Applies to: WordPress Plugin WP Admin: Network Admin > Compliance

Overview

Cookie Compliance for WordPress supports WordPress Multisite installations. You can network-activate the plugin and manage consent settings across your entire network from a single location, or allow individual site administrators to configure their own settings.

This is an advanced feature intended for network administrators managing multiple sites under a single WordPress Multisite installation.

Network Activation

To activate the plugin across all sites in your network:

1. Log in to the Network Admin dashboard.
2. Go to Plugins.
3. Find Cookie Compliance for WordPress and click Network Activate.

When network-activated, the plugin runs on every site in the multisite network. Each site receives its own default options on first activation.

Per-Site vs. Network-Wide Settings

After network activation, you have two configuration modes:

Per-Site Configuration (Default)

By default, each site in the network manages its own consent banner settings independently. Individual site administrators access settings at WP Admin → Compliance on their site. Each site can have its own App ID, consent behavior, banner design, and privacy policy link.

Network-Wide Override (Global Settings Override)

Network administrators can enable Global Settings Override to push a single set of consent settings to every site in the network. When Global Settings Override is active:

• All consent settings are managed from the Network Admin → Compliance page.
• Individual site settings pages are disabled (greyed out) — site administrators can view but not edit settings.
• A single App ID and App Secret Key are used across all sites.
• Consent logs are available only to network administrators in the multisite admin panel.
• Privacy Consent logs for individual sites display a notice: “Global network settings override is active. Consent records are available for network administrators in the multisite admin only.”

How to Enable Global Settings Override

1. Go to Network Admin → Compliance → Cookie Consent.
2. Under Network Settings, turn on Global Settings Override and click Save network settings (classic settings screen: Save Changes).
3. Then configure your consent banner settings, App ID and consent behavior; they apply to every site in the network.

Global Cookie (Subdomain Installs)

For subdomain-based multisite installations (e.g., site1.example.com, site2.example.com), the plugin supports a Global Cookie option. When enabled, a visitor who gives consent on one subdomain site does not see the banner again on other subdomain sites in the network. This setting is only effective on subdomain installs, not subdirectory installs.

Conditional Display in Multisite

Conditional display rules (show or hide the banner on specific pages, post types, or user types) work within each site’s scope. When Global Settings Override is active, the conditional rules set at the network level apply to all sites.

Caveats and Known Limitations

• Per-domain subscriptions: Each domain in a multisite network that needs Professional features requires its own domain slot in your subscription plan. A 5-domain plan covers 5 sites, not the entire network.
• Privacy Consent logs with Global Settings Override: When Global Settings Override is active, Privacy Consent logs are only visible to network administrators. Individual site admins see a notice instead of log data.
• Switching from Global Settings Override to per-site: When you disable Global Settings Override, individual sites revert to their previously saved local settings. If a site was newly created while Global Settings Override was active, it will use default plugin settings.
• Banner script loading: When Global Settings Override is enabled, the banner widget script URL and App ID are loaded from network-level options, overriding any per-site values.
• Enforcement: Even if a site administrator bypasses the disabled settings UI (for example, via a direct request), the server rejects any attempt to write network-wide settings without Network Administrator (Super Admin) privileges. Requires plugin version 3.1.10 or later.

Troubleshooting

• Settings page is greyed out on an individual site: Global Settings Override is active. Ask your network administrator to either disable Global Settings Override or make changes at the network level.
• Banner not appearing on a subsite: Verify the plugin is network-activated (not just activated on the main site). Check that the subsite has a valid App ID — or that Global Settings Override is enabled with a valid network-level App ID.
• Consent logs empty on a subsite: If Global Settings Override is active, consent logs are only accessible in the Network Admin panel. Navigate to the Consent Logs tab of Network Admin → Compliance (classic settings screen: the Consent Logs submenu).