How do I activate the Akismet plugin?

Activate Akismet

If you already have the Akismet plugin installed and activated on your WordPress site, you can skip to  step #5 .

You can activate Akismet in your blog’s WordPress dashboard by following these steps.

  1. First, get the Akismet plugin by going to  Plugins -> Add New :
  1. Type in  Akismet  in the search box and hit enter/return:
  1. Typically, the first search result is correct. Make sure the plugin’s author is Automattic and click on Install Now .
  2. Wait for the installation to finish, then click on the blue Activate  button.
  3. After the plugin has been activated, go to Settings -> Akismet Anti‑Spam

If you have Jetpack installed, you’ll find the Akismet menu under Jetpack -> Akismet Anti‑Spam  instead:

  1. If you already have an API key, click the Manually enter an API key section link and enter your API key.

If you don’t already have an API key, then click on the Set up your Akismet Account button, and you’ll be guided through the process of getting one in a new window.

  1. If you have Jetpack installed and have a paid plan that includes an Akismet key, click on the Connect with Jetpack  button:
  1. If you’re connected with Jetpack, but would like to use a different API key, feel free to click the Manually enter an API key link and enter your API key.
  2. If you are using Akismet to protect a contact form from spam submissions, please make sure that the contact form you are using is compatible and configured .

Adjust Akismet settings

Once the plugin is activated, there are some options you can adjust in Settings.

Go to WP Admin > Plugins > Akismet Antispam > Settings . You can change the following:

  • Comments : Show the number of approved comments besides each comment author
  • Spam filtering : Silently discard the worst spam, or send everything to the Spam folder for manual review
  • Privacy : Choose to display or not display a privacy notice underneath your comment forms, indicating that you are using Akismet.
Akismet settings showing options for Comments, Spam filtering, and Privacy

And that’s it. If you’d like to test Akismet and confirm it is working, see this guide for steps .

If you run into any troubles activating the service, feel free to get in touch .