This User Guide is provided for subscribers to WYNCHCO Joomla! CMS Help and Support in UK business and third sector organisations to help them more effectively manage their website.
If you are not a subscriber but actively manage a Joomla! CMS website then you may also find this guide useful.
About Our Sponsor: WYNCHCO Solutions
WYNCHCO Solutions offer Joomla! CMS Help and Support to managers responsible for Joomla! CMS Websites in UK business and third sector organisations regardless of where their Website is hosted.
Subscribe to WYNCHCO Joomla! CMS Help and Support to improve your Website's resilience.
Reduce the risk of your Website becoming Compromised.
Subscription includes:
- Daily, Weekly and Monthly Joomla! CMS Website Maintenance,
- Timely implementation of Joomla! CMS and 3rd Party Extension updates,
- Priority Personal Email and Telephone Support,
- Unrestricted access to our JOOMLERS.UK User Guides, and
- Use of our unique WYNCHCO Template with your Joomla! CMS Website.
Each Joomla! CMS Help and Support subscription is covered by a bespoke Service Level Agreement.
Is your Website using an old version of Joomla! CMS?
The Joomla! Project™ recommends that you use the latest available version of its CMS.
The Joomla! Project only provides bug fix and security fix support for the latest versions of its CMS, namely:
- Joomla! 5.x, and
- Joomla! 6.x.
It no longer provides support for previous versions of its Joomla! CMS.
Websites using older versions of Joomla! CMS are therefore at increased risk of becoming Compromised.
This risk can be significantly reduced by using the latest version of Joomla! CMS with your Website.
If you need help migrating your Website to Joomla! 6 then just ask.
Contact Customer SupportCall 0770 300 4155 to explore how we can help you.
Joomla! CMS Official Documentation
In 2025 The Joomla! Project announced that the old Official Documentation was to be replaced by new two-part documentation.
A Joomla! User Guide for users, called Joomla! User Documentation
And a Joomla! Developers Manual for developers and programmers, called Joomla! Programmers Documentation
For now the old Official Documentation may still be be found here: Old Joomla! Documentation
The Joomla! Project invites all Joomla! users to become contributors to the new Joomla! Uaser Guide.
Choose Invert Colours option to view high-contrast versions of images displayed in our User Guides.
List of Contents
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Accessibility and the Joomla! CMS
The Joomla! Project is committed to making its Joomla! Content Management System accessible to the widest possible audience.
Browse the List of Contents for links to more information about each of the following accessibility features included with the Joomla! CMS.
- Additional Accessibility Features Plugin.
- Dashboard Dark Mode.
- Joomla Accessibility Checker Plugin.
- Keyboard Shortcuts Plugin.
- Skip to Navigation Plugin.
Accessible Tables
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Use DIV tags when you want to display website content (for example, images) in a tabular format.
Use 'Accessible Table Tags' when you want to display tabulated data in your website.
Additional Accessibility Features Plugin
When enabled the Plugin displays a blue button in the bottom left corner of the browser screen.
When a website visitor clicks the button they will see a pop-up window with a list of accessibility-improving options.
Akeeba Backup
Akeeba Backup is a useful 3rd party Joomla! CMS extension.
It offers a quick and easy way to create Backup Archives of your Joomla! CMS website from within your website Dashboard.
Archived Articles Module
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The purpose of the Archived Articles Module is to enable the signposting of archived Articles.
Articles and Categories
Here we tell you how to create Categories and Articles after signing into your website's Control Panel. We also illustrate how easy it is to create Articles after signing into the Front End.
Articles Module
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The Articles Module was introduced with the release of Joomla! 5.2.
It is an exciting new development.
Reason: hitherto the display of Articles outside the Main Body of a Joomla! website required the use of a 3rd party extension.
Now you can display Articles in any Template Position and not just the Main Body of the website, using an 'out of the box' Joomla! CMS.
Automatic Core Joomla Updates
Joomla! 5.4.0 introduced the option of enabling Automatic Core Joomla Updates (aka 'Automated Updates').
The Automatic Core Joomla Updates extension is disabled by default.
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Back up your Joomla! CMS website
Hosting provider backups can get you out of a hole if a Joomla! CMS or Third Party Extension update were to break your website (and you forgot to make a backup - ouch).
These hosting provider backups should be augmented by your own.
Backward Compatibility Plugin
The Backward Compatibility Plugin is enabled by default in the Joomla! 5 CMS.
Purpose: to enable Third Party Extensions which are not yet compatible with the Joomla! 5 CMS to continue to function after you update your website.
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If starting with a blank canvas, the process of publishing a Banner in your website is quite complex.
WYNCHCO website designs are pre-configured to help you get started.
Blogging with Joomla!
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If you want to develop a blog to help promote your website, then the best place to host the blog is inside the website you want to promote.
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The purpose of the Breadcrumbs Module is to lay a trail of breadcrumbs as a visitor navigates their way through your website.
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Captcha Plugins
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The following two extensions were removed from the Core Joomla! CMS when the Joomla! 5 Series was launched: Google reCAPTCHA and Invisible reCAPTCHA Plugins.
Joomla! 5 CMS users will however find several free and paid for Third Party Captcha Plugins in the Joomla! Extensions Directory.
Components
"A (Joomla!) component is a kind of Joomla! extension. Components are the main functional units of Joomla!; they can be seen as mini-applications."
Contacts Component
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Learn how to manage your contacts - including your own contact details.
Content Editors
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Choose between using the default Joomla! content editor called Tiny MCE and a range of 3rd Party Joomla! extensions. We like the JCE Content Editor.
Content Editor Profiles
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The default Joomla! CMS content editor extension is called Tiny MCE. But we prefer to use and recommend the JCE Content Editor. And it is for the JCE Content Editor that we provide illustrations in this User Guide.
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"Tags in Joomla! provide a flexible way of organizing content. The same tag can be applied to many different content items across content types (articles, weblinks, newsfeeds, contacts, and categories). " Source: Joomla! Documentation.
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The Joomla! Extensions Directory lists lots of different cookie control extensions to enable your website to comply with GDPR.
Custom Modules
Custom Modules are rather like Articles.
How are they different? Custom Modules can be presented in any Position of your website.
Customise Your Website
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Dashboard Dark Mode
The Joomla! 5 CMS improved the experience of website administrators with the introduction of a new Dark Mode accessibility feature.
Debug Plugin
The purpose of the Debug Plugin is to enable website administrators to fault find.
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Extensions
"A (Joomla!) extension is a software package that extends your Joomla! installation in some way. A small selection of extensions is included with the default Joomla! installation ... but many more are available from the Joomla! Extensions Directory."
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Feed Display Module
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The Feed Display Module enables you to publish your own News Feeds as well as those created by others in your website.
Fields
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The Joomla! CMS includes an example Articles Field called About the Author. We include an additional Contacts Field called Telephone number when we create a WYNCHCO Website Design.
FileSystem - Local Plugin
The FileSystem - Local Plugin enables you to define one or multiple local directories to store your media files.
Font Awesome Icons
Font Awesome Icons are really useful for signposting website content.
Good news, the default Joomla! CMS is already equipped with the necessary Font Awesome font-family.
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Getting Started
As with anything new you should ease yourself in gradually. Dynamic websites created using the Joomla! CMS are easy to use but do take some getting used to at first.
Global Check-in
In a multi-user website where several users are able to sign in and edit content, you may sometimes not be able to edit an Article, Module or some other item. Reason, a user did not previously close an item correctly. No worries. It is easy to check-in Checked-out Items.
Global Configuration
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Global Configuration settings are important. Your choice of settings may adversely impact your website's security and performance. Read the Official Joomla! Documentation before changing the default settings.
Glossary of Joomla! Terms
The Joomla! Project provide a useful Glossary for anyone wanting to quickly understand the meaning of some common Joomla! terms.
For example: Article, Category, Component, Module, Plugin.
Guided Tours Plugin
The Guided Tours Plugin is provided to help you when performing tasks in your website's Dashboard.
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Images: working with
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Before you can insert any image into an Article, you must first upload it to the server. We tell you how to upload images to your website and insert them into articles.
Image Galleries
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There are a large number of different 3rd party extensions which enable publication of image galleries within a Joomla! website.
Installation Messages
We recommend that you review Installation Messages after updating the Joomla! CMS.
Installer Plugins
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Joomla! is equipped with a range of Installer Plugins to enable you to install and update 3rd party extensions.
Introducing the Joomla! CMS
The aim of this article is to outline how the Joomla! CMS differs from a traditional HTML website. And to illustrate how to sign in and out when you want to edit website content.
J
Joomla Accessibility Checker Plugin
Jooa11y - The Joomla Accessibility Checker - is an accessibility and quality assurance tool that visually highlights common accessibility and usability issues.
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Keyboard Shortcuts Plugin
The Keyboard Shortcuts Plugin is designed to help website administrators be more productive.
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Language Overrides
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Changing the text created by the Joomla! CMS, as opposed to the text created by you when you edit a website Article, requires creating a Language Override.
Language Switcher Module
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If you need help with making your website multi-lingual then please contact Customer Support.
Loadposition Command
The Loadposition Command enables you to display Modules inside Articles using custom Positions.
Login Module
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WYNCHCO Website Designs include a Login Module which is published by default.
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Media
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Your website's Media screen lets you upload and insert images into content throughout your site. The Media screen is where you can view ALL image files and some non-image files that you have uploaded to the server.
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Menu Modules enable you to control the display of Menus in a Joomla! CMS website.
Modules
Modules enable you to control the display of almost any kind of website content in a Joomla! CMS website.
Multi-factor Authentication
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Multi-factor Authentication adds an extra layer of security for website users with special permissions when they sign into a Joomla! CMS website.
N
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The Joomla! CMS includes a range of navigation aids to help website visitors find what they are looking for.
News Content
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There are two ways you can easily display news content in your website.
News Feeds
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The News Feeds Component enables you to publish News Feeds from other websites in your own website. This requires creation of a News Feed Item.
Newsflash Module
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A Newsflash is a short burst of news, which may be accompanied by more details news comment. The Newsflash Module controls when and where to present the Newsflashes in your website.
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Page Breaks
The Page Break Plugin enables you to divide very long Articles into smaller more digestible chunks using one of three different 'presentation styles': Pages (default), Sliders and Tabs.
Page Cache Plugin
When the Page Cache Plugin is enabled websites will perform faster without having to change the plugin's default settings.
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Page Navigation refers to the buttons which appear by default at the bottom of Articles in certain situations.
PDFs: working with
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PDF means Portable Document Format. This file format is readable when the recipient has a PDF Reader application installed on their device.
Performance: speed up your website
If you want to improve website performance, focus on speed: Data Access Speed and Page Load Speed.
Do so when you choose a hosting provider and when you perform your duties as website administrator.
Plugins
"A (Joomla!) plugin is a kind of Joomla! extension. Plugins provide functions which are associated with trigger events."
Position Maps
Every WYNCHCO website design includes a Template comprising of a number of Positions.
The positions can be summarised by means of a Position Map.
Website layout is determined when modules are assigned to Positions.
Privacy Tool Suite
The Privacy Tool Suite was launched by The Joomla! Project in 2021 in response to snowballing privacy and data protection legislation.
It is provided to help website owners and administrators avoid breaking the law related to data protection and privacy.
Protect Your Privacy
Here are some useful links to help keep snoopers out of your business.
Protect Your Web Connection
If the application you use to connect to your website is compromised then so will be your website.
When thinking about website security, it is easy to overlook the privacy and security settings of the applications you use to connect to the internet.
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Random Image Module
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The Random Image Module does what its name suggests. It displays random images in the Position to which it is assigned when visitors refresh their browser or return to your website.
Redirects Component: How to fix broken links
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The Redirects Component enables you to manage broken links that otherwise produce Page Not Found (404) errors. You can use it to redirect broken links to specific pages in your website.
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Security and the Joomla! CMS
We adopt a proactive approach to helping our customers keep their WYNCHCO website, created using the Joomla! CMS, safe and secure.
This guide is produced as part of this proactive approach.
Schema.org Plugin
The System - Schema.org Plugin enables you to add Structured Data to your website content.
SEF Plugin
The SEF Plugin supplements the SEO options available to you under the Site tab in the Global Configuration screen of your website's Dashboard.
Both the Global Configuration > Site > SEO settings and the SEF Plugin exist to enable you to improve the performance of your website in search results.
Site Map Extensions
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There is no Core Site Map Extension included with the Joomla! CMS. But there are several 3rd Party Site Map Extensions available for you to use in the Joomla! Extensions Directory.
Slideshow Extensions
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There is no Core Joomla! CMS Slideshow extension but there are lots of 3rd party extensions to choose from in the Joomla! Extensions Directory. We like the Slideshow CK extension.
Smart Search Component
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The Joomla! CMS includes an excellent search component called Smart Search.
SSL: Use an SSL Certificate with your website
An SSL certificate enables you to provide your website's visitors with a secure encrypted HTTPS (SSL/TLS) end-to-end connection between their web browser and the web server hosting your website.
Statistics: Site Statistics Module
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The Site Statistics Module will when published display simple visitor statistics in the Front End of your website.
These statistics can be viewed by the website Administrator after signing into the Front End.
Statistics: Joomla! Statistics Plugin
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This plugin is designed to enable the Joomla! Project to monitor usage of the Joomla! CMS.
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The Syndication Feeds Module enables you to make any part of your website content available for syndication across web browsers and within other websites.
System Information
The System Information screen enables you to clearly see key information about the server and your website.
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Templates
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A template controls how a website's content is displayed on computer devices. The template also dictates the overall look and feel of a website.
Trash Management
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There is no one screen where you can manage all Trash. Trash is instead managed via each respective control panel screen. For example, trashed Articles are managed via the Articles screen.
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Joomla! Update Notification Plugin
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The Joomla! Update Notification Plugin sends users with Super User status an email notification when a new release of the Joomla! CMS is available.
Updating Joomla!
We strongly recommend that you only ever run the latest version or release of the Joomla! CMS and any 3rd party extensions you have installed.
User Actions Log
The User Actions Log provides a global overview of selected activities on your website.
Users
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If you are running a community website or en eCommerce website, the Users Screen is where you can manage your customers or website users.
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Version History
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The Version History component enables you to review previous versions of content items.
Video: working with
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There are a number of issues to consider before adding lots of multimedia content to your website. These include file transfer limits and streaming limits.
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Web Application Firewall
No Joomla! website should be without a Web Application Firewall or WAF, especially if hosted in a shared server environment.
Our preferred choice of WAF for the Joomla! CMS is Akeeba Admin Tools.
Web Links
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The Web Links Component is useful if you want to post lots of external links in your website.
It enables you to organise Web Links in Categories and display lists of links in the Front End using various Web Links Modules and Menu Links.
Who's Online Module
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The Who's Online Module will when published display how many visitors are viewing your website and who is signed into the Front End.
This information can be viewed by the website Administrator after signing into the Front End.
Signposting used in this guide
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Make Joomla! CMS Security your #1 Priority
We help and support managers responsible for Joomla! CMS websites in UK business and third sector organisations across Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and North West England.
Your personal data is nobody's business.