Force Post Category Selection
by Jatinder Pal Singh · Uncategorized
Also makes 3 other plugins · 310+ installs across the portfolio →
This is simple plugin which forces the users to select atleast one category from the list while publishing a new post.
48 health vs 56 average across 16,377 Uncategorized plugins
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 11+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.x, well behind 6.8.
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Under-optimized
Biggest win: Update recency
To rank higher: Last updated 4220 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Daily downloads
Since 2022-10-05 · 1,426 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peaks are release surges
104
now · peak 203
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
11.6y ago
latest release · v1.0
1
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “100+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Refined from the date this plugin crossed into its current band.
Install history · since 2015-09-26 · 1,384 observations
Estimated value
What this plugin might earn a year, and what it might sell for. Modeled from public signals; we don't see anyone's books.
Est. annual revenue
Est. acquisition value
No paid tier is visible, so we don't put a figure on revenue or sale value: that would be guessing. The install base is a real asset to an acquirer, just not one public data lets us price. A small install base leaves thin data to model from.
Details
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ venelinpetrov9.2y ago
Even it’s not updated lately it works as expected !
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ AndyWarren10.0y ago
Just found this little gem of a plugin. Its so simple to use, literally just install then forget about it. I have two categories, and needed to make sure at least one of them was selected. This did the job perfectly. Thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Damian Davila10.8y ago
Works just as advertised. Thank you for saving me some coding time Jatinder.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ bcarney10.9y ago
Does what it says it does – forces a user to select a Category before publishing.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ CyberNetikz11.3y ago
Worked perfect with WordPress 4.2.2, thanks for this nice plugins.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ shedden11.5y ago
Post authors often forget to choose the category. I use both “Restrict Categories” and “Force Post Category Selection” plugins, they work great together to do what I want, which is to force authors to select the correct category.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jakubd11.6y ago
Plugin is very simple – you can´t select, which taxonomies have to be mandatory. It just checks, if there is at least one selected option from at least one taxonomy.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ lydia_b12.2y ago
I am glad to find this plugin. It works for my 3.9.1 single sites and for 3.9.1 multisite blogs when network activated. Very helpful!
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-10-29 200+ → 100+ down after 733 days in tier
- 2023-10-27 300+ → 200+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2023-10-26 200+ → 300+ up after 9 days in tier
- 2023-10-17 300+ → 200+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2023-10-16 200+ → 300+ up after 6 days in tier
- 2023-10-10 300+ → 200+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2023-10-09 200+ → 300+ up after 5 days in tier
- 2023-10-04 300+ → 200+ down
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
Require Post Category 1K+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags C -
Bulk Move 9K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D -
Requirements Checklist 800+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D -
WP Discord Post Plus – Supports Unlimited Channels 700+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags B -
Better Random Redirect 700+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags C -
Post Duplicator 200K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Force Post Category Selection into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/force-post-category-selection" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Force Post Category Selection — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Force Post Category Selection: 100+ active installs, 4.8★ (10 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-08-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/force-post-category-selection