The week's largest handover: SpeakOut! Email Petitions, at 2,000+ installs, moved from RopeSwingHld to DigitalME on 14 Sep 2026. The record carries the full transfer evidence.
Other hands changed too: Media Library File Download (1,000+) moved from wpmediadownload to wpluna on 13 Sep 2026. In all, 10 plugins changed hands across 8 handovers this week.
71 plugins left the directory this week. The largest by last recorded installs: Easy Google Fonts (100,000+), Easy Custom Sidebars (10,000+), Bulgarisation for WooCommerce (5,000+). wordpress.org removes a closed plugin's page the same day it closes; each last good record is preserved in the registry.
12 plugins returned to the directory, led by Dark Mode – Improve Accessibility with AI Powered Dark Theme (20,000+) and Pixel Gallery (4,000+).
After long silence: Template Kit – Import, at 400,000+ installs shipped a release on 17 Sep 2026, at least 540 days after its previous one. 58 more did the same; the dormancy record has each.
The week in numbers
| Ownership transfers | 10 |
|---|---|
| Closures | 71 |
| Returns | 12 |
| Dormancy breaks | 59 |
The record, in full
- The rolling transfer record: every handover of the trailing 90 days, with evidence.
- The dormancy record: plugins past 540 days without a release, most widely installed first.
- Closed in 2026: every plugin removed this year, last good record preserved.
This brief is assembled from the registry’s event records for the seven days shown. Every claim links to the record that carries its evidence.