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Installation & Setup

Requirements

RequirementMinimumRecommended
WordPress5.6+Latest (tested up to 6.9)
WooCommerce9.6+Latest (tested up to 10.5)
PHP7.4+8.1 or 8.2

Install the Plugin

  1. Download the plugin ZIP from your BookingWP account.
  2. In WordPress, go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.
  3. Upload the ZIP, click Install Now, then Activate.

Activate the License

  1. Open My Account → Licenses.

Get license key from your BookingWP.com account

  1. Enter your license key from your BookingWP account.

Activate license key on your website

  1. Click Activate to receive updates and support.

Global Settings

Navigate to WooCommerce → Settings → Appointments to configure site-wide defaults that products can override.

The settings page includes:

  • Global Availability — Default availability rules for all products
  • Google Calendar — Two-way sync configuration
  • Indexing & Performance — High-performance caching options

See Global Settings for complete configuration options.

Date & Time Settings

Date and time settings are configured in WordPress → Settings → General:

WordPress General Settings

  • Timezone: Store timezone used for all appointment storage and admin views
  • Date Format: How dates are displayed throughout the site
  • Time Format: How times are displayed (12-hour or 24-hour)
  • Week Starts On: First day of the week for calendar displays
note

Per-product settings override global defaults. See Global Settings for complete configuration options.

Performance Setup

For busy stores, configure Indexing & Performance immediately after install to keep availability lookups fast.

Indexing settings

  1. Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Appointments → Indexing & Performance
  2. Enable Use Indexed Availability
  3. Choose a Caching Horizon (months to pre-cache)
  4. Run a Manual Re-index for existing data if needed

See Indexing & Performance for detailed information.

How Appointments Plugin Works

Appointments add a new product type called Appointable Product. Appointable products are given options such as Staff, Availability and Add-ons. Adding an appointable product is typically the first thing you do after installation.

When a user views an appointable product, they can fill out the booking form and do one of two things:

  1. Add the booking to their cart and pay.
  2. Inquire about appointment availability without payment – if the appointment requires approval.

After checking out with an appointable product in the cart, a new appointment is set. This has details about the appointment and stores the user's information. Appointments are also linked to an order in WooCommerce to track payment.