bbPress Codex

Multisite

WordPress multisite is a way to be able to create a network of sites powered by one single installation of WordPress. Running multiple sites this way is very simple to set up, and bbPress works very well out of the box in this type of environment.

To learn how to set up a network of sites please follow this WordPress codex article on how to set up a network of sites:  How to Create a Network

In any of the below scenarios, bbPress works exactly how you tell it to. bbPress natively runs only on the sites it’s activated on. If it’s activated network-wide, on a subsite, or as a must-use plugin, it will idle on all sites in the network, ready for the Key Masters of those sites to create forums and craft the experience to fit the needs of that site.

Network-wide Activation

1. Go Dashboard > Network Admin .
2. Go to Plugins > Add New .
3. You will see bbPress part of the featured plugins and you can install from there , or you can type “bbPress” into the search bar and hit enter to search the plugins.
4. Click Install Now.
5. HIt Network Activate on the bbPress plugin in the plugins list.

bbPress also could be configured as a must-use plugin to work network-wide.

Multisite Domain Root Only

1. Go to Dashboard > Network Admin.
2. Go to Plugins > Add New.
3. You will see bbPress part of the featured plugins and you can install from there , or you can type “bbPress” into the search bar and hit enter to search the plugins.
4. Click Install Now.
5. Don’t hit Network Activate after you installed the bbPress plugin.
6. Hover over  the My Sites link at the top of the WordPress Toolbar and select the domain root site of your network.
7. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
8. Now Activate the bbPress plugin.

Sub-Sites of the Network Only

1. Go to Dashboard > Network Admin.
2. Go to Plugins > Add New.
3. You will see bbPress part of the featured plugins and you can install from there , or you can type “bbPress” into the search bar and hit enter to search the plugins.
4. Click Install Now.
5. Don’t hit Network Activate after you installed the bbPress plugin.
6. Hover over  the My Sites link at the top of the WordPress Toolbar and select the site of your network that you want the bbPress to be on.
7. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
8. Now Activate the bbPress plugin.

Multiple Network Installation

bbPress also works with multiple WordPress networks. You can turn your multi-site installation into many multi-site networks, all surrounding one central user base. You would need to install a plugin such as WP Multi Network to be able to configure this kind of setup.