Have you encountered the frustrating WordPress error message,”Incompatible Archive” while trying to install a theme or plugin on your WordPress site? Don’t panic! This common error can be easily resolved with a few simple methods.
Understanding the Error:
This error typically occurs when WordPress is unable to properly recognize the format of the uploaded archive (usually a ZIP file). This can happen due to various reasons, including:
- Corrupted ZIP file: The downloaded file itself might be damaged.
- Incompatibility with WordPress version: Certain themes or plugins might not be compatible with your current WordPress version.
- Server-side issues: In rare cases, server configuration issues might hinder the upload process.
Steps to Fix the Error:
To fix the WordPress error “Incompatible Archive,” follow these steps based on the search results:
- For Windows Users:
Extract the zip file you are trying to upload and recompress it.
Right-click on the file, select “Compress,” and then upload the newly compressed file - For Mac Users:
Move the zip file to your user directory.
Extract the file and then use a tool like Keka or the command line to recompress it before uploading - Use an FTP Client:
If other methods fail, consider using an FTP client to manually upload the theme or plugin files to your server. - Temporary Plugin Solution:
Install a plugin that forces WordPress to use PclZip instead of ZipArchive to bypass the issue temporarily. - Implement a Fallback to PclZip: If ZipArchive::open() fails, you can implement a fallback solution in custom code. Use the code snippet add_filter(‘unzip_file_use_ziparchive’, ‘__return_false’); to force WordPress to use PclZip instead.
Command code
Open up terminal (command + space to open search and type terminal)
Changing out “example_plugin” with the plugin folder name, paste the command below into the terminal.
zip -vr example-plugin.zip custom_plugin/
By following these steps, you can resolve the “Incompatible Archive” error in WordPress and continue with your website development smoothly.