How to install WordPress: choose the method that suits you best

How to install WordPress: Choose one of four methods

WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) that is open-source, free, and recognized for being simple to use. WordPress can be installed in a few different methods, including manually with the aid of an FTP client or via an installer provided by a web hosting service.

Without any technical expertise, you can install WordPress CMS by following the comprehensive instructions in this user-friendly guide. We’ll also discuss a few typical issues you can run into and how to fix them.

This installation guide will mostly concentrate on local installations on macOS and Windows systems and shared hosting.

In this article, you will learn how to:

  • Download WordPress
  • Create a new database and user.
  • Set up the wp-config.php file.
  • Upload WordPress files using FTP.
  • Run the installer and adjust the settings.

Method #1: Choose a hosting provider with automatic installation

This is the simplest installation technique because many website hosting companies, including Bluehost, WP Engine, or Dreamhost, offer automated WordPress installation. If you’re unfamiliar with WordPress or lack experience in web building, this is a fantastic choice. Visit your provider’s website to see if they offer automated WordPress installation if you’re unsure; it should be noted that this information is often listed on their support page.

How to Install WordPress on Bluehost

One of the largest hosting firms in the world is called Bluehost. One of the most popular things about them is their user-friendly WordPress installation process and their expertise when it comes to WordPress.

When you register with Bluehost, WordPress is automatically installed on your domain name.

Simply select the “My Sites” tab in the Bluehost control panel to start building a new WordPress website. Then select “Create New Site” from the menu after clicking the “Add Site” button.

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

This will start the Bluehost WordPress installation wizard with instructions.

You will first be required to enter the site title and, optionally, the tagline.

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

The processes are similar for most hosting systems.

Method #2: How to install WordPress on cPanel

Many web hosting businesses use the well-known Cpanel software. It offers a simple web-based interface for hosting account management for website owners, providing one-stop access to many practical tools, such as programs that automatically install WordPress. The most common automatic installers are Softaculous, QuickInstall, MOJO Marketplace, and Fantastico.

If you want a little more hands-on experience, trying to install WordPress through the cPanel is a fantastic choice. Many hosting companies provide you access to the cPanel when you sign up.

Your cPanel should include an “auto-installers” section once you log in using the details provided by your server. All cPanels have a similar appearance:

  • Click the WordPress icon in your cPanel’s auto-installer area.
  • You should be taken to a screen where you may click “Install Now”.
  • You will be prompted to enter your web domain where you’d like WordPress to be installed. (This page should appear the same regardless of the cPanel or automatic installer you are using.)

The default choice under “Protocol” is “http.” Unless you have an SSL certificate setup, in which case you should use “https,” we advise you to continue with this.

You will be prompted to input a “Directory.”

  • To make sure WordPress is installed on your primary domain, you should often leave this field empty. Your URL will appear as www.yoursite.com if you leave the field empty.
  • Your site’s URL will appear as www.yoursite.com/blog, if you enter a directory, indicating that WordPress is only set up on a section of your website.

Under “Site Settings,” you can also add the name of your site (read: your company name) and its description (read: its goal). You may always go back and update these if you decide to change them later.

Filling out the information on your admin page will be the last step.

  • Enter your administrator password, username, email address, and any other information needed. Depending on the auto-installer used, there may be a few additional questions to answer.
  • Click “Install” after that.

Now, you can get into the WordPress backend of your website at www.yoursite.com/wp-admin. You can make any necessary changes to your admin information here as well.

To learn about using Softaculous, check out our article  on How to Install WordPress from cPanel

Method #3: How to Install WordPress Manually via FTP

It isn’t really a necessity to manually install the program using an FTP since so many hosting companies already install WordPress for you. You can also use the auto-installers in your cPanel. However, if you decide to install manually, then adhere to the procedures listed below.

  • You must first have an FTP application like FileZilla or SmartFTP (as one of the tasks you need to complete before you begin installation).
  • Then, head to the WordPress site and download the most recent CMS version.

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

Then, after unzipping the WordPress archive, upload the file to your public directory, which is most often named public_html.

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

Locate the “MySQL Databases” button in your cPanel. While your MySQL button might be placed in a slightly different spot, all cPanels should seem similar.

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

Input your database name when prompted.

After completing that, select “Create Database”

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

Following the creation of the database, you will be prompted to establish a “user” for the MySQL account.

Click the “Create User” button after you have entered your username and your password.

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

By including their details and the name of the database you’re adding them to, you can grant this user access to the database.

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

Make sure all of the permissions you want to grant that user are checked when prompted on the following screen.

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

It’s time to head to your site’s domain and finish the installation now that your FTP transfer ought to be finished. When you visit your domain, WordPress will ask you to select your language if the transfer was successful.

Select the language of your choice, then click “Continue”

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

Enter your database’s information; “Name,” “Username,” “Password,” “Database Host,” and “Table Prefix”.

Click “Submit” once you’ve finished filling out those fields.

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

Select “Run the Install” from the menu.

WordPress will request your admin information. This will contain the previously created “Site Title,” “Username,” “Password,” and “Email.”

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

Click “Install WordPress” to finish. Your password and username should now work to access WordPress.

Congrats! WordPress has been manually installed by you.

Method #4: How to install WordPress on your own computer (Locally)

By installing WordPress locally, you can test the software, become acquainted with it, access databases, and make adjustments locally before publishing them online.

Keep in mind that if you locally install WordPress on your computer, nobody else is going to be given access to your website; you will be the only one who can. You’ll need web hosting so that other people may visit your website.

Your website can go live after WordPress has been installed locally. Once you’ve selected a web host and hosting package, just move the files and database to the live web server at another time.

First, choose a suitable development environment. Use WAMP if you want to install WordPress for Windows, and MAMP for Macs.

Installing WordPress on Mac Using MAMP

We’ll use MAMP to install WordPress locally on a Mac machine (Macintosh, Apache, MySQL, PHP).

This program aids in setting up a MySQL server and PHP on your computer. In other words, it offers every component required to set up a local WordPress environment for testing.

Creating a Database and Installing MAMP

As with manually installing WordPress on a shared hosting, you need to first set up a web server and database:

  • Download and then install MAMP’s most recent version on your Mac.

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

The installation wizard is really straightforward and doesn’t need any special settings. Continue until the setup is finished.

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

Open the Preferences window and choose the Ports tab. To browse local websites via http://localhost instead of http://localhost:8888, enter 80 for the Apache Port. To proceed, press the OK button.

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

To develop and store your website, check the Document Root Directory. It will by default be located in the folder named htdocs under Applications/MAMP. You should alter this if you’re installing WordPress inside a subfolder.

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

Move the WordPress folder to the MAMP document root by default: MAMP document root’s Applications/MAMP/htdocs.htdocs folder

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

To launch the MAMP app window in a browser, click WebStart on MAMP. In order to create fresh database information, go to Tools -> phpMyAdmin.

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

To create a database, choose the Databases tab. Select the Create icon after completing the section under Create database. In this instance, we’ll use the database name w0rdpr3ss and choose utf8 general-ci from the drop-down menu that appears next to it.

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

Installing WordPress: How to Do It

Start by typing http://localhost into your web browser to get to the installation wizard for WordPress.

Choose your Language

A Welcome to WordPress statement will then appear. For the process to continue, select the Let’s go! button.

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

Enter your database name when prompted to provide user connection and database information.

Next, pick root for both the Password and the Username.

To proceed, click Submit.

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

WordPress will utilize this information to automatically generate a wp-config.php file.

If it didn’t, go to wp-config-sample.php in the htdocs folder to configure WordPress manually Put the identical information in your form’s database name, password, and username fields by hand, then save the form as wp-config.php.

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

Click Install WordPress on the following screen after selecting a Username, Password, and Email address.

After that, you’re going to see a message indicating its success. To access the WordPress Admin, click the Login button.

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

Installing WordPress on Windows

We’ll use WampServer to install WordPress on a Windows computer. How to install WAMP (Windows, Apache, MySQL, PHP) is described here:

WampServer Installation and Database Creation

Download a WampServer version compatible with your computer’s operating system. Head to the Control Panel, then System and Security, then to System check your computer’s System type to determine whether to download a 32-bit or 64-bit operating system. You can read more about it in our article on How to Create a Local Server for WordPress Using XAMPP.

Putting WordPress into Place

Following these instructions, install WordPress after all the prerequisites have been met:

After you have downloaded WordPress, move the package to your computer’s C:/wamp64/www document root web directory. You can give the WordPress folder any name you like. We’ll rename it testsite in this case.

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

To access the setup page, launch your web browser and type http://localhost/testsite. Whenever you choose a different folder name, don’t forget to rename the testsite portion.

Select the Language and enter the database information. Once more, enter root as your Username, and this time again, leave the Password field blank.

Final: How to install WordPress- choose one of four methods

Be sure to finish the remaining setup procedures. In a few minutes, WordPress will then be installed on the Windows PC.

You can learn more about How to Install WordPress on the WAMP Server? here.

Common WordPress Installation Problems

You might run into a few issues with the installation script for WordPress when installing. Here are some of the typical problems you might encounter with WordPress installation.

Using a directory listing rather than a web page

On your website, visitors will encounter a list of directories and files rather than typical pages. When a web server doesn’t view the index.php file, this issue arises. When this occurs, the website is more open to cyberattacks.

To resolve this:

  • Turn off the directory listing by going to cPanel Dashboard, then Folder Index Manager.
  • When asked to select a new indexing type, choose No index next to the directory option of public_html.

Using the File Manager to upload the index.php file to the public_html folder is another option to resolve this.

Error Headers Already Sent

When modifying a wp-config.php file, a syntax error is introduced and results in this error.

To resolve this:

  • Start by downloading the wp-config.php file once more.
  • Open it using a text editor then make sure the first line begins with “?php” and ends with “?>” without anything else. Re-upload the file, save it, and then refresh the page.

Page on WordPress Site Appears to be in Gibberish

Your PHP isn’t operating properly if your page’s source code is littered with “?php” tags all over the place.

Check that PHP is correctly installed and that there are no configuration mistakes before attempting to repair this error. Disable “Zlib.output compression” by going to the PHP Configurations -> PHP Options.

For more assistance, if issues continue, get in touch with your web host’s customer care staff.

Connecting to Database Error

When attempting to connect to the database, if an error message appears, it implies that your website was unable to retrieve the data required to display the page.

  • Make sure your MySQL credentials match the login credentials in wp-config.php to solve this issue.
  • Try to reset your MySQL password if you’re certain that you’ve input the correct database details. Go to MySQL Databases, pick Change Password from the three dots menu.
  • Set up a new user and database in MySQL Databases if the aforementioned fixes do not solve the problem.

Conclusion

This article presented both automatic and manual WordPress installation for novices. To test a WordPress website before going live, we’ve also covered how to install WordPress locally on Mac and Windows computers.

We’ve also included some straightforward solutions for some of the frequent WordPress installation issues.

Your new WordPress site can now be installed.

What’s next?

Select a Theme

Themes are responsible for your WordPress-powered website’s aesthetic appeal. WordPress themes come in a huge variety, with thousands to pick from. For newcomers, there can be a lot of options, which can be overwhelming without a guide.

Install and Use Plugins in WordPress

The vast library of plugins is where WordPress gets its true strength. They act similarly to apps for your WordPress website, enabling you to expand functionality and introduce new features.

The WordPress plugin directory alone has over 59,000 free plugins to choose from. Other plugins may be purchased from third-party websites.

Further reading – Useful Resources


FAQs

Can I Transfer My WordPress.com Site To WordPress.org?

Yes, you can. WordPress.com is typically chosen by new website owners as their first platform because it is free and doesn’t require you to buy a domain or web hosting. Many are also unaware of the distinction between WordPress.com and WordPress.org.

Can I Monetize the Free WordPress.com Website?

It is prohibited to use ad networks like Google AdSense or to sell advertising directly. You can sign up for the WordAds program, but you should be aware that WordPress will get a cut of whatever money you earn. If you sign up for WordAds’ Premium and/or Business packages, you can use them straight away.

Additionally, you cannot use affiliate links or make money from them if you use their free plan.

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org – Which one is better for Ecommerce?

We usually advise that you use WordPress.org for eCommerce. This is because a WordPress.com site cannot be used to build an eCommerce store or a membership site unless a premium plan is purchased. Additionally, you cannot receive any form of money.

How To Set up a VSFTPD Server on a CentOS 7 VPS or Dedicated Server

Brief Description FTP is usually insecure exposing clear-text passwords, userna
2 min read
Avi Ilinsky
Avi Ilinsky
Hosting Expert

How To Set up a VSFTPD Server on an Ubuntu 16.04 VPS or Dedicated Server

Brief Description FTP data is usually insecure since information (usernames, pa
2 min read
Eliran Ouzan
Eliran Ouzan
Web Designer & Hosting Expert

How to use phpMyAdmin to develop a website (without MySQL experience)

Brief description A web developer who is not well versed into coding websites f
2 min read
Idan Cohen
Idan Cohen
Marketing Expert

How to Install MySQL on a Windows Web Server Running Apache

This tutorial will show you how to install the MySQL database on a Windows serve
3 min read
Michael Levanduski
Michael Levanduski
Expert Hosting Writer & Tester
HostAdvice.com provides professional web hosting reviews fully independent of any other entity. Our reviews are unbiased, honest, and apply the same evaluation standards to all those reviewed. While monetary compensation is received from a few of the companies listed on this site, compensation of services and products have no influence on the direction or conclusions of our reviews. Nor does the compensation influence our rankings for certain host companies. This compensation covers account purchasing costs, testing costs and royalties paid to reviewers.
Click to go to the top of the page
Go To Top