xSpeed Cache
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Installing and Activating xSpeed Cache

2 min read

This guide walks you through installing xSpeed Cache, activating it, and what happens the moment you do. The whole process takes a couple of minutes.

Requirements

  • WordPress 6.0 or later
  • PHP 7.4 or later
  • An administrator account (so you can install plugins and change settings)

Install from the WordPress plugin directory

This is the easiest way for most sites.

  1. In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Add New.
  2. Search for xSpeed Cache.
  3. Click Install Now on the xSpeed Cache plugin.
  4. When the button changes, click Activate.

Install from a ZIP file

Use this if you downloaded the plugin as a .zip file.

  1. Go to Plugins → Add New.
  2. Click Upload Plugin at the top of the page.
  3. Choose the xSpeed Cache .zip file and click Install Now.
  4. Click Activate once the upload finishes.

What happens when you activate

xSpeed Cache sets up a few things on activation, but it stays conservative. It does not turn on caching by itself.

Here is what activation does:

  • Creates the cache directory under wp-content/cache/xspeed and writes a index.php silence file into it.
  • Sets the default settings for every module.
  • Flags a one-time redirect so the next admin page you load opens the setup wizard.

Important: Activation does not install the cache drop-in, edit wp-config.php, or start caching. xSpeed Cache only installs the drop-in and turns on caching when you explicitly enable it, either in the setup wizard or from the dashboard. This is by design.

If you activate xSpeed Cache across many sites at once (a bulk activation), the setup wizard redirect is skipped so it doesn’t interrupt the batch.

After activation

The first time you open an admin page after activating, xSpeed Cache sends you to its setup wizard. The wizard checks your environment, lets you pick which optimizations to turn on, and applies them in one step.

If you don’t want to run the wizard right away, you can reach the dashboard any time from xSpeed Cache in your admin sidebar. You can also re-run the wizard later from xSpeed Cache → Setup Wizard.

Troubleshooting

The setup wizard didn’t open after activation. The redirect only fires once, and it is skipped for bulk activations and for AJAX, REST, or cron requests. Open the wizard manually from xSpeed Cache → Setup Wizard.

I activated it but my site isn’t cached yet. That’s expected. Caching is off until you turn it on. Finish the setup wizard, or open the xSpeed Cache dashboard and enable the cache from the Cache panel.

  • What is xSpeed Cache?
  • The Setup Wizard
  • A Tour of the xSpeed Cache Dashboard