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Resolving 'Module Not Installed or Disabled' Warnings in Health Check

21 threads Sep 16, 2025 Plugin → Health check & troubleshooting

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If you use the Health Check & Troubleshooting plugin, you may have encountered a confusing warning stating that a PHP module like imagick, mcrypt, or zip is "not installed, or has been disabled." This is a common point of confusion for many WordPress users. This guide will explain why these messages appear and how to resolve them.

Why Do These Warnings Appear?

The plugin performs checks based on recommendations from the WordPress hosting community. Its goal is to help you configure your server for optimal WordPress performance and compatibility. However, these checks can sometimes be outdated or report false positives due to several reasons:

  • Outdated Plugin Checks: Older versions of the plugin contained checks for deprecated modules like mcrypt, which was removed in PHP 7.2. These have since been fixed in updates.
  • PHP Version Changes: When you upgrade your PHP version (e.g., from 7.2 to 7.3 or 8.0), you often need to re-enable extensions for the new specific PHP version. An extension enabled for PHP 7.2 will not automatically be enabled for PHP 7.3.
  • Incorrect Severity: Some modules, like imagick, are optional for WordPress, which can use the GD library instead. Earlier plugin versions incorrectly flagged the missing imagick module as a "critical issue" instead of a recommendation.
  • Core Limitations: The method the plugin uses to detect enabled modules can sometimes fail to read local PHP configuration values from files like .user.ini, showing only the master values from the main php.ini.

How to Troubleshoot and Fix the Warnings

Here are the most common solutions, starting with the simplest.

1. Update the Plugin

First, ensure you are running the latest version of the Health Check & Troubleshooting plugin. The development team has fixed many of these inaccurate warnings over time, including typos and deprecated checks for modules like mcrypt.

2. Enable the Extension in Your Hosting Control Panel (cPanel, Plesk, etc.)

For most users, this is the easiest solution. If your host provides a control panel like cPanel:

  1. Log in to your hosting control panel.
  2. Find the PHP configuration section, often called "Select PHP Version" or "PHP Extensions."
  3. Locate the module mentioned in the warning (e.g., imagick, zip).
  4. Ensure the checkbox next to it is ticked to enable it.
  5. Save your changes.

Important: If you recently changed your PHP version, you must complete this step again for the new version. Enabling an extension for PHP 7.2 does not enable it for PHP 7.3 or 8.0.

3. Contact Your Web Host

If you do not have access to your server's control panel or are unsure how to proceed, your best course of action is to contact your web hosting provider's support team. You can send them the exact warning message from the Health Check page, and they can enable the requested module on the server for you.

4. Understand the Module's Importance

Not all warnings are created equal. It's helpful to know what a module does:

  • Imagick (Optional): An image processing library. WordPress can function perfectly without it by using the GD library instead. You can often safely ignore a missing imagick warning unless you use a theme or plugin that specifically requires it.
  • Zip (Recommended): Allows WordPress to handle compressed .zip files, which is crucial for updating themes, plugins, and WordPress itself. It is highly recommended to have this enabled.
  • Mcrypt (Deprecated): This module is deprecated and removed in modern PHP versions. If you see a warning for mcrypt, you are likely running an old version of the Health Check plugin. Updating the plugin should resolve this false warning.

When the Warning Might Be Incorrect

In some cases, the Health Check plugin might report a module as missing even when it is enabled. This can happen if the plugin cannot read the local PHP configuration. If you are certain a module is enabled (perhaps by checking with your host), but the warning persists, it is likely a false positive that a future plugin update may resolve. You can safely ignore it if your site is functioning normally.

By following these steps, you should be able to either resolve the warnings or understand which ones you can safely disregard, helping you maintain a healthy and well-performing WordPress site.

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