Extension Profiles lets WordPress administrators create named “profiles” that define which plugins should be active. When a profile is activated, only the plugins in that profile are loaded for your session. Other plugins are filtered out without actually being deactivated in the database.
This is ideal for:
- Development and testing – Quickly switch between different configurations without activating/deactivating plugins one by one.
- Troubleshooting – Isolate conflicts by creating minimal profiles.
- Performance testing – Compare site performance with different plugin sets.
How It Works
Extension Profiles uses a Must-Use (MU) plugin that intercepts the active plugins list before WordPress loads them. This approach:
- Never actually deactivates plugins in the database.
- Only affects the current user’s session (via a secure cookie).
- Has zero overhead when no profile is active.
- Preserves all plugin settings and data.
Features
- Taxonomy-style admin page – Familiar interface for creating and managing profiles under the Plugins menu.
- Admin bar switcher – Quickly activate or deactivate profiles from the WordPress admin bar.
- Dependency support – Automatically includes required plugins when WordPress 6.5+ “Requires Plugins” headers are present.
- Per-session isolation – Each user can activate their own profile independently.
- Plugins page notice – Clear warning banner on the Plugins page when a profile is active.
Requirements
- WordPress 6.5 or higher (for dependency resolution).
- PHP 7.4 or higher.
- Write access to the
wp-content/mu-plugins/directory.
