How to Install and Enable PHP Extensions in cPanel

Many applications need specific PHP extensions — small add-ons that give PHP extra abilities, like cURL for making web requests, GD for image processing, or mbstring for handling international text. When software says it "requires" an extension, cPanel lets you enable it in a few clicks.

Step 1: Open Select PHP Version

1. Log in to cPanel.
2. Under the Software section, open Select PHP Version.
3. Click the Extensions tab.

Step 2: Enable the extension you need

1. Find the extension in the list (they are alphabetical).
2. Tick its checkbox to enable it.
3. The change saves automatically — no need to restart anything.

Common ones people enable include curl, gd, mbstring, imagick, zip and intl, depending on what their software asks for.

Step 3: Confirm it is active

Create a small file containing <?php phpinfo(); ?>, open it in your browser, and search the page for the extension name to confirm it is loaded. Delete the file afterwards so you are not exposing server details.

A note on extensions per PHP version

Extensions are tied to the PHP version you have selected. If you change your PHP version, check that the extensions you rely on are still enabled on the new one. Some, like ionCube, have their own guide — see enabling ionCube Loader.

Frequently asked questions

The extension I need isn't in the list.

Not every extension is available on shared hosting. If something essential is missing, open a support ticket — we can advise whether it can be added or whether a VPS is needed for it.

I enabled it but my software still says it's missing.

Confirm you enabled it on the same PHP version your site actually uses, then clear any caches. Running phpinfo() shows exactly which extensions are active for that version.

Will enabling extensions slow my site down?

Enabling a few needed extensions has negligible impact. Only enable what your software requires, though — there is no benefit to switching on extensions you do not use.