# How to install xSpeed Cache Pro > Install the Pro add-on beside the free plugin — download the zip from your WPDeveloper account, upload it, then paste your licence key and confirm the emailed code. - Category: Getting Started - Canonical: https://xspeedcache.com/docs/installing-pro/ --- **xSpeed Cache Pro** is a separate plugin that installs beside the free one — which has to stay installed and active, because Pro reads its module registry and settings framework. Pro adds Critical CSS, Unused CSS, WebP and AVIF conversion, real-user monitoring and more — [Free vs Pro](https://xspeedcache.com/docs/free-vs-pro/) lists every module on each side. Two things have to happen before any of it runs: the plugin has to be installed, and its licence key has to be activated. This page covers both. --- ## How to install and activate xSpeed Cache Pro ### Step 1 — Download the Pro zip from your account 1. Sign in to your [WPDeveloper account](https://wpdeveloper.com/account/). If you haven't bought a licence yet, the plans are at [xspeedcache.com/pricing](https://xspeedcache.com/pricing/). 2. Open **Downloads**. 3. Find the **xSpeed Cache Pro** row and click **Download**. The file is named like `xspeed-pro.x.x.x.zip`. 4. **Don't unzip it.** WordPress wants the zip exactly as downloaded. 5. Copy the licence key on the same row — you'll need it in step 5. ![The xSpeed Cache Pro licence in a WPDeveloper account](https://xspeedcache.com/_astro/pro-account-download.Bp_LX3Rw.png) - **A** — Your licence, with its status, expiry date, and how many of its activations you've used. - **B** — **Download**, which gives you the zip. - **C** — The licence key. It's hidden in this screenshot, and worth hiding in yours. ### Step 2 — Upload the zip to your site 1. Go to **Plugins → Add New Plugin**. 2. Click **Upload Plugin** at the top of the page. 3. Click **Choose File** and pick the zip you downloaded. 4. Click **Install Now**. ![The Upload Plugin screen](https://xspeedcache.com/_astro/pro-plugin-upload.DvbclfQ2.png) - **A** — **Choose File** and **Install Now**. The zip goes here, still zipped. ### Step 3 — Activate the plugin 1. When the install finishes, click **Activate Plugin**. 2. Go back to **Plugins → Installed Plugins**. 3. Check that **xSpeed Cache** and **xSpeed Cache Pro** are both listed and active. ![Both plugins active in the plugins list](https://xspeedcache.com/_astro/pro-plugins-active.2PQm5S_V.png) - **A** — **xSpeed Cache**, the free plugin, still active. Pro does nothing without it. - **B** — **xSpeed Cache Pro**, the add-on you just installed. > ⚠️ **Activating the plugin is not the same as activating your licence.** Until a key is entered, Pro modules stay locked exactly as they were before you installed it. That's the next step. --- ## How to activate your licence ### Step 4 — Open the licence panel 1. In your WordPress admin, click **xSpeed Cache** in the left menu. 2. In the xSpeed Cache sidebar, open the **Settings** group. 3. Click the **License** card. 4. Check the status: without a key, the panel reads **Inactive**. ![The licence panel before a key is entered](https://xspeedcache.com/_astro/pro-license-activate.Cxc87ES5.png) - **A** — The status, **Inactive**, with the line *"Paste a key to activate updates + Pro features."* - **B** — The **License key** field and the **Activate** button. ### Step 5 — Paste your key and activate 1. Paste the licence key you copied in step 1 into the **License key** field. 2. Click **Activate**. > 🔒 **The key is a credential.** Anyone who has it can use your seat. Keep it out of screenshots, support tickets and forum posts. ### Step 6 — Confirm the verification code, if you're asked for one Activation can ask you to confirm by email, so a key can't be used on sites you don't own. When it does, the panel swaps to a code field. 1. Open the inbox of the email address on your WPDeveloper account. 2. Find the 6-digit code xSpeed just sent. 3. Type it into the code field. 4. Click **Verify**. If the email hasn't arrived, click **Resend** first. ![The email verification step](https://xspeedcache.com/_astro/pro-license-code.8bqJ8mM-.png) - **A** — The notice: *"Check your email for the verification code."* - **B** — The code field, with **Verify** and **Resend**. ### Step 7 — Check that it worked 1. Confirm the panel now reads **Active**. 2. Check the **Expires** date is the one you expect. 3. Look at the bottom of the sidebar — it should read **Pro Licensed**. ![An active licence](https://xspeedcache.com/_astro/pro-license-active.A2LwVbuz.png) - **A** — **Active**, with *"Receiving updates + Pro features from store.wpdeveloper.com."* Those are the two things the licence buys: the modules work, and updates arrive. - **B** — The key, masked to its first and last four characters (blurred entirely here), and the date your entitlement ends. If the licence won't activate, the panel states the reason inline — an expired or already-used key, or a server it couldn't reach. [Help & Support](https://xspeedcache.com/docs/help-support/) opens a ticket with your system report already attached. --- ## Related - [How to install and activate xSpeed](https://xspeedcache.com/docs/installing/) - [How to activate your licence](https://xspeedcache.com/docs/license/) - [Free vs Pro — what's included](https://xspeedcache.com/docs/free-vs-pro/) - [How to run the setup wizard](https://xspeedcache.com/docs/setup-wizard/)