Local is one of the best apps for installing WordPress locally on your computer by creating a localhost environment. The best part is that you do not need to download and upload WordPress file. The app will automatically install WordPress and you can setup unlimited number of sites with single app. In addition, you can install a single or multi-site setup with one-click. If you want to play with WordPress admin panel or do development work, then Local is the best choice.
Related: How to install WordPress localhost with XAMPP?
Local WP App
Local is the app from Flywheel which is currently owned by WPEngine. Though the app helps you to push the local site to Flywheel or WPEngine live environment, you can use it independently for learning WordPress right from your computer. The app is available for Mac, Windows and Linux versions.
Installing Local App
Go to localwp website and click on “Download” button.
In the next step, select the platform you want to install the app.
You need to provide username and email to start the download. This is not an account registration and you will not be charged for using the app. You may receive newsletter from Flywheel regarding the Local WP app updates in the provided email. There is also no need to verify your email address to start the download. The app will start downloading to your computer.
Double click the downloaded installer file and install the app in your computer. Below screen is on Mac, you will run the .exe executable file in Windows
You may be prompted to accept the terms and conditions. Click “Agree” button to proceed further.
After installing, you will see a screen like below asking for creating an account. Simply close the screen to proceed with the next step.
Creating Your First WordPress Localhost Site
Click on the + button or “Create a New Site” button.
Provide the name for your site and the app will automatically create a domain like yoursite.local. You can click on the “Advanced Options” and change the site domain and location of the site if required. You can also choose the site to be your blueprint so that you can use this blueprint site for creating further sites. Click “Continue” button to proceed further.
On the next step, the app will automatically select the preferred environment setup. It includes the stable PHP version, nginx server and the latest stable MySQL database.
However, you can click on the “Custom” tab and choose your options. For example, you can choose the latest PHP version instead of stable version. The app will download the elected version and setup your site.
You can create a custom environment when you want to develop or test plugin or theme. Otherwise, choose “Preferred” environment and click “Continue” button. On next step, provide username, password and email for logging into your WordPress administrator panel. You can also select to install multi-site setup if required.
This will take few minutes and your first WordPress localhost site is ready now.
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Login to Admin Panel
On the above app screen, click on the “One-click Admin” and choose the username you have provided for logging in to your administrator panel. This will help you to automatically login to your site instead of entering username/password every time. You can change any other settings and play around the options till the time you get familiarized.
The admin panel will look like below and you can start learning or developing WordPress with your localhost site on your computer.
When you want to close the app, make sure to click the “Stop Site” link showing on the top right corner of the Local app. Similarly, click on the “Start Site” link when you start afresh to turn on the local environment. After that, click on the “Admin” button to login to your WordPress administrator dashboard. If you do not want to login, click on “Open Site” button to open your site and view as a logged out user.