NitroLitebox Quick Start Guide
Install NitroLitebox, and image links plus galleries open in a fast lightbox with pan and zoom out of the box; this quick start covers activation, default behavior, and the first settings worth checking.
Up in 60 seconds
Everything you need to go from zero to a working lightbox on your WordPress site.
Install the plugin
In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Add New Plugin → Upload Plugin. Select nitrolitebox.zip and click Install Now, then Activate.
nitrolitebox/ folder to /wp-content/plugins/ via FTP.You're done (for most sites)
NitroLiteBox auto-detects any linked image on your site - the lightbox activates on every page immediately. WordPress gallery blocks, classic media links, and Oxygen Builder galleries all work without any changes.
The auto-detection looks for this pattern:
<a href="photo-full.jpg"> <img src="photo-thumb.jpg" alt="Caption text"> </a>
Create gallery groups
To group images into a swipeable gallery, give them a shared identifier. Three ways:
Option A - CSS class (simplest in page builders)
<a href="img1.jpg" class="nlb-group-myproject"><img src="t1.jpg"></a> <a href="img2.jpg" class="nlb-group-myproject"><img src="t2.jpg"></a>
Option B - data attribute (full manual control)
<a href="img1.jpg" data-nlb-group="set-a"><img src="t1.jpg"></a> <a href="img2.jpg" data-nlb-group="set-a"><img src="t2.jpg"></a>
Option C - rel attribute (WordPress galleries do this automatically)
<a href="img1.jpg" rel="gallery-1"><img src="t1.jpg"></a> <a href="img2.jpg" rel="gallery-1"><img src="t2.jpg"></a>
Use the shortcode (optional)
For full control over the thumbnail, caption, and group - especially useful in the Block Editor:
[nitrolitebox src="https://nitroshock.ai/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/sunset.webp" thumb="https://nitroshock.ai/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/sunset-380x275.webp" caption="Sunset over the bay" group="gallery-1" ]
Zoom & keyboard shortcuts
The zoom feature works out of the box. Remind your visitors:
- Scroll wheel - zoom toward cursor
- Double-click - jump to 2.5× at click point
- Pinch - zoom on mobile
- Drag - pan while zoomed
- ←→ - navigate gallery
- + / - - zoom in/out
- 0 - reset zoom
- Esc - reset zoom, then close
That's everything.
Check the full docs for PHP filter options, the JavaScript API, Oxygen Builder specifics, and more.