Description
At a glance
WP Extended Search v2.2.1 is a free WordPress plugin with 20K+ active installs, 4.9/5 rating from 72 reviews, updated December 7, 2025, requires WordPress 4.9+ & PHP 7.0+. Download the latest GPL version below — free, with live demo included.
WP Extended Search is a lightweight and powerful search plugin.
With this plugin you can customize WordPress search to search in Post Meta, Author names, Categories, Tags, or Custom Taxonomies via admin settings. You can control the default behavior of WordPress to search in the post title, post content, and post excerpt.
Apart from customizing default search behavior, you can create multiple search settings, and then you can assign these settings to custom search forms.
For custom search forms, you have the option to choose from a widget, shortcode, PHP function, or HTML.
Features
- Search in selected meta keys
- Search in category, tags or custom taxonomies
- Search in the post author name
- Include or exclude any public post type
- Control whether to search in title or content or excerpt or all
- Compatible with WooCommerce. Search in product SKU, Attributes, variations, and custom fields, etc.
- Create unlimited search settings to use with custom search forms.
- Add search forms using a widget, shortcode or PHP function. Also works with custom searchform.php
- Exclude old content from search results (Older than admin specified date)
- Customize the number of posts to display on the search results page
- Customize SQL relation (AND/OR) between search terms
- Customize order of search results
- Control whether to match search query exactly or partially
- Limit attachment results by mime type e.g. display only pdf files in search results.
- Translation ready
- Compatible with WPML
Links
Frequently asked questions
What is WP Extended Search?
WP Extended Search is a free WordPress plugin available under the GPL license. The current version is 2.2.1. It is active on over 20K websites.
Is WP Extended Search free to download?
Yes — WP Extended Search 2.2.1 is a free GPL download with no hidden fees, no account needed, and no feature locked behind a paywall in this package. Users rate it 4.9 out of 5 based on 72 reviews.
How do I install WP Extended Search 2.2.1?
Download the ZIP file from this page, then in your WordPress dashboard go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin, choose the file, click Install Now, then Activate. The plugin works immediately after activation — no license key or extra setup is required for the core features.
What are the requirements for WP Extended Search?
WP Extended Search 2.2.1 requires WordPress 4.9 or higher and PHP 7.0 or higher. Most modern WordPress hosts already meet these versions. Running older versions may cause features to break, so update WordPress and PHP first if your site is behind.
When was WP Extended Search last updated?
Version 2.2.1 was last updated on December 7, 2025. This page is refreshed automatically, so the download here always matches the newest version we have verified.
Is the WP Extended Search download safe?
The file is sourced directly from the official WordPress.org repository — the same file the developer published. It is served unmodified, so what you install here is byte-identical to the official release.
Technical details
| Version | 2.2.1 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | December 7, 2025 |
| Active installs | 20,000+ |
| Rating | ★★★★★ 4.9/5 (72 reviews) |
| Requires WordPress | 4.9 or higher |
| Requires PHP | 7.0 or higher |
| Author | Sumit Singh |
| Tags | advanced-search, category-search, search, tag-search, woocommerce-search |
Download WP Extended Search
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