Get Started with WordPress

This guide takes you from a fresh download to a WordPress site that's automatically protected — no code required.

Before you begin

You'll need:

• A WordPress site compatible with WordPress up to version 7.0, running PHP 8.1 or later.
• Admin access to the WordPress dashboard, to upload and activate the plugin.

Step 1 — Download the plugin

The plugin isn't distributed through the WordPress Plugin Directory, so it's installed manually. Download the latest altcha.zip from the GitHub releases page.

Step 2 — Upload and activate

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins → Add Plugin → Upload Plugin.
2. Choose the altcha.zip file you downloaded and click Install Now.
3. Go to Plugins, find ALTCHA: Anti-Spam Protection, and click Activate.

A new ALTCHA menu appears in your admin sidebar.

Step 3 — Confirm it's protecting your site

The plugin protects WordPress login, registration, and comment forms automatically — no configuration needed. Open one of those forms and check your browser's developer console; you should see a log line from the ALTCHA Interceptor when the form is submitted. See Troubleshooting if you don't.

Step 4 — Protect a custom form (optional)

Most popular form plugins (WPForms, Gravity Forms, Contact Form 7, WooCommerce, and more) are protected automatically too — see the full list on the Advanced page.

To add ALTCHA to a custom form or template, drop in the shortcode:

[altcha]

See Advanced for shortcode attributes.

Next steps

• Features — what the plugin protects and how.
• Configuration — modes, verification bypass, and the firewall.
• Advanced — shortcodes, hooks, and plugin-specific setup.