Install WordPress Manually via FTP

Basically, there are a couple of ways for you to install WordPress, and you should do it in a way that works best for you.

In this course, we’re going to go the manual route with an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) client. This is the easiest way for you to get files on to your website and changing them whenever necessary. It works by transferring files from your computer to your website.

Before anything else, you need to make sure you have the following requirements in order to perform a manual install:

• Your web host needs to support PHP and MySQL.
• You need the ability to create MySQL databases.
• You need an FTP software like FileZilla.
• You need a web hosting username and password, as well as the WordPress files.

Step 1

FileZilla is a free FTP software that allows you to upload files from your computer to your website.

Go to https://filezilla-project.org/ and click on the ‘Download FileZilla Client’.

You’ll notice that it’s compatible with Windows, Linux and Mac.

Go ahead and install FileZilla.

Step 2

Go to WordPress.org to get the WordPress files. From there, click on the ‘Download WordPress’ button.

Make sure you’re running the latest WordPress release in order to protect your website and for your website to be future-proof.

Step 3

Access your web hosting panel. If you’re using cPanel, simply type in “yourdomain.com/cpanel” (make sure to replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain name) in order to access the panel.

Step 4

Through your host’s cPanel, you need to create your MySQL database and username for the installation. After logging in to your account, go to ‘Databases’ and look for a link called ‘MySQL Databases’ or ‘MySQL Database Wizard’.

Step 5

Locate the WordPress files. Make sure to unzip the WordPress installation zip file.

Right-click and open the file with Windows Explorer (or any other unzipping program you have).

Step 6

Once you have unzipped the file, click on the folder containing all the installation files that run the WordPress platform. You need to upload and select all these files.

Step 7

Head on over to FileZilla. Enter your host (which is normally “ftp.yourdomain.com”), and then enter your username and password (which is normally the same as the cPanel access).

Step 8

Click on the ‘Quickconnect’ button and look for the folder containing your main website files. In most cases, it’s going to be public_html.

Select all the WordPress installation files, and drag-and-drop all of them on the empty folder.

Step 9

While uploading the files, go ahead and create the MySQL databases. From cPanel, simply click on ‘MySQL Databases’ or the ‘MySQL Database Wizard’. In this example, we’re going to use the Wizard.

Name your Database.

Create a username and password (click on the ‘Password Generator’ button). Don’t forget to save the username and password to a safe location.

Click on ‘Create User’, then on ‘All Privileges. Proceed to the next step.

Step 10

By now, all the WordPress files have been uploaded. Start the installation process by going to “yourdomain.com/wp-admin/install.php”.

Click on ‘Create A Configuration File’ and proceed to your database connection details.

Enter your Database Name, Username, and the Password. For most people, the Database Host is going to be localhost.

You can use any Table Prefix you want to.

Click on the ‘Submit’ button.

Step 11

Select all the information found in the box. Go back to your Computer and locate the file wp-config-sample.php. Rename the file to wp-config.php.

Right-click the file and open with Notepad. Select all the information and delete it.

Copy and paste everything found in the box earlier. Click on ‘Save’, and then drag the file to FileZilla.

Step 12

Upload the file and from the WordPress admin, click on ‘Run the Install’.

Once you’re done, enter the site title for your WordPress blog, as well as your username, your password, and email address.

Click on the ‘Install WordPress’ button.

Congratulations! You’ve just completed installing your WordPress website.