that are ready to be uninstalled.
2. Check the boxes for the modules you are uninstalling and select Uninstall at the bottom of the page.
3. A confirmation page lists the configuration the uninstall deletes, such as fields and views the module provided. Select Uninstall to confirm.

A message confirms the modules were uninstalled.

Verify

• After installing: the module’s checkbox on Extend/admin/modules is checked, and the success message appeared.
• After uninstalling: the module no longer appears on the Extend → Uninstall list, and its checkbox on Extend is cleared.

Variations

• Install a preconfigured feature instead: recommended add-ons install modules and apply best-practice settings in one step.

Related

• Add features with recommended add-ons
• Recipes in the developer docs.
• Drupal User Guide on Drupal.org: Concept: Modules, Installing a Module, and Uninstalling Unused Modules.