How to Set Up WordPress on Your Windows 11 PC Using XAMPP

What is XAMPP?

XAMPP is a free tool that lets you turn your Windows 11 computer into a local web server, which is perfect for setting up WordPress without needing a live website.

• Apache (the web server)
• MariaDB (the database where WordPress stores your content)
• PHP (the language WordPress is written in)

You can install XAMPP on Windows 11 or other systems. This guide focuses on Windows 11.

Step 1Install XAMPP

If you don’t have XAMPP yet, follow this guide to 💿 install it on Windows 11:

How to Install XAMPP on Windows 11

Once installed, open the XAMPP 🎛️ Control Panel. This is where you manage your web server and database.

Step 2Create a Database for WordPress

WordPress needs a special place to store all your website’s information, like posts and settings, and you’ll create this using XAMPP’s tools by opening the 🎛️ control panel and using the shell.

1. Open the XAMPP 🎛️ Control Panel.
2. Click the Shell button (see image below) to open a command window.

1. In the shell window, type this command to open the database:

mysql -u root

Now enter these commands one by one. Replace your_password_here with a password you’ll remember:

CREATE DATABASE wordpressdb CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_general_ci;
CREATE USER 'wordpressdbuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_password_here';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON wordpressdb.* TO 'wordpressdbuser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
exit

Alternatively, if you prefer a graphical interface, click the Admin button next to MySQL in the XAMPP 🎛️ Control Panel to open phpMyAdmin. From there, create a new database and user with full permissions using the user-friendly interface (see image below):

Step 3Download and Set Up WordPress

Before 💿 installing WordPress, you need to get the latest version and put its files in the right spot on your Windows 11 computer by going to the 📁C:\xampp\htdocs folder and creating a new one.copy

1. Go to the folder C:\xampp\htdocs on your PC.
2. Create a new folder inside called wordpress.
3. Download WordPress from the official WordPress download page.
4. Extract the WordPress files you downloaded into the wordpress folder you just created.

1. Next, open the file C:\xampp\htdocs\index.html with a text editor like Notepad. This file controls what shows up when you visit your local server.
2. Replace its content with this code to make your browser go directly to the WordPress site:

<?php
if (!empty($_SERVER['HTTPS']) && ('on' == $_SERVER['HTTPS'])) {
$uri = 'https://';
} else {
$uri = 'http://';
}
$uri .= $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'];
header('Location: '.$uri.'/wordpress/');
exit;
?>

Something is wrong with the XAMPP installation 🙁

1. Save the file.

Step 4Restart Apache Server

Go back to the XAMPP 🎛️ Control Panel. Stop the Apache service and then start it again. This makes sure your changes take effect.

Step 5Install WordPress

Now that WordPress is set up on your computer, you’ll use your web browser to run the final installation steps by visiting http://localhost/wordpress to start the setup wizard.

http://localhost/wordpress

You’ll see the WordPress setup screen. Follow these steps:

1. Choose your language and click Continue.
2. Click Let’s go! to start.
3. Enter the database details you created earlier:

   • Database Name: wordpressdb
   • Username: wordpressdbuser
   • Password: the password you set
   • Database Host: localhost
   • Table Prefix: leave it as wp_
4. Click Submit.
5. Click Run the installation.
6. Fill in your site title, choose an admin username and password, and enter your email.
7. Click Install WordPress.

If everything is correct, WordPress will finish the installation and you can log in to your new site!

Summary

• You installed WordPress on your Windows 11 PC using XAMPP — no internet needed!
• You created a database for WordPress to save your website data.
• You downloaded WordPress and set it up to run on your local server.
• You installed WordPress through the web setup wizard.

You’ve successfully installed WordPress on your Windows 11 PC using XAMPP, creating a local website without needing an internet connection, by setting up a database and running the installation wizard.