Missing one or more recommended modules: How to fix in WordPress

If you've logged into the "Site Health" section of your WordPress dashboard and you've come across the notice. "One or more recommended modules are missing."Is my website broken? Will it affect my visitors? Take a deep breath: the solution is usually very simple and in this guide we will take you step by step to leave your step by step to leave your WordPress in perfect condition.

Table of Contents

What is this notice and why does it appear?

Since version 5.2, WordPress includes a very useful tool called Site Health (you can find it in the menu Tools → Site Health). Its function is to analyze the configuration of your website and server to detect possible performance or security problems.

The warning "One or more recommended modules are missing" is one of your checks. This is not a critical critical error that will break your website, but rather a recommendation for improvement.

But what are these "modules"? WordPress is built with the PHP programming language. This language can be extended with "extensions" or "modules" that add new functionality. WordPress and many popular plugins use them to perform specific tasks more efficiently. If one is missing, WordPress lets you know so you can activate them to ensure maximum compatibility and performance.

How to fix the error step by step (cPanel / DirectAdmin)

The vast majority of hosting companies that offer cPanel or DirectAdmin as a control panel allow you to manage PHP extensions yourself in a very visual way. manage PHP extensions yourself in a very visual way. The process is almost identical in both.

1. Access your control panel: Log into your cPanel or DirectAdmin.
2. Search for "PHP Selector": In the "Software" section, look for an option called "Select PHP Version"PHP Selector" or similar. The icon is usually an elephant (PHP's logo) or the PHP logo) or the acronym "PHP".
3. Go to the "Extensions" tab: Once inside, you will see the version of PHP you are using. using. Make sure you're on the correct tab, which is usually called "Extensions" or "Modules".
4. Activate the missing modules: You will see a long list of modules with checkboxes. checkboxes. Simply look for the names that the WordPress Site Health warning tells you about (for example, imagick o intl) and check their boxes.
5. Save the changes: This is usually not necessary, as the changes are saved instantly. Go back to your WordPress, reload the Site Health page and the warning should be gone!

Can't find the option? Contact your hosting

Some hosting providers, especially the more managed ones or those using proprietary control panels, may not give direct access to this tool. control panels, may not provide direct access to this tool. If you can't find the PHP Selector, don't worry. don't worry.

Recommended PHP modules: What is each one used for?

To help you better understand what you're activating, here's a breakdown of the modules that WordPress typically recommend, sorted by the likelihood that you'll see the warning about them.

1. imagick

This is by far the most frequently missing module. imagick is a very powerful image processing powerful image processing library. WordPress uses it to generate the different sized versions of the images you upload. the images you upload. Although WordPress has an alternative (the GD library), imagick offers a higher quality compression and generates sharper and lighter images. If you have a website with a lot of images, such as a photography blog or an online store, activate imagick is almost mandatory for better quality and loading speed. It is also necessary to generate previews of PDF files in the media library.

2. intl

The second in the list of the most common. The extension intl (Internationalization) is crucial for multilingual websites or websites that target an international audience. It takes care of formatting correctly format dates, times, numbers and currencies according to the local conventions of each language or country. Without without it, a multilingual or e-commerce plugin might not display prices or dates in the format your users expect. your users expect.

3. curl

Essential for today's connected world. curl allows your WordPress to communicate with other servers. Virtually any plugin or theme that connects to an external service (an API, social networks, payment gateways, email marketing systems, etc.) needs it. payment gateways, email marketing systems, etc.) needs it. It is very rare that it is deactivated in a good hosting, but if it is missing, many functionalities of your plugins will stop working.

4. dom

The module dom (Document Object Model) is used to read and manipulate XML and HTML files. WordPress uses it internally for tasks such as validating Text Widget content or for automatically configuring IIS7+ web servers. automatically configuring IIS7+ web servers. Many page building plugins that modify the content of your pages also rely on it. content of your pages also depend on it.

5. mbstring

mbstring (Multi-Byte String) is essential to correctly handle special characters, accents, and non-Latin alphabets (such as Cyrillic or Chinese). In short, it is indispensable for text in UTF-8 format, the web standard, is displayed without problems. If your website is in Spanish and you use "ñ or accents, you need mbstring.

Other important modules

• fileinfo: Allows WordPress to detect the actual file type that is being uploaded (e.g., to make sure that a file is uploading (for example, to make sure that a .jpg is actually an image and not a renamed malicious script). Improved security.
• exif: Used to read EXIF metadata embedded in images, such as date of capture, camera model or exposure settings. date of capture, camera model or exposure settings. Very useful for photo blogs. blogs.
• zip: Absolutely necessary to unzip .zip packages. Without it, you would not be able to install or update the WordPress core, plugins or themes.
• json: Used for communication with APIs and data processing in JSON format. JSON format. It is so fundamental that since PHP 8.0 it is integrated by default.
• openssl: Manages secure connections (SSL/TLS). Essential for your your website works over HTTPS and communicates securely with other services.

Optional Cache Modules

At times, Site Health may recommend cache modules such as apcu, memcached u opcache. These systems store in memory the results of frequent operations, reducing the server load and greatly speeding up the web. They are not strictly necessary, but they are highly recommended in sites with a lot of traffic.

Conclusion: A healthy WordPress is a happy WordPress

As you have seen, the notice "One or more recommended modules are missing in WordPress." is more of an opportunity for improvement rather than a serious problem. Fixing it usually takes less than five minutes and the benefits are clear: improved performance, better security and maximum compatibility with the huge ecosystem of plugins and are clear: better performance, better security and maximum compatibility with WordPress' huge ecosystem of plugins and themes. WordPress themes.

So the next time you see a recommendation on Site Health, don't panic. Thank WordPress for taking care of your WordPress for taking care of your website and follow the steps to get it up to speed. Your website and your visitors will thank you! will thank you!