Installing Envira Gallery takes about a minute. What slows most people down comes right after, when an empty gallery screen and a long row of settings tabs are waiting for them.
Most of those tabs can wait. To get a good-looking gallery live on a page today, you only need a handful of settings, and the free version covers every one of them.
This is how to use Envira Gallery, from installing the plugin to a published gallery. I built the gallery you’ll see below on a real WordPress site, so every screenshot shows the screens you’ll actually click through.
After that, you’ll find the features worth turning on next, sorted by what you want your galleries to do.
In This Article:
How to Install Envira Gallery (Free or Paid)
Envira Gallery is a WordPress gallery plugin that comes in two versions. Envira Gallery Lite is free on WordPress.org, and the paid plans add more layouts and addons on top of it.
Starting with Lite makes sense even if you plan to upgrade later. When you add a paid license, every gallery and setting you’ve already built stays exactly as it was.
Step 1: Install the Free Envira Gallery Lite
In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins » Add New Plugin and type “Envira Gallery” into the search box. Click Install Now on the Envira Gallery card, then click Activate.
Once it’s active, a new Envira Gallery menu appears on the left of your dashboard, with a Getting Started page to help you find your way around. Our doc on installing Envira Gallery Lite has the same steps if you’d like a reference.
Step 2: Add Your License Key If You Have a Paid Plan
After you buy a plan, log in to your Envira account and open the Downloads tab. That’s where you’ll find your license key.
Back in WordPress, go to Envira Gallery » Settings, paste the key into the Envira License Key box, and click Verify Key. If you’re already running Lite, that’s all it takes: Envira installs the paid plugin for you and switches Lite off.
Our Envira Gallery installation guide covers the other ways to install it. Every paid plan also comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee, so you can try the features in this guide on your own site first.
How to Create Your First Envira Gallery
With the plugin active, go to Envira Gallery » Add New (it’s called Add New Gallery on paid plans). Type a name at the top that your visitors will recognize, like “Nature Escapes” or “Spring Weddings.”
Next, add your photos. Select Files from Your Computer uploads new images, and Select Files from Other Sources lets you pick photos that are already in your Media Library. You can also drag files straight onto the upload area.
Your photos then appear under Currently in your Gallery. Drag the thumbnails into the order you want visitors to see, and Envira saves the new order as soon as you drop each one.
When you’re happy with it, click Publish. Lazy loading is already switched on for new galleries, so thumbnails only load as visitors scroll down to them and your page stays quick.
Every other option on this screen is explained in our doc on creating your first Envira gallery.
How to Choose a Layout for Your Envira Gallery
Open the Config tab (Configuration on paid plans) to decide how your photos are arranged. The first thing you’ll see is the layout picker.
Automatic is the default layout, and it’s the one included in the free version. It fits your photos into even-height rows that run edge to edge, whatever the shape of each photo.
The Automatic Layout: Row Height setting below the picker controls how tall each row is, and it starts at 150 pixels. In Lite, you’ll also see Number of Gallery Columns: leave it on Automatic to fill each row, or pick one to six columns for a more even grid.
Every paid plan unlocks the other 15 layouts, from Mason and Polaroid to Bento Grid and Horizontal Slideshow. Our guide to WordPress gallery layouts shows what each one looks like and when to pick it.
Expert Tip
Start on Automatic while you’re still adding photos. Changing it later takes one click on the same tab, and the gallery updates on every page where you’ve placed it. There’s no need to decide on day one.
How to Set Up the Envira Gallery Lightbox
The lightbox is what opens when a visitor clicks one of your photos: a bigger view of the image, with arrows to move through the rest of the gallery. It’s switched on for every new gallery, so it works before you change a thing.
Its settings live on the Lightbox tab. These are the ones worth checking first:
- Enable Lightbox? Untick it if you’d rather a click opened the photo’s link instead.
- Gallery Lightbox Theme: changes how the lightbox looks. Paid plans add a choice of themes, such as Base (Dark), Base (Light) and Showcase.
- Image Size: Default shows the original, full-size photo. A smaller size helps if your originals are very large files.
- Caption Position: decides where each photo’s caption appears in the lightbox.
On paid plans, the tab also covers arrows, looping, transition effects and a thumbnail strip, all in one place:
Here’s what a visitor sees after clicking the second photo in my gallery, with its title at the top and thumbnails of the other photos along the bottom:
The thumbnails make it easy to jump straight to a favorite shot instead of clicking through every photo.
How to Add an Envira Gallery to a Page or Post
Open the page or post in the WordPress editor, click the + button, and search for “Envira Gallery.” Add the Envira Gallery block, then pick your gallery from the list.
Click Publish or Update on the page, and your gallery is live. Here’s my Nature Escapes gallery on a page, in the Automatic layout with its default settings:
The block always shows the latest version of your gallery, so photos you add or settings you change later appear on the page without editing it again. For more ideas on presenting your photos, see our tutorial on creating a WordPress photo gallery.
Not using the block editor? Each gallery also has a shortcode in the code box in its sidebar, which you can copy into any spot that accepts shortcodes. On Pro plans and above, Envira also works inside Elementor and Beaver Builder.
Give Your Gallery More Than One Look
Every paid Envira Gallery plan unlocks all 16 layouts, slideshows and image protection, and the galleries you’ve already built come with you. Try it risk-free with a 14-day money-back guarantee.
How to Add More Features With Envira Gallery Addons
Most extra features in Envira come as addons. Go to Envira Gallery » Addons, and you’ll see the addons available with your license, each with its own Activate button.
Activating an addon adds its settings to your galleries, usually as a new tab in the gallery editor. Which ones to switch on depends on what you want your galleries to do:
- Protect your photos: Image Protection blocks right-click saving on every paid plan. Plus adds watermarking and password protection for private galleries.
- Organize big collections: Plus adds tags, filterable galleries and pagination, and Pro adds albums. Pro also includes Related Galleries, which points visitors to more of your galleries.
- Sell or deliver photos: Envira Payments lets visitors buy your photos through Stripe on every paid plan, with no WooCommerce needed. Envira takes a 5% fee below Pro and none from Pro up, where you also get WooCommerce and Client Proofing.
- Save time on every upload: the AI Image Assistant writes alt text, captions and tags, with AI credits included in every paid plan. Plus imports your Instagram posts, and Pro adds Lightroom and Google Photos.
- Get your work shared and seen: Pro adds social sharing buttons and video galleries, including TikTok galleries that update themselves when you post.
With Related Galleries switched on, my Nature Escapes page now ends with cards for the other galleries on the site:
For a tour of every feature, read our full Envira Gallery review.
Which Envira Gallery Plan Do You Need?
Every plan uses the same gallery builder, so the question is which features you’ll use. If you’re showing a few galleries and like the Automatic look, Lite is enough.
Each paid plan includes everything in the plan before it. Here’s what each one adds and who it suits:
| Plan | What it adds | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Lite (free) | The gallery builder, the Automatic layout, a built-in lightbox and the Envira Gallery block. No addons and no other layouts. | Trying Envira, or a few simple galleries |
| Basic | All 16 layouts, slideshows, image protection, standalone gallery pages and 500 AI credits a year, for 1 site | One site that needs more than one look |
| Plus | Watermarking, password protection, tags and filters, pagination, Instagram galleries and 1,000 AI credits, for up to 3 sites | Protecting your work and organizing bigger collections |
| Pro | Albums, video galleries, social sharing, Client Proofing, WooCommerce, Lightroom, Google Photos, no Envira Payments fee and 1,500 AI credits, for up to 5 sites | Professionals who sell or deliver photos |
| Elite Bundle | Multisite support, Client Management, premium support, 2,500 AI credits and the Soliloquy slider plugin, for up to 5 sites | Anyone managing sites for clients |
If you’re unsure, I’d start with Lite and upgrade the day you need a feature it doesn’t have. Upgrading keeps everything you’ve built, so starting small costs you nothing.
Where to Find Envira Gallery Tutorials and Help
Stuck on a setting? The Envira Gallery documentation has a step-by-step guide for each feature and addon, and it’s the fastest place to look.
To see what’s possible before you build, the Envira Gallery demos show layouts and features working on real galleries. If you’d rather watch than read, our YouTube channel has video walkthroughs.
Lite users get help through the WordPress.org support forum. Paid plans include direct support from our team, so you can open a support ticket whenever you need a hand.
FAQs About Using Envira Gallery
Is Envira Gallery free?
Yes. Envira Gallery Lite is free on WordPress.org and lets you build galleries with the Automatic layout, a built-in lightbox and the Envira Gallery block. Paid plans add the other 15 layouts and the addons.
Do I need a paid plan to create a gallery?
No. You can install Envira Gallery Lite, create a gallery, add it to a page and publish it without paying anything. A paid plan only comes into it when you want more layouts or features such as watermarking, albums or selling photos.
How do I add an Envira gallery to a page?
Open the page in the WordPress editor, add the Envira Gallery block, and pick your gallery from the list. If you’re not using the block editor, copy the gallery’s shortcode from the code box in its sidebar and paste it where you want the gallery to appear.
Can I change a gallery’s layout after publishing it?
Yes. Open the gallery, pick a different layout on the Config tab (Configuration on paid plans) and click Update. Every page that shows the gallery updates automatically.
Can I move my existing WordPress galleries into Envira?
Yes, and it’s free. Envira Gallery Lite can convert your WordPress galleries to Envira galleries. Do it all at once from the Convert to Envira tab in Settings, or one at a time from a Gallery block. Converting can’t be undone, so back up your site first.
What happens to my galleries if I cancel my Envira subscription?
Your galleries and albums keep working. Cancelling stops the license from renewing, and you keep updates and support until the end of the term you’ve paid for. If you cancel within 14 days of buying, you can ask our support team for a full refund.
Your first gallery is the hardest one, and it only takes a few minutes. Once it’s live, the rest is choosing the features that fit your work. If you still have questions, be sure to check out our post on the most frequently asked questions about Envira Gallery.
Not using Envira Gallery yet? Get started today!
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