How can we help you?

How to enable GD module on my domain?

Ella McMorran
Written by
Ella McMorran

The GD module is PHP’s graphics library that handles image manipulation - resizing, cropping, watermarks, thumbnails, format conversion, and basically anything your WordPress plugins or custom scripts need to do with images. Without it enabled, image uploads often fail or you’ll see those dreaded “Call to undefined function imagecreatetruecolor()” errors.

Most WordPress themes and plugins assume GD is available, so missing it usually means broken image galleries, failed media uploads, or plugins that just won’t work properly.

Enabling GD Module

Since your hosting runs on CloudLinux, you get per-domain control over PHP modules. Here’s how to enable GD for your domain:

  1. Login to cPanel - Use the cPanel for your specific domain (not the main WHM account)
  2. Find “Select PHP Version” - Usually in the Software section
  3. Switch PHP versions - Change to any non-native PHP version and click “Set as Current”
  4. Enable GD - Check the “GD” box in the modules list and click Save

Important: You need to switch away from the native PHP version first. The module options only appear when using the alt-php versions.

Common Issues

“I don’t see the GD option” - Make sure you’ve switched to a non-native PHP version first. Native PHP doesn’t show the module selection interface.

“Changes aren’t taking effect” - Give it 2-3 minutes for the changes to propagate. Some caching systems need a moment to refresh.

“Still getting imagecreate errors” - Double-check that you saved the changes and that your scripts are using the correct PHP version. Sometimes old cached processes hang around.

If you’re still having trouble after following these steps, submit a ticket with the specific error messages you’re seeing. Include which PHP version you selected and what you’re trying to accomplish - it helps narrow down the issue faster.