WordPress powers roughly 43% of all websites on the internet. If you want to start a blog, build a business site, or launch an online store, there is a very good chance WordPress is the tool you will end up using. The good news: installing it takes about five minutes once you know the steps.

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This guide walks you through every way to install WordPress in 2026:

• Method 1: One-click install (cPanel / Softaculous) — the fastest, used by most beginners.
• Method 2: Manual install — download WordPress, create a database, upload files, run the wizard. Full screenshots included.
• Method 3: Local install — for development on your own computer (LocalWP, XAMPP, or PHP’s built-in server).
• Method 4: VPS / command line — for servers you manage yourself (WP-CLI).

Note on the screenshots: Every screenshot in the manual section was captured during a real WordPress installation performed inside a local, temporary environment (PHP built-in server + MariaDB). The interface is identical to what you will see on a live web server — the steps, field names, and screens do not change. Only the hosting panel around them differs.

Before you start: what you need

Regardless of the method, a WordPress installation needs four things:

1. A domain name — e.g. example.com. You can buy one from any registrar (Namecheap, Cloudflare, your host).
2. Web hosting — a server that runs PHP and MySQL/MariaDB. Minimum requirements for WordPress 6.x: PHP 8.1 or newer, MySQL 8.0+ or MariaDB 10.6+, HTTPS support.
3. FTP/SFTP or a file manager — to upload files (only needed for the manual method).
4. About 10 minutes — less if you use the one-click method.

If you do not have hosting yet, most providers (Hostinger, SiteGround, Bluehost, Kinsta) install WordPress for you automatically during signup. That is effectively Method 1 with zero extra steps.

Method 1: One-click install (cPanel / Softaculous)

This is the method 90% of beginners use. Your host provides a control panel (usually cPanel) with an installer (Softaculous, Installatron, or a custom “WordPress” button). It creates the database, uploads the files, and runs the wizard for you.

1. Log in to your hosting control panel (cPanel).
2. Find the WordPress or Softaculous Apps Installer icon.
3. Click Install next to WordPress.
4. Fill in the form:
   • Choose protocol: https:// (always use HTTPS if you have an SSL certificate — most hosts provide a free one).
   • Choose domain: select your domain from the dropdown.
   • In Directory: leave blank to install at the root (example.com/). Enter a folder name (e.g. blog) to install in a subdirectory (example.com/blog/).
   • Site Name / Site Description: your site title and tagline. You can change these later.
   • Admin Username: do not use “admin” — pick something unique. This reduces brute-force attacks.
   • Admin Password: use the generator; store it in a password manager.
   • Admin Email: a real address you check.
   • Language: your preferred language.
   • Select Theme: leave the default (Twenty Twenty-Five) or pick one. You can change it later.
5. Click Install. Wait 30–60 seconds.
6. You will see a success message with your site URL and admin login URL (example.com/wp-admin/).

Pros: fastest, no technical knowledge needed, host handles updates to the installer.

Cons: you depend on the host’s installer version; some hosts add promotional plugins you will want to remove.

Method 2: Manual install (full walkthrough with screenshots)

The manual method is what every “how to install WordPress” tutorial is really about. It is the same process the one-click installer runs behind the scenes. Doing it once teaches you how WordPress is wired together — which helps enormously when something breaks later.

Step 1 — Download WordPress

Go to wordpress.org/download and download the latest .zip (or .tar.gz). As of this writing, WordPress 7.1.x is current. Always download from the official site — never from third-party mirrors.

Unzip the archive on your computer. You will get a folder named wordpress/ containing files like wp-config-sample.php, wp-admin/, wp-content/, and wp-includes/.

Step 2 — Create a database

WordPress needs a MySQL or MariaDB database. Create one in your hosting control panel:

1. In cPanel, open MySQL Databases (or MySQL Database Wizard).
2. Create a database — e.g. youruser_wordpress. Note the full name (it usually includes your account prefix).
3. Create a database user — e.g. youruser_wpuser — with a strong password.
4. Add the user to the database with All Privileges.
5. Write down: database name, username, password, host (usually localhost).

If your host uses a remote database server, the host will be something like db123.hostingprovider.com instead of localhost. Check your host’s documentation.

Step 3 — Upload the files

Upload the contents of the wordpress/ folder (not the folder itself) to your web root:

• cPanel File Manager: upload the zip, then extract it in public_html/. Move the files out of the wordpress/ subfolder into public_html/.
• FTP/SFTP: connect with FileZilla (or similar), navigate to public_html/ (or www/), upload all files.
• SSH: scp wordpress.zip user@host:~/public_html/ then unzip on the server.

After upload, public_html/ should contain index.php, wp-config-sample.php, wp-admin/, etc.

Step 4 — Run the install wizard

Open your browser and go to https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin/install.php. You will be walked through the wizard. Here is every screen you will see, with screenshots from a real installation:

Screen 1 — Language selection. Pick your language and click Continue.

Screen 2 — “Before getting started.” WordPress explains what it needs (database name, username, password, host, table prefix) and offers to create wp-config.php for you. Click “Let’s go!”.

Screen 3 — Database connection. Enter the database details you wrote down in Step 2. Leave “Database Host” as localhost unless your host told you otherwise. Leave “Table Prefix” as wp_ unless you want to run multiple WordPress sites in one database (then use something like site2_). Click Submit.

Screen 4 — Successful database connection. WordPress confirms it can talk to your database. Click “Run the installation”.

Screen 5 — Site information. Enter your site title, admin username (avoid “admin”), a strong password, your email, and whether to discourage search engines from indexing the site (check this only if the site is not ready for the public). Click “Install WordPress”.

Screen 6 — Success! WordPress confirms the installation. Click “Log In”.

Screen 7 — Login. Enter the username and password you just created.

Screen 8 — Dashboard. You are in. WordPress is installed and ready.

Step 5 — Log in and verify

After installation, your admin dashboard is at https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin/. Log in with the credentials from Screen 5. You should see the Dashboard with a “Hello world!” post and a sample comment — those are safe to delete.

Method 3: Local install (for development)

If you want to build or test a site on your own computer before going live, install WordPress locally. Three common options:

Option A — LocalWP (easiest)

LocalWP is a free desktop app (Windows/macOS/Linux) that spins up a complete WordPress environment (PHP, MySQL, web server) with one click. Create a site, and it gives you a local URL like mysite.local. Best for beginners and designers.

Option B — XAMPP / MAMP / WAMP

These bundles install Apache + PHP + MySQL on your computer. Download XAMPP, start Apache and MySQL, drop WordPress into htdocs/, and run the same wizard as Method 2. More manual, but you learn the stack.

Option C — PHP built-in server (developers)

If you already have PHP and MySQL/MariaDB installed, you can run WordPress without Apache or nginx:

cd /path/to/wordpress
php -S 0.0.0.0:8080

Then visit http://localhost:8080 and run the wizard. This is exactly how the screenshots in this guide were produced. It is not for production — only for local development and testing.

Method 4: VPS / command line (WP-CLI)

If you manage your own server (DigitalOcean, Linode, Hetzner, etc.), WP-CLI installs WordPress in one command. Assuming you have PHP, MySQL, and a web server already configured:

# Download WordPress
wp core download --path=/var/www/html

# Create the database (run in MySQL)
mysql -u root -p -e "CREATE DATABASE wordpress; CREATE USER 'wpuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'strongpassword'; GRANT ALL ON wordpress.* TO 'wpuser'@'localhost'; FLUSH PRIVILEGES;"

# Generate wp-config.php
cd /var/www/html
wp config create --dbname=wordpress --dbuser=wpuser --dbpass=strongpassword --dbhost=localhost

# Run the install
wp core install --url="https://example.com" --title="My Site" --admin_user="admin" --admin_password="strongpassword" --admin_email="[email protected]"

WP-CLI is the fastest method for developers and is ideal for scripting repeatable deployments. It is also how many hosting providers automate their one-click installers.

Post-install checklist (do these before you publish)

1. Set permalinks: Settings → Permalinks → choose “Post name” → Save. This gives clean URLs like /my-post/ instead of /?p=123.
2. Enable HTTPS: install an SSL certificate (most hosts offer a free Let’s Encrypt certificate) and force HTTPS in Settings → General (change both URLs to https://). Add a redirect from HTTP to HTTPS.
3. Delete defaults: remove the “Hello world!” post, the “Sample Page”, and the default comment. Remove unused themes and plugins.
4. Update everything: Dashboard → Updates. Update WordPress core, themes, and plugins to the latest versions.
5. Set a strong admin password and enable two-factor authentication (use a plugin like WP 2FA or your host’s 2FA).
6. Configure backups: install a backup plugin (UpdraftPlus, BackWPup) or use your host’s backup feature. Test a restore.
7. Set your timezone and date format: Settings → General.
8. Configure reading settings: Settings → Reading → choose “A static page” if you want a homepage, or leave “Your latest posts”.
9. Install an SEO plugin: Yoast SEO or Rank Math. Set your site title and meta description.
10. Disable file editing: add define('DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true); to wp-config.php to prevent editing theme/plugin files from the dashboard.

Common errors and how to fix them

• “Error establishing a database connection”: your wp-config.php database name, username, password, or host is wrong. Double-check them. Also verify the database user has privileges.
• “403 Forbidden” or blank page: file permissions. Folders should be 755, files 644. wp-config.php should be 600 or 640.
• White screen of death: usually a PHP error. Enable debugging by adding define('WP_DEBUG', true); to wp-config.php and check the error log.
• “Installation already complete” / redirect loop: wp-config.php exists but the database is empty. Delete wp-config.php and re-run the wizard, or check that the database has tables.
• Memory limit errors: add define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M'); to wp-config.php.
• Upload size too small: increase upload_max_filesize and post_max_size in php.ini, or ask your host.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to install WordPress?
One-click: 1–2 minutes. Manual: 10–15 minutes. VPS with WP-CLI: 2–3 minutes after server setup.

Is WordPress free?
Yes. WordPress software is free and open source (GPL). You pay for hosting and a domain name, not for WordPress itself.

WordPress.org vs WordPress.com — what is the difference?
WordPress.org is the self-hosted software (what this guide installs). You own everything and control all settings. WordPress.com is a hosted service run by Automattic — easier to start, but limited unless you pay for higher tiers. For full control, use WordPress.org (self-hosted).

Can I install WordPress on a subdomain or subfolder?
Yes. Install in a subfolder (e.g. example.com/blog/) or point a subdomain (blog.example.com) at a separate directory and install there.

Do I need to know how to code?
No. The install wizard is point-and-click. You only need code if you want to customize themes or plugins beyond what the dashboard offers.

What if my host does not support WordPress?
Almost every host supports it. The requirements are PHP 8.1+ and MySQL 8.0+/MariaDB 10.6+. If your host lacks these, switch hosts — do not downgrade WordPress to match old software.

Conclusion

Installing WordPress is a five-minute job once you understand the steps: get hosting and a domain, create a database, upload the files, run the wizard, and log in. The one-click method is fastest for beginners; the manual method teaches you how WordPress is wired; the local and WP-CLI methods are for developers. Whichever path you choose, complete the post-install checklist before you publish — permalinks, HTTPS, updates, backups, and security settings matter more than the install itself.

If you get stuck, the WordPress community is large and helpful: the official support forums, the developer documentation, and countless tutorials cover every edge case. Happy publishing.

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