Switchboard DOCS
Docs
Get Started Get Lifetime Deal

Active Plugins First

Automatically sort your plugins list so active plugins appear at the top, separated from inactive ones. No more scrolling through dozens of deactivated plugins to find what’s actually running on your site.

Use Cases

  • Quickly locate active plugins in a multisite network with dozens of installed plugins
  • Instantly see which plugins are running versus archived test plugins you keep for reference
  • Easily distinguish production plugins from experimental ones during development

How It Works

  1. Enable the module in Switchboard
  2. Visit Plugins → Installed Plugins
  3. Active plugins automatically appear at the top of the list
  4. Inactive plugins are grouped below

The sorting happens automatically every time you view the plugins page—no manual reordering required.

Settings

This module has no configuration options. Simply enable it to activate the automatic sorting.

Before & After

Before (Default WordPress)

Plugins listed alphabetically regardless of status:

  • Advanced Custom Fields (Active)
  • Akismet (Inactive)
  • Classic Editor (Inactive)
  • Contact Form 7 (Active)
  • WooCommerce (Active)
  • Yoast SEO (Inactive)

After (With Active Plugins First)

Active plugins grouped at top:

  • Advanced Custom Fields (Active)
  • Contact Form 7 (Active)
  • WooCommerce (Active)
  • — Inactive plugins below —
  • Akismet (Inactive)
  • Classic Editor (Inactive)
  • Yoast SEO (Inactive)

Verification

After enabling this module:

  1. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins
  2. Verify all active plugins appear at the top
  3. Scroll down to confirm inactive plugins are grouped below
  4. The standard filter tabs (All, Active, Inactive) still work normally

FAQ

Does this affect the filter tabs?No. The All, Active, Inactive, and other filter tabs work exactly as before. This module only changes the default sort order on the “All” view.
Will new plugins I install appear at the top?Newly installed plugins are inactive by default, so they’ll appear in the inactive section. Once you activate them, they’ll move to the top automatically.
Does this work with multisite?Yes. Each site in a multisite network will show its own active plugins at the top. Network-activated plugins are handled according to WordPress multisite standards.
Can I still search for plugins?Yes, the search functionality is unchanged. Search results will still be sorted with active plugins first.

This module is especially useful on development sites where you might have many inactive plugins installed for testing purposes.

Why This Matters

On sites with 20+ plugins installed, finding active plugins becomes tedious. Common scenarios:

  • Agency sites often keep client-requested plugins installed but inactive
  • Development environments accumulate test plugins over time
  • Multisite networks may have dozens of available plugins per site

With this module, you always see what’s actually running first.

PRO

Get access to all 147 modules with a single license

Upgrade to Pro
Prev
User Role Body Classes
Next
Simple Forms