Installing WordPress Locally

Installing WordPress Locally

With WAMP running and a database created, let's install WordPress on your local machine.

Step 1: Download WordPress

1. Go to wordpress.org
2. Click "Get WordPress" → Download
3. You'll get a .zip file (e.g., wordpress-6.x.zip)

Step 2: Extract to WAMP

1. Extract the zip file
2. You'll get a folder called wordpress
3. Move or rename it to something like developer-coffee
4. Place it inside C:\wamp64\www\
5. Your path should be: C:\wamp64\www\developer-coffee\

Step 3: Run the Setup Wizard

1. Ensure WAMP is running (green icon)
2. Open your browser and go to http://localhost/developer-coffee
3. WordPress displays the setup wizard
4. Select your language → click "Continue"
5. WordPress tells you it needs database information → click "Let's go!"

Step 4: Database Configuration

Fill in the database details:

Field	Value
Database Name	wordpress_dev (the one you created in phpMyAdmin)
Username	root
Password	(leave blank — WAMP's default)
Database Host	localhost
Table Prefix	wp_ (default is fine)

Click "Submit" → WordPress verifies the connection → click "Run the installation".

Step 5: Site Setup

Fill in your site details:

Field	Value
Site Title	Developer Coffee
Username	admin (or a custom username)
Password	Choose a strong password
Email	Your email address
Search Engine Visibility	Check "Discourage search engines" (it's local)

Click "Install WordPress" — done!

Step 6: First Login

1. Go to http://localhost/developer-coffee/wp-admin
2. Log in with the username and password you just created
3. You'll see the WordPress Dashboard

WordPress File Structure

developer-coffee/
├── wp-admin/          ← Admin dashboard files
├── wp-content/        ← YOUR content: themes, plugins, uploads
│   ├── themes/        ← Theme files go here
│   ├── plugins/       ← Plugin files
│   └── uploads/       ← Media uploads (images, etc.)
├── wp-includes/       ← WordPress core files (don't edit)
├── wp-config.php      ← Database configuration
└── index.php          ← WordPress entry point

Important URLs

URL	What It Shows
http://localhost/developer-coffee/	Your website (front-end)
http://localhost/developer-coffee/wp-admin	WordPress admin dashboard
http://localhost/developer-coffee/wp-login.php	Login page

Key Takeaways

• Download WordPress from wordpress.org and extract it into WAMP's www folder
• The setup wizard connects WordPress to your database
• The admin dashboard is at /wp-admin
• Your themes go in wp-content/themes/
• Never edit files in wp-includes/ or wp-admin/ — they're core files