⏲️ Estimated reading time: 4 min
Fix WordPress Imagick Module Not Installed or Has Been Missing Or Disabled
Are you seeing the error “Imagick module not installed or has been disabled” on your WordPress site? Don’t panic! This complete guide helps you resolve it on shared hosting, VPS, or cPanel in just a few steps.
🧩 What Is the Imagick Module in WordPress?
Imagick is a powerful PHP extension that helps WordPress handle images more effectively than the default GD library. It enables better resizing, cropping, image compression, and supports more file formats like TIFF and SVG. If it’s missing or disabled, WordPress either reverts to GD or throws errors during image uploads or in Site Health checks.

🔎 Why Imagick Is Important for WordPress
Using Imagick ensures your website:
- Processes images with higher quality
- Handles multiple image formats
- Reduces image sizes through better compression
- Manages resources more efficiently
- Avoids common image upload errors
Without it, your media processing could be slow, image quality may drop, and WordPress might flag issues in Site Health.

🛠 Step 1: Confirm if Imagick is Missing
✅ Use Site Health Tool
- In your WordPress dashboard, go to Tools > Site Health
- Under the Info tab, expand the Server section
- Look for “imagick” under PHP Modules
✅ Use a Custom PHP Info File
- Create a file named
phpinfo.php
in your website’s root directory - Add this code inside:
<?php phpinfo(); ?>
- Open your browser and go to:
https://yourdomain.com/phpinfo.php
- Use
CTRL+F
to search for “imagick”
If you don’t see it, the module is not active.
💡 Step 2: Fix on Shared Hosting (via cPanel)
Most shared hosts (like Bluehost, Hostinger, or SiteGround) allow you to toggle PHP extensions.
🔧 Enable Imagick in cPanel
- Log in to cPanel
- Click Select PHP Version or PHP Extensions
- Look for imagick and enable it
- Save and refresh your WordPress site
Tip: If it’s missing, contact support with this message:
“Please enable the Imagick PHP extension for my WordPress site.”
⚙️ Step 3: Fix on VPS or Dedicated Server (via SSH)
If you’re running a VPS or dedicated server, install Imagick using your OS package manager.
📦 For Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install php-imagick
sudo systemctl restart apache2
📦 For CentOS / AlmaLinux
sudo yum install php-pecl-imagick
sudo systemctl restart httpd
Restart PHP-FPM if your server uses it:
sudo systemctl restart php-fpm
For PHP 8.2 (example):
sudo apt-get install php8.2-imagick
📁 Step 4: Enable Imagick via php.ini
Imagick might be installed but disabled in the PHP configuration.
- Locate your
php.ini
file (check it using phpinfo.php) - Find or add the line:
extension=imagick
- Save the file
- Restart Apache or PHP-FPM:
sudo systemctl restart apache2
or
sudo systemctl restart php-fpm
🔄 Step 5: Restart Your Services
Depending on your setup:
- Apache:
sudo systemctl restart apache2
- NGINX + PHP-FPM:
sudo systemctl restart php-fpm && sudo systemctl restart nginx
Then, recheck Site Health to confirm the error is resolved.
🧪 Step 6: Test If Imagick Works
Use this PHP snippet in a plugin or theme file to confirm:
if (extension_loaded('imagick')) {
echo "Imagick is active.";
} else {
echo "Imagick is NOT active.";
}
Alternatively, upload a high-resolution image and compare performance and size. Imagick generally produces smaller, higher-quality results.
🚫 Optional: Force WordPress to Use GD (if Imagick is Unavailable)
If Imagick is not an option, you can prioritize GD manually:
add_filter('wp_image_editors', function($editors) {
return ['WP_Image_Editor_GD', 'WP_Image_Editor_Imagick'];
});
Place this code inside your theme’s functions.php
.
🤔 Common Reasons Imagick Gets Missing Or Disabled
Even if supported, Imagick might be off due to:
- Host-imposed memory limitations
- PHP version conflicts
- Incompatible extensions
- Disabled by default in some environments
Always reach out to hosting support if you’re stuck.
📈 Final Thoughts
The “Imagick module not installed or has been disabled” error can be intimidating but it’s usually an easy fix. Whether you’re on shared hosting or a VPS, you now have step-by-step instructions to bring back full image functionality in WordPress.
Activating Imagick means:
- Sharper images
- Faster image uploads
- Better overall WordPress performance
Make sure to revisit Site Health after fixing the issue to confirm it’s resolved!
📩 Do you have questions or suggestions? Leave a comment or contact us!
🏷️ Tags: WordPress, Imagick, PHP Extensions, Shared Hosting, VPS Server, Image Optimization, cPanel, Site Health, GD Library, WordPress Fix
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