Yes. You did it wrong. Sounds like you are just making up stuff as you go along.
Assuming you mean this extension…
https://sketchucation.com/pluginstore?pln=SPGears_mjg
If you download it from that link’s connections, then it arrives as a ready-made RBZ file in your Downloads folder.
Then you can use the built-in Extension-Manager simply to ‘install’ it for you [into the Plugins Folder] - no need to mess on with zipping/renaming/manually relocating files etc…
The location of the Extension Manager menu item varies across versions, in v2021 it’s under the Extensions menu.
You seem to be making your life far more complicated than it needs to be… 
1 Like
Oh well that guide needs a serious update then if you’re not suppose to add anything to the tools folder! 
Holy ■■■■ (why is c-r-a-p censored?) that works! 
Now just need a way to animate the meshing of two or more gears together…if only there was such a way… 
What about for the rbz files? Or files that have been zipped and renamed to with a rbz extension instead of zip extension? Where do I put that? Same place?
This screenshot implies that you’re suppose to zip rb files to rbz extension and then put them somewhere? The thread didn’t mention where so I had to google that up…and that’s when I met this page: https://sketchupfiles.com/2-effective-ways-to-install-sketchup-plugins-and-extensions/ which in one of the methods told me to put the file into the tools folder. And isn’t that your comment with which you commented and undisputedly agree with the steps of zipping the file up and renaming it to rbz extension? So no, I was not making this stuff up.
No I got it from here: https://forums.sketchup.com/uploads/short-url/jLlG3hOTrTa7IUMkWQDkry9BKbL.rb because the guy claimed to be a more complete and up to date version of the same program.
But not in the Tools folder! I’ve never instructed anyone to put anything in the Tools folder.
I guess you missed the next sentence where I said:
but here it is:
I also assumed that’s where rbz files went too if you couldn’t do this method:
Which I couldn’t since there was no extension option in the preferences on the left:
PS - ■■■■(Wait why is d-a-m-n censored?), I like this forum style - very user friendly I can copy and paste images without needing to jump through hoops uploading it manually or externally and then pasting the link, seeing replies posted (or in the process) in realtime and be able to just click and highlight a text and quote it just like that into the reply without doing anything extra! 
Not sure where you got that from but it is flat out wrong. It has never been appropriate to install extensions in the Tools folder, whether during download or by moving them there later. Nor has this changed between current and older versions. That folder is for Tools that are distributed as part of the SketchUp distribution, not for user-installed extensions or plugins. Download to your normal browser download folder. If the download is a .rbz, install it using the extension manager without copying anything anywhere - the manager dows that for you and knows the right destination. If the download is a raw .rb the plugin is most likely quite old and not properly supported by its author, since .rbz has been the standard since late SketchUp 8 when the extension manager was added.
Hm, looks like SP Gears doesn’t make gears that automatically scale with the number of teeth you specify them to… so my 10 teeth cog looks like it won’t even mesh with the 30 teeth one I have here:
That is not an official SketchUp site but something obscure.
1 Like
That isn’t an official site and I think this is the most appropriate part of their terms and conditions.
2 Likes
It came from a google result. Where else am I suppose to find out how to install plugins?
Whoa, where that come from? That wasn’t on the page nor did it have a disclaimer of that on the page…
from the official SketchUp Help Center?
I got it from your link. Part of the Terms.
The disclaimer on the page actually says this
Disclaimers for www.sketchupfiles.com:
All the information on this website is published in good faith and for general information purpose only. www.sketchupfiles.com does not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability and accuracy of this information.
Ok fair enough I found it: Adding Extensions to SketchUp | SketchUp Help but i didn’t think they would have it and thought it was “Go google it up you lazy b-a-s-t-a-r-d!” kind of deal and yeah. But that page doesn’t mention rb files though…or what to do with them or any mentions that that was an old format resulting from a lazy developer or for older versions of the program, which is where I was gonna google for it anyways…
ok fair enough, I guess I missed that then… 
Since I was really only interested in the contents of the page and didn’t think to click on the terms or the disclaimer or even see it.
I’m only making the point that you need to be selective when you use search on the internet. There is an awful lot of garbage out there.
ok, I guess case solved then since you can’t buy a license anymore nor there appears to be a trial license I can add to the 2016 version of the program and Anton is still working on an update to that plugin to get it working on 2021… Does he have a forum account on here that I could private message him with to see what’s going on and to ask about the SketchyPhysics plugin and what happened to that while I’m at it?
I guess that’s why forums like these exist. To be fed the non-garbage parts of the internet! 
Having to remind that this here is an user forum and each member is sort of free to express their opinions as are others to correct them.