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Plan a move Radar no. 88 · Falling behind

Use Google Libraries

By Jason Penney

What it does: Loads common JavaScript libraries from Google’s servers.

Why it’s listed: Loading shared scripts from Google once saved time. Browsers no longer share cached files between sites, and this plugin was last updated in 2017.

View on WordPress.org ↗ Checked Reviewed by Abhishek Deshpande

Active installs
10k+
Last updated
2017-11-28
Tested up to
4.7.39
Rating
4.4 / 5 (47)
Version
1.6.2.3
Maintainers
1

Is Use Google Libraries still maintained?

It has gone over two years without an update.

Falling behind: WordPress or a service it relies on has moved on.

Placements are our opinion, based on public evidence. Risk here means a plugin may not get a fix if a problem appears. It doesn’t mean we found a flaw, unless we show an advisory. Going quiet alone never puts a plugin in Replace now.

Updates WordPress.org shows 2017-11-28, but the plugin’s readme last changed on 2017-05-03. WordPress.org plugin directory · checked 2026-10-31
Compatibility Tested up to WordPress 4.7.39. WordPress 7.1.4 was current on 2026-10-31. WordPress.org plugin directory · checked 2026-10-31
Security No public advisories found. A quiet record is not proof of safety. wpvulnerability.net · checked 2026-10-31
Reviews The latest 10 reviews average 2.8 stars, against 4.4 overall. 5 of them gave 1 or 2 stars. Newest activity: 2024-09-15. These reviews are clearly lower than the overall score. WordPress.org reviews · checked 2026-10-31
Maintainers 1 listed contributor. No recent support threads. WordPress.org plugin directory · checked 2026-10-31
Usage 610 downloads in the last 30 days, including updates. 98.01% of sites run version 1.6. WordPress.org stats · checked 2026-10-31

What to do next

  1. Back up the site, and use a staging copy for any change.
  2. Remove it, and let WordPress load its own copies.

If it works today, no need to panic. Plan the change around your next update.

Recommended alternatives to Use Google Libraries

WordPress bundled scripts ↗

WordPress includes its own copies of these libraries.

No extra plugin needed

Autoptimize ↗

Optimize and defer scripts.

800k+ installs · 4.7 stars · Updated 2026-10-25 · Tested 7.1.4

WP-Optimize ↗

Caching, compression and minification.

1M+ installs · 4.8 stars · Updated 2026-09-21 · Tested 7.1.4

Each listed plugin was updated in the last six months, is tested with WordPress 7.0 or newer, and had no open advisory in WPVulnerability when we checked. We have not tried them ourselves. No one pays to appear here.

Latest reviews

Dates show last activity. Titles are written by WordPress.org users.

Also on this radar: Speed and fonts

No one can pay to appear on the radar or to change a placement. How we stay independent

Something wrong, or updated since we checked? Suggest a correction

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