Don't know how to get addons to work? READ THIS!

1. Download the addons you want.

2. Create a folder in your World of Warcraft folder called Interface if there isnt one already.

3. Inside the Interface folder create a folder called AddOns.

4. Now the addons you installed, if they are compressed open it and copy the stuff in it and paste it in the Interface/AddOns folder.

5. Load WoW and log in.

6. On the character screen there should be a button at the bottom left that says AddOns.

7. Click that button and a window pops up with the addons you put in.

8. In that window check the box that says Load Out of Date AddOns.

9. Where it says the MB it uses, usually says 64 for default, change it to 0 so it uses as much as it needs.

10. Click Okay at the bottom and go on your character.

11. Learn to use your addons.

I hope this guide helps. And if you could CURSE REPRESENTATIVES please make this sticky so everyone can see it. I appreciate it.

Credit to Fidda

i tried what it says on here and it still doesn't work. im trying to download the coordinates add on. do i have to download it in internet explorer cause im downloading it in firefox or does it not matter? and i also am on the burning crusade if that makes more of a difference?

Browser shouldn't matter. Make sure that you unzip it correctly so that the folder goes into Interface\Addons\ instead of into a sub-folder. I've noticed that problem before personally.

yea i did and still nothing. the add on im trying to download is for update 2.1.0 and im on 2.1.1 would that make a differnece also? =*( and i have 2 interface folders, a regular interface and a interface with numbers after it. which 1 do i put it in.

i normally only use auctioneer but ever since the last patch it wont work and none of the other addons will.
in your instructions it says On the character screen there should be a button at the bottom left that says AddOns. mine doesnt and never has. i think this may be the problem but im not quite sure how to fix it. if any1 sees this please post a response i would really appreciate any help on the matter.

Inside your -warcraft-\Interface\Addons folder you should see a bunch of folders named after your addons.

If you see folders there named Interface or Addons you've done something wrong. If you see a bunch of .LUA, .TOC and/or .XML files then you've done something wrong.

Installing WoW AddOns for Dummies

The Basics :

Your [World of Warcraft] directory is where your game was installed, and where your WoW.exe program file is located.
For some people this will be :

C:\ProgramFiles\World of Warcraft

For others it could be :

C:\World of Warcraft

or even

D:\WoW

It all depends on where you installed the game in the first place.

The [World of Warcraft] base game directory should contain a folder called Interface.
And the Interface folder should contain a folder called AddOns
So you should have a [World of Warcraft]\Interface\AddOns folder

e.g.

C:\World of Warcraft\Interface\AddOns

These folders should all exist by default, as Blizzard include some AddOn files of their own since one of the patches in 2006 - If they don't exist then you can create them (or the game itself should create them when you log in - in other words, if you have just logged out of the game, and do NOT see the \Interface\AddOns folders, then you are looking in the wrong place.

NOTE
Just to be absolutely crystal clear; If you installed the game in D:\WoW, then creating another folder structure called C:\World of Warcraft\Interface\AddOns and installing AddOns there will do nothing for you. You MUST install AddOns to the D:\WoW\Interface\AddOns folder.

Installing an AddOn

Lets try and show some Examples :

EXAMPLE 1

An AddOn called "Wibbly"

This AddOn just contains 3 files :

Wibbly.toc

Wibbly.xml

Wibbly.lua

Most authors will ZIP up their files in to an archive, or use some other tool such as RAR. A few will create Executables that will self-extract (although I personally frown on this practice as un-safe).
The author of Wibbly has created a Zip file with the following files AND directory structure :

\Wibbly\Wibbly.toc

\Wibbly\Wibbly.xml

\Wibbly\Wibbly.lua

You can not simply place the Zip file in the \Interface\AddOns folder - you MUST extract the above files IN their original file structure in to the \Interface\AddOns folder.
So when you look in Windows Explorer, you should see the following :

[World of Warcraft]\Interface\AddOns\Wibbly\Wibbly.toc

[World of Warcraft]\Interface\AddOns\Wibbly\Wibbly.xml

[World of Warcraft]\Interface\AddOns\Wibbly\Wibbly.lua

Be careful you don't have software installed that lets you explore Zip files within Windows Explorer as if they were normal folders, which might fool you in to thinking the AddOn has been unpacked correctly; So make sure you are Un-Zipping in to the [World of Warcraft]\Interface\AddOns directory, and not just copying the Zip file.

EXAMPLE 2

Some authors will INCLUDE the \Interface\AddOns folders within their Zip files.

So for example, some author has created an AddOn called "Wobbly" in the following Zip file with the following directory structure :

\Interface\AddOns\Wobbly\Wobbly.toc

\Interface\AddOns\Wobbly\Wobbly.xml

\Interface\AddOns\Wobbly\Wobbly.lua

\Interface\AddOns\Wobbly\Graphics\WobblyIcon.blp

Because the Author has included the \Interface\AddOns folders within his archive, then the user needs to be careful to un-pack the AddOn DIRECTLY IN TO THE [World of Warcraft] directory, and NOT in to the [World of Warcraft]\Interface\AddOns directory.

(Note that in this example the author has also included sub-folders within his own AddOn directory - in this case he has specified a spearate directory to contain graphics files which are usually .blp or .tga files. You must retain this folder structure when you install an AddOn, otherwise it won't be able to find some of its files and will probably not work. For example, if you did not keep the Gaphics folder above in its correct place, then the AddOn may seem to work, but it would be unable to find the WobblyIcon.blp picture and you would probably just see a green square instead of what the author intended you to see.)

Common Mistakes of the Absolute Beginner

For example if you were do download the "Wobbly" AddOn mentioned above, then the following directory structures are WRONG :

[World of Warcraft]\Interface\AddOns\Interface\AddOns\Wobbly\Wobbly.toc, etc.

-this is wrong because the \Interface\AddOns folder included in the AddOn zip file, has been unzipped in to the \Interface\AddOns folder again.

[World of Warcraft]\Interface\AddOns\Wobbly.zip

-this is wrong because the Zip file has simply been copied in to the \Interface\AddOns folder instead of being properly un-zipped.

[World of Warcraft]\Interface\AddOns\Wobbly.toc, etc.

-this is wrong because the Wobbly AddOn files have been extracted directly in to the \Interface\AddOns folder; i.e. the Wobbly.toc file should be in a folder called \Wobbly.

NOTE : In all three cases above, the "AddOns" Button in the character Log In screen would NOT be shown, because the AddOn was not installed correctly. Only when some custom AddOns have been CORRECTLY installed does the AddOn Button show up. (The existance of the Blizzard AddOn files and the \Interface\AddOns folder will not cause the AddOn Button to be displayed on the log in screen.)

The CORRECT file & folder structure for the Wobbly AddOn is as follows :

[World of Warcraft]\Interface\AddOns\Wobbly\Wobbly.toc

[World of Warcraft]\Interface\AddOns\Wobbly\Wobbly.xml

[World of Warcraft]\Interface\AddOns\Wobbly\Wobbly.lua

[World of Warcraft]\Interface\AddOns\Wobbly\Graphics\WobblyIcon.blp

Great guide :D
I don't have patience to write a guide that long, I'm glad you did^^

(rated++++++++^^) The rating button doesn't work! :O

Fully agree with you there - a nice and clear tutorial for the complete nooeerrrr beginner. :)

omg i tried for like 5 hours to get this to work and then today i downloaded a different add on to see if the problem was the add on i was downloading and that was it. the mapcoord download doesn't work properly so i downloading another 1 that does the same thing. i tried for 4 hours striaght and got a headache for nothing =(

But you got there in the end, so next time it won't take 4 hours :)

I have a way to get addons thats way less complicated....

1. Click to get to the addon description page you want and click "download now"
2. Click "select fastest mirror"
3. When the screen that has the options to open or save opens, click open
4. Drag and drop the addon file into your AddOns folder that should already exist

Hope this helps :)

Alright, I am trying to download the clickheal and it is coming up incompatible for my addons when I am in WoW putting it on my char. Here is what I did.

1. Downloaded
2. Extracted to my addons in program files
3. Loaded up WoW and clicked Addons in the corner of my char.
4. It comes up incompatible.

What does this mean?

Alright, I am trying to download the clickheal and it is coming up incompatible for my addons when I am in WoW putting it on my char. Here is what I did.

1. Downloaded
2. Extracted to my addons in program files
3. Loaded up WoW and clicked Addons in the corner of my char.
4. It comes up incompatible.

What does this mean?

It means the addon is too old - anything that was written for pre-TBC won't work on WoW without some changes.

Try finding an updated version or a "fans update" if there's one.

TitanPanel is not working for me, I got AtlasLoot to work, but Titan jsut will not go through, is anyone else having, or have had this problem?

Hey for some reason I can not see the box that says Addons in the bottom left of the Character screen

Read up and do it again. You've done something wrong. If there's no button then wow doesn't see your addons.

i swear i followed every step i opened my WOW folder it had an interface folder, inside that there was an addons folder, inside that there was some stuff that i guess came with a game i then opened the compressed file of what i downloaded and copied the contents and pasted them i did everything until when i logged in there was just no box that said addons

i swear i followed every step i opened my WOW folder it had an interface folder, inside that there was an addons folder, inside that there was some stuff that i guess came with a game i then opened the compressed file of what i downloaded and copied the contents and pasted them i did everything until when i logged in there was just no box that said addons

In your "Addons" folder you should have a load of "Blizzard_" folders and then another folder for each of your addons: "Cartographer", "Sky", "GruulPositionDisplay" or whatever.

If there's any .lua, .xml or .toc files in the addons folder itself then something is wrong. If there's an additional interface or addons folder there, then something went wrong.

you might be having the problem i was having where you know you did everything right but its not working. maybe the add on you are trying to add doesn't work so try a different one that does the same thing. thats what i did.

oh i got it now thanks a bunch guys

I dont have a interface folder in my WoW folder is it because it downloaded it and didnt get the disk?

Can someone teach me how to upload a compilation/addon folder? I can't use the Browse button because it won't select just the folder it makes you go farther and farther till you have a single .lua file, lol. And when I just paste the directory of the folder I want to upload it says the file is empty, which it isn't. Can someone please help? Thanks in advance.

shotuum: It's normally created automatically when you run WoW.

cralor: I replied in your other thread, check there.

Hope someone here can help. I'm having a minor UI issue. Add ons installed just fine BUT one of the add ons in the Cosmos package is preventing me from selling gray vendor crap back to merchants. I know that the add ons are the issue because when I disable all add ons, no problem. In an effort to HOPEFULLY avoid having to turn each one on and off and discover the culprit by elimination...can anyone suggest exactly which add on may be causing the problem?

It'd be faster to disable all and turn them back on one by one than to wait around here for a reply that might not come ;p

Make sure you're running on the latest cosmos though - might be an old addon causing problems.

Might get a qucker response if you post on the Cosmos forums at :

cosmosui.org

ok this may be a stupid question but i gotta ask....so if there is a .xml or .toc file once i unzip the download should i make sure that file doesn't get copied into my addon folder?

The XML, TOC, LUA, BLP, TGA or whatever other files you find in the downloaded archive need to be in the right place, which is:

\Interface\Addons\\

So, for an addon called "InstallMe" you should find the following files in the following locations:

\Interface\Addons\InstallMe\InstallMe.toc
\Interface\Addons\InstallMe\InstallMe.xml
\Interface\Addons\InstallMe\InstallMe.lua

If you have any of the files in the Addons directory (rather than a subdirectory named after the addon) then it won't load.

what if there isnt an Addon button on my character login what do i do

it still doesnt show addons on my character login

You guys rock...dudes...I was so fustrated about adons not working...Now I really do get it...Thank you so much for the information ...I echo you c-town....only I spent a couple days before starting my account....again you guys rock:)

follow what they say....download outside of the folder and extract into the addon's folder. from like say your desktop.....it does work...the addon button appears...I was so supprised...

Make sure you place addons in the directory: wow_installpath/interface/addons/

just put them in your wow directory /interface/addons

I already have adddons in my addons folder. Which I can see once I login and click my addons button. But currently I have downloaded some new addons I want to try and when I login and go to my addons, none of my new downloads - addons - are showing up! I've tried new and old addons. nothing seems to work!

What on earth can I be doing wrong?

Make 100% absolutely certain you've extracted them correctly, preserving folder structures and putting them in the right place (an addon called MyAddon must have it's lua/xml/toc files in WoWDir\Interface\Addons\MyAddon\, not WoWDir\Interface\Addons\MyAddon.toc or WoWDir\Interface\Addons\MyAddon\MyAddon\MyAddon.toc or even WoWDir\Interface\Addons\Interface\Addons\MyAddon\MyAddon.toc).

AKA, read the posts further up this thread for more details.

I dont understand how you get to the World of Warcraft folder. Can someone like do screenshots or something for me? haha. i dont know how to get to it even with people explaining it. i searched for the files some people posted and i get no results for them. i have no clue how to do this so can someone help?