When you install WordPress locally on your computer, it allows you to create a safe, private server environment for development and testing. I will walk you through setting up WordPress locally so that you can work on your site safely and efficiently. If you have ever wanted to explore WordPress features privately, redesign your site without impacting the live version, or test multiple plugins without risking site stability, this guide is for you!
As WordPress continues to evolve, powerful new tools have emerged to streamline rapid testing and development for WordPress websites. In this guide, we’ll explore two standout options: Studio and LocalWP, both available for Mac and Windows users. These tools offer versatile, easy-to-use solutions that simplify WordPress development and enhance productivity, regardless of your operating system.
Install WordPress locally with Studio
Studio by WordPress is a modern, desktop-based development environment that simplifies WordPress website building and testing. Created by Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, Studio offers an all-in-one toolkit to help developers and designers quickly set up, customize, and test WordPress sites locally on their computers.
To install Studio, go to the official Studio page and download the installer for your operating system macOS or Windows.
- Deploy WordPress in a one-click installation process
The process is simple: name your website and select the Add Site option. Within a few seconds, your new site is up and running.
2. Overview of the Dashboard
Each site has its own quick-access buttons that are placed under the Overview tab for ease of use and more efficient workflow.
If you are using a block theme you will have quick access to the following:
- Index page of the site
- Site Editor
- Styles
- Patterns
- Navigation
- Templates
- Pages
If you are using a classic theme you will have access to the following:
- Customizer
- Menus
- Widgets
Studio offers direct file access to each website and provides a terminal for users who prefer more advanced file manipulation and WordPress CLI.
3. Share Tab for Studio WordPress
The Share tab lets you easily share your site with others to gather feedback.
To host your demo, make sure you have a WordPress.com account.
The demo site will be hosted on a temporary wp.build domain and will remain active for 7 days.
4. Settings
The Settings menu provides a comprehensive set of options to customize and configure your site to suit your needs.
- Site Settings
- Site Name: Customize the name of your local site.
- Site URL: Edit the URL for your site.
- File & System Information
- Local Path: The Folder where your site files are stored.
- WordPress Version: Version of WordPress currently installed.
- PHP Version: The PHP version your site is using.
- Admin Information
- Admin Username: Username for site administrator access.
- Admin Password: Password for administrator login.
- Admin Login URL: Direct link to the admin login page.
- Import/Export Options
- The Import menu in Studio allows users to bring WordPress site data, themes, plugins, or configurations from external sources or backups.
- The Export menu enables users to save and package their site’s content, themes, and settings for backup purposes or to move the site to a different location or server.
Install WordPress locally with LocalWP
Another alternative to installing Studio and deploying WordPress locally is another platform that works in a similar way and is developed by another company.
LocalWP is a popular tool for local WordPress development, enabling fast, offline site creation, testing, and management. With features like one-click WordPress installation, SSL support, and easy file access, LocalWP simplifies workflows, making it ideal for developers and designers building and refining WordPress sites efficiently. LocalWP is available for both Windows and Mac, ensuring flexibility across platforms.
1. Downloading and installing LocalWP.
To install Local WP, visit the official website and download the installer for your operating system.
The application is available for various platforms such as MacOS, Windows, and Linux-based operating systems.
Once the download is complete, run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
2. Creating a New WordPress Site
The application offers you the option to install a fresh new WordPress website or select a preconfigured Blueprint.
The “Create a new site” option allows you to install a site within 3 steps.
It allows you to manually configure the environment that you wish such as the PHP version, Web Server, and Database.
The Blueprint feature in Local WP allows you to save a pre-configured WordPress setup as a reusable template. This helps developers and designers quickly create new sites with the same settings, themes, plugins, and configurations—without setting everything up from scratch each time.
3. Dashboard Overview
Once we have deployed the site, Local offers direct access to the configuration.
- Top navigation
- Site Name: Displays the name of the current site.
- Three-Dot Menu: Provides additional options for site management, such as exporting, renaming, or deleting the site.
- Quick Access Links
- Site Folder: Opens the file directory of your local site. This is where all the site’s files, such as WordPress core files, themes, and plugins, are stored.
- Site Shell: Opens a terminal session for the site. This is useful for running commands, such as using WP-CLI or managing server configurations.
- VS Code: Opens the site’s folder in Visual Studio Code (or your preferred code editor, if configured).
- WP Admin: A direct link to the WordPress admin dashboard for the site.
- Open Site: Opens the front end of the site in your default browser.
- The top navigation section of Local WP provides key tools and controls for managing your local WordPress site.
- Overview
The Overview Tab in Local WP provides a summary of the current site’s configuration and settings. It is designed to give developers a glance at the key components of their local WordPress site.
Domain: Displays the local domain for the site
- Change: Click to modify the domain if needed.
- The local domain is used to access the site in your browser.
- SSL Certificate: Indicates the SSL certificate for the site
- Web Server: Shows the server configuration used by the site
- Type and Version: Indicates the database type and version in use
- One-Click Admin Access: This lets you log into WordPress admin without entering credentials.
- WordPress Version: Shows the version of WordPress installed for the site. Keeping WordPress updated is essential for security and performance.
- Multisite: Indicates whether the site is set up as a WordPress multisite network
- Status: Shows if Xdebug (a PHP debugging tool) is enabled.
- Database
The Database Tab in Local WP provides essential details and tools for managing the WordPress database associated with your local site.
Here’s a breakdown of the key components visible in the interface:
- Connect Button: Opens a database management tool for direct interaction with the database. This allows you to view, edit, or manage database tables.
- Host: The hostname for the database, typically localhost when using Local WP.
- Socket Path: The system path to the MySQL socket file. This is used internally by Local WP to connect to the database.
- Database Name: The name of the database for this site
- Username: The database username
- Password: The database password
These default credentials are pre-configured by Local WP for quick and easy setup.
That’s it! If you get stuck with anything discussed on this page, please get in touch with the WPX Support Team via live chat (use the bottom right-hand widget) and they will respond and help within 30 seconds or less.
If you find this guide useful, check out other helpful articles and resources for WordPress on our blog
