Every WordPress plugin starts with a header comment that tells WordPress its name, version, author and requirements. Fill in the form, and the tool builds a correctly formatted header for your main plugin file. Copy it or download it as a PHP file.

Plugin Header Generator

Generate a valid WordPress plugin header comment with every standard field, ready for your main plugin file.

Input Section

Plugin Name (required)

Plugin URI

Description

Version

Requires at least (WordPress)

Requires PHP

Author

Author URI

License

License URI

Text Domain

Domain Path

Update URI

Requires Plugins

Network: true (network-only plugin) Add ABSPATH security check Add a version constant

Result Section

Insights / Tips

WordPress only needs Plugin Name, but Description, Version and Author make the plugin easier to manage.
Keep the Text Domain the same as your plugin folder name so translations load correctly.
Use Requires at least and Requires PHP so WordPress blocks installs on unsupported sites.

Internal Links

Settings Page Generator Shortcode Builder Hook and Filter Generator

Fields supported

Plugin Name: the only required field. It is the name shown on the Plugins screen.
Plugin URI and Description: the plugin’s home page and a short summary.
Version: the current version, for example 1.0.0.
Requires at least and Requires PHP: the minimum WordPress and PHP versions, so WordPress can block installs on unsupported sites.
Author and Author URI: who made the plugin and where to find them.
License and License URI: for example GPL-2.0-or-later.
Text Domain and Domain Path: used for translations. The text domain is filled in from your plugin name if you leave it empty.
Update URI: for plugins that are updated from outside WordPress.org.
Requires Plugins: other plugins that must be active first, such as woocommerce.
Network: mark a plugin as network-only for multisite.

You can also add an ABSPATH security check and a version constant to the output.

How to use the plugin header generator

Enter your plugin name and fill in any other fields you need.
Click Generate Plugin Header.
Click Copy Output, or Download PHP File to get a file named after your plugin.
Save it in wp-content/plugins/your-plugin/ and add your plugin code below the header.
Go to Plugins in your dashboard and activate it.

Tips for a good plugin header

Keep the Text Domain the same as your plugin folder name so translations load correctly.
Update the Version each time you release a change.
Write a short, clear description. It appears in the plugin list and search results.
Keep the header at the top of the file, directly after the opening PHP tag.

Frequently asked questions

Which plugin header fields are required?

Only Plugin Name. The other fields are optional, but Description, Version and Author are strongly recommended.

Where does the plugin header go?

At the top of your main plugin file, which is the PHP file in the plugin folder that contains the header comment.

What is a text domain?

It is a unique identifier WordPress uses to load translations for your plugin. It should match your plugin slug.

What does Requires Plugins do?

It tells WordPress that your plugin depends on other plugins. WordPress can then show a notice if they are missing. List plugin slugs separated by commas.

What is the Update URI field for?

It is used when your plugin is not hosted on WordPress.org, so WordPress does not offer updates from a plugin with the same name there.

Do I need the ABSPATH check?

It is recommended. It stops the file from running if someone opens it directly in a browser.