---
title: "How to Add CAPTCHA to a Joomla 4 Site"
description: "In this guide, we will show you how to add CAPTCHA to a Joomla 4 site. When you first installed Joomla 4, you may have noticed some spam submitted on your registration form. This is typically..."
url: https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/edu/joomla/joomla-4/add-captcha/
date: 2021-09-08
modified: 2021-09-08
author: "InMotion Hosting Contributor"
categories: ["Joomla 4"]
type: post
lang: en
---

# How to Add CAPTCHA to a Joomla 4 Site

![Learn How to Add CAPTCHA to a Joomla 4 Site](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/How-to-Add-CAPTCHA-to-a-Joomla-4-Site-1024x538.png)

In this guide, we will show you how to add CAPTCHA to a Joomla 4 site. When you first installed Joomla 4, you may have noticed some spam submitted on your registration form. This is typically generated by robots or bots that crawl the web looking for websites to post spam on. Since it is not valid visitor traffic, it does not add any value to your website.

These bots can be deterred by using CAPTCHA on your forms. CAPTCHA is a basic test that can help verify if your form is being filled out by a real human.

There are 2 steps to setting up CAPTCHA in Joomla 4. First, you need to add setup CAPTCHA with your* Site Key* and *Secret Key *provided by google. Then we will show you how to enable CAPTCHA globally on your site.

- [Add CAPTCHA to a Joomla 4 Site](#add)
- [Globally Enable CAPTCHA in Joomla 4](#enable)

To complete this guide, you will need to go to the following Google URL to get a **reCAPTCHA v2** “Site Key” and “Secret key”: [https://www.google.com/recaptcha/](https://www.google.com/recaptcha/) The specific steps will differ based on the Google plan you are subscribed to.

![View of CAPTCHA Site Key and Secret Key](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/site-key-secret-key.png)

## Add Captcha to a Joomla 4 Site

In this first section, we will show you how to add and setup the CAPTCHA ability in Joomla 4. You will need to enable the CAPTCHA plugin then add your *Site Key* and *Secret Key*.

1. [Login to your Joomla Admin Panel](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/edu/joomla/how-to-log-in-to-administrative-dashboard/).
2. Click the **Systems** link in the navigation menu.
3. Click **Plugins** under the *Manage* section.
4. Type ‘captcha’ in the search box then click the enter key or click the magnifying glass.
5. Next to “CAPTCHA - reCAPTCHA” click the **X** under *Status* to enable the extension. You will see an “*Extension enabled*” message.![Enabling the CAPTCHA Plugin](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/enable-captcha-extension.png)
6. Click the **CAPTCHA - reCAPTCHA** plugin link.
7. Enter your **Site Key** in the available field.![Entering CAPTCHA Site Key](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/enter-site-key.png)
8. Enter your **Secret Key** in the next field.![Entering CAPTCHA Secret Key](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/enter-secret-key.png)
9. Click the **Save & Close** button. You are finished when you see a “Plugin saved” message.

CAPTCHA is now setup and available to use on your Joomla site. In the next section, we’ll show you how to enable this ability globally.

## Globally Enable CAPTCHA in Joomla 4

Now that you have CAPTCHA setup, we will show you how to enable this ability globally on your Joomla 4 site. The CAPTCHA requirements will then show up on your forms such as registration and contact.

1. In your [Joomla Admin Panel](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/edu/joomla/how-to-log-in-to-administrative-dashboard/), click** System** then **Global Configuration**.![Access the Joomla 4 Global Configuration](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/system-global-configuration.png)
2. Ensure you are on the **Site** tab.![Access the Site Tab of the Global Configuration](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/global-configuration-site-tab.png)
3. Click the drop-down menu next to “*Default Captcha”* and select the **CAPTCHA - reCAPTCHA** option.![Choosing Default CAPTCHA for Joomla 4](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/select-default-captcha.png)
4. Click the **Save & Close** button. You are finished when you see a “*Configuration saved*” message. Below you can see a comparison of the site registration form before and after enabling CAPTCHA. On the right image below, notice the new section under the "Email Address" field.

Before:

![Before Adding CAPTCHA](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/before-without-captcha-1024x715.png)

After:

![After Adding CAPTCHA](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/after-with-captcha-1024x802.png)

Congratulations, now you know how to add CAPTCHA to a Joomla 4 site! Check out our [Joomla 4](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/edu/joomla/joomla-4/) sections for more guides to help you build a successful website.