Written by Admin on 2025-05-06

How to Download WordPress for Desktop Development

If you're interested in creating a website using WordPress, it's helpful to have it installed on your desktop for easy access and development. There are a few simple steps to follow to download WordPress and start building your website.

Step 1: Download the latest version of WordPress

Go to the official WordPress website and download the latest version of the WordPress software. Make sure to choose the ZIP file option.

Step 2: Install a local development environment

In order to run WordPress on your desktop, you'll need to create a local development environment. This will allow you to run WordPress as if it were on a live server.

One popular option for creating a local development environment is XAMPP. This is a free software package that includes Apache, MySQL, and PHP. You can download XAMPP from the Apache Friends website.

Step 3: Unzip the WordPress file

Once you've downloaded the WordPress ZIP file and the XAMPP software, you'll need to unzip the WordPress file. Simply double-click on the ZIP file and extract all the files to a folder.

Step 4: Move the WordPress files to the XAMPP htdocs folder

The XAMPP installation includes a folder called "htdocs." This is where you'll need to move the WordPress files. Open the folder where you extracted the WordPress files, select all the files and folders, and drag them into the XAMPP htdocs folder.

Step 5: Create a MySQL database

WordPress stores all its data in a MySQL database. To create a database for WordPress, open the XAMPP Control Panel and click on the "phpMyAdmin" button. Once phpMyAdmin opens in your browser, click on the "Databases" tab and create a new database.

Step 6: Configure WordPress

Open your browser and navigate to "localhost/wordpress" (replace "wordpress" with the name of the folder you extracted the WordPress files to). Follow the installation instructions and enter the name of the MySQL database you created in step 5.

Step 7: Start building your website

Once you've finished the installation process, you can start building your WordPress website on your desktop. You can install themes and plugins, create pages and posts, and test everything out before publishing your website to a live server.

In conclusion, downloading WordPress for desktop development can be a useful tool for quickly building and testing your website. By following these simple steps, you can have WordPress up and running on your desktop in no time.