Create named profiles to quickly switch between different sets of active plugins per user session.

Tikweb Management

Fast User Switching

Fast user switching between users and roles directly from the admin bar - switch from a list or search for users/roles by id, username, email, etc.

azurecurve

azurecurve Theme Switcher

Allows users to easily switch themes (ideal for allowing light/dark mode). Forked from original Theme Switcher in order to bring code up to current s …

David Towoju

<p>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.</p>
<p>This is ideal for:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Development and testing</strong> – Quickly switch between different configurations without activating/deactivating plugins one by one.</li>
<li><strong>Troubleshooting</strong> – Isolate conflicts by creating minimal profiles.</li>
<li><strong>Performance testing</strong> – Compare site performance with different plugin sets.</li>
</ul>
<h4>How It Works</h4>
<p>Extension Profiles uses a Must-Use (MU) plugin that intercepts the active plugins list before WordPress loads them. This approach:</p>
<ul>
<li>Never actually deactivates plugins in the database.</li>
<li>Only affects the current user’s session (via a secure cookie).</li>
<li>Has zero overhead when no profile is active.</li>
<li>Preserves all plugin settings and data.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Features</h4>
<ul>
<li><strong>Taxonomy-style admin page</strong> – Familiar interface for creating and managing profiles under the Plugins menu.</li>
<li><strong>Admin bar switcher</strong> – Quickly activate or deactivate profiles from the WordPress admin bar.</li>
<li><strong>Dependency support</strong> – Automatically includes required plugins when WordPress 6.5+ “Requires Plugins” headers are present.</li>
<li><strong>Per-session isolation</strong> – Each user can activate their own profile independently.</li>
<li><strong>Plugins page notice</strong> – Clear warning banner on the Plugins page when a profile is active.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Requirements</h4>
<ul>
<li>WordPress 6.5 or higher (for dependency resolution).</li>
<li>PHP 7.4 or higher.</li>
<li>Write access to the <code>wp-content/mu-plugins/</code> directory.</li>
</ul>


Alternatives to Extension Profiles

Top alternatives