.. _doc_installing_plugins: Installing plugins ================== Godot features an editor plugin system with numerous plugins developed by the community. Plugins can extend the editor's functionality with new nodes, additional docks, convenience features, and more. Finding plugins ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The preferred way to find Godot plugins is to use the `Asset Library `_. While it can be browsed online, it's more convenient to use it directly from the editor. To do so, click the **AssetLib** tab at the top of the editor: .. image:: img/installing_plugins_assetlib_tab.webp You can also find assets on code hosting websites such as GitHub. .. note:: Some repositories describe themselves as "plugins" but may not actually be *editor* plugins. This is especially the case for scripts that are intended to be used in a running project. You don't need to enable such plugins to use them. Download them and extract the files in your project folder. One way to distinguish editor plugins from non-editor plugins is to look for a ``plugin.cfg`` file in the repository that hosts the plugin. If the repository contains a ``plugin.cfg`` file in a folder placed in the ``addons/`` folder, then it is an editor plugin. Installing a plugin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To install a plugin, download it as a ZIP archive. On the Asset Library, this can be done using the **Download** button, either from the editor or using the Web interface. On GitHub, if a plugin has *tags* (versions) declared, go to the **Releases** tab to download a stable release. This ensures you download a version that was declared to be stable by its author. On GitHub, if the plugin doesn't have any *tags* declared, use the **Download ZIP** button to download a ZIP of the latest revision: .. image:: img/installing_plugins_github_download_zip.png Extract the ZIP archive and move the ``addons/`` folder it contains into your project folder. If your project already contains an ``addons/`` folder, move the plugin's ``addons/`` folder into your project folder to merge the new folder contents with the existing one. Your file manager may ask you whether to write into the folder; answer **Yes**. No files will be overwritten in the process. Enabling a plugin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To enable the freshly installed plugin, open **Project > Project Settings** at the top of the editor then go the **Plugins** tab. If the plugin was packaged correctly, you should see it in the list of plugins. Click on the **Enable** checkbox to enable the plugin. .. image:: img/installing_plugins_project_settings.webp You can use the plugin immediately after enabling it; there's no need to restart the editor. Likewise, disabling a plugin can be done without having to restart the editor.