WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) that enables you to create a website or blog from scratch. Running WordPress locally on your computer can be a great way to test out new updates or modifications before you push them live. In this article, we will show you how to run WordPress locally on your computer using Local by Flywheel.
Why run WordPress locally?
If you’re new to WordPress, or even if you’ve been using it for a while, you might not have realized that you can actually run WordPress on your own computer. That’s right, no need for web hosting! Running WordPress locally has a number of advantages.
For one, it’s a great way to learn WordPress. You can try out new things without having to worry about breaking your live site. It’s also a good way to test updates and modifications before pushing them live.
Overall, running WordPress locally is a great way to get more familiar with the platform and make sure that your changes are ready for the public before you take the plunge.
There are a few different ways to run WordPress locally, but we recommend using LocalWP, which is a free software that includes everything you need to run WordPress on your computer.
Create a WordPress Site using Local
If you’re looking to create a WordPress site, LocalWP is a great option. It’s easy to use and comes with everything you need to get started. LocalWP is a self-contained WordPress environment that can be installed on your local computer. This makes it ideal for developing and testing WordPress sites before making them live.
1.) Download the LocalWP installer, click here.
2.) Choose your platform
3.) Once the application has been downloaded and installed, follow the prompts.
4.) You will need to “Allow Access” for Local to be able to communicate with the network.
5.) Open the application, click on “Create a New Site” and enter a name for your site.
6.) Next, you will have the option to choose your environment. For most users, “Preferred” is the optimal choice. However, if you want different PHP versions, then you should choose “Custom”.
7.) Setup your WordPress username, password and email. Then, click on “Add Site” to complete the setup.
Install SSL in Local
An SSL certificate is a data file that you install on your server which enables you to secure communications between your server and visitors’ web browsers. SSL certificates are used to encrypt data so that it can’t be read by anyone who intercepts the communication.
WordPress websites can be secured with an SSL certificate. By installing an SSL certificate on your WordPress site, you can encrypt communications between your server and visitors’ web browsers. This helps to protect sensitive data, such as credit card information, from being intercepted by third parties.
To install SSL certificate in Local, simply click on the green “Trust” button from the “Site Overview” page.
How to Import a WordPress Site into Local?
If you would like to work on an existing site, you can import it into Local and work on it locally. I recommend using a free plugin called All-in-One WP Migration, which makes the process easy.
To do this, follow these steps:
1.) Download, install and activate All-in-One WP Migration plugin.
2.) Scroll to the plugin from your sidebar menu and click on “Export”.
3.) From the drop-down menu, choose “File”. This will download the backup file onto your computer.
4.) Open the Local application, and at the left bottom corner, click on Add a Site. Then, follow the prompts to create a new site.
5.) Next, install the All-in-One WP Migration plugin.
6.) Scroll to the plugin from the sidebar menu and click “Import”.
7.) Select “File” from the drop-down menu, and choose the backup file you have previously downloaded.
8.) The plugin will automatically install your existing WordPress site to Local. From there, you can start working on your site locally.
How to export a WordPress site from Local?
Once you are ready to move our site from Local to your hosting provider, then follow these steps:
1.) Open Local to log into your site.
2.) Install the free plugin All-in-One WP Migration to your website.
3.) Scroll to All-in-One WP Migration and click on “Export”.
4.) From the drop down menu, select “File”
5.) From the drop-down menu, choose “File”. This will download the backup file onto your computer.
6.) Log into your hosting provider’s cPanel, and create a new WordPress website.
7.) Next, log into your newly created website, and install the All-in-One plugin.
8.) Scroll to All-in-One and click on “Import, then select the backup file you have downloaded from Local
9.) The plugin will now import your entire website, which usually takes a few minutes depending on the size of your site.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, if you want to run WordPress on your computer, you can do so by following the steps in this article. By doing so, you will be able to test WordPress before putting it live on a web server. Additionally, running WordPress locally will allow you to develop themes and plugins without affecting a live site.
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