Install WordPress Locally on Windows with WampServer

Installing WordPress locally is ideal for development, testing themes/plugins, and learning WordPress without risking a live site. This guide shows the full setup on Windows with WampServer: install WordPress, create pages, set a static homepage, and configure clean permalinks.

Download WordPress (ZIP)

Download the latest stable WordPress ZIP package from the official website.

Extract WordPress into the WampServer www Folder

Create a local project folder

Inside WampServer’s web root folder, create a new project directory (example: demo), then extract the WordPress ZIP contents into it.

After extraction, you should see folders like wp-admin, wp-content, wp-includes, plus files like index.php. 

C:\wamp64\www\demo\

Create a WordPress Database in phpMyAdmin

Create the database with utf8mb4 collation

Open phpMyAdmin and create a new database (example: demo). For best compatibility (emojis, multilingual content), select: 

utf8mb4_unicode_ci

Run the WordPress Installer on Localhost

Open your browser and visit your local site URL: 

http://localhost/demo/

WordPress will detect that configuration is missing and start the setup wizard.

Connect WordPress to the MySQL Database

Enter database connection details

  • Database Name: demo
  • Username: root
  • Password: leave empty (default local WampServer)
  • Database Host: localhost
  • Table Prefix: wp_

Continue to run the installation

When WordPress confirms the database connection, proceed to run the installation.

Select the WordPress Admin Language

Choose your preferred language for the WordPress admin interface, then continue.

Create the Site and Admin Account

Fill in the site title, admin username, password, and email address. Use a strong password, even on localhost (good habits + safer backups).

Then click Install WordPress.

Log In to WordPress

When the installation is complete, click Log In.

Enter your username and password, then log in.

Explore the WordPress Dashboard

After login, you land on the WordPress admin dashboard where you manage content, settings, themes, and plugins.

Create the Essential Pages (Home, Blog)

Create the Home page

Go to Pages and click Add New.

Set the title to Home and publish the page. You can keep the content empty for now or add a simple heading/paragraph.

Create the Blog page

Create another page named Blog. This page will be used by WordPress as the posts archive when you enable a static homepage.

Tip: the Blog page usually stays empty—WordPress automatically displays your posts on it.

Configure General WordPress Settings

Go to Settings → General and adjust the site identity and localization:

  • Site Title and Tagline
  • Site Icon (favicon)
  • Site Language
  • Timezone

Set a Static Homepage and Assign the Blog Page

Go to Settings → Reading and set WordPress to display a static homepage instead of the latest posts.

  • Select A static page
  • Set Homepage to Home
  • Set Posts page to Blog
  • Click Save Changes

Go to Settings → Permalinks to enable clean URLs that are better for SEO and readability.

In the screenshots, a custom permalink structure is used: 

/blog/%category%/%postname%/

Optional custom bases (as shown):

  • Category base: posts/c/
  • Tag base: posts/tags/

Click Save Changes to apply.

Quick Post-Install Checklist for Local WordPress

  • Create the core pages: Home and Blog
  • Set the static homepage in Reading settings
  • Configure permalinks for clean URLs
  • Adjust language and timezone
  • Optional: install a starter theme and essential plugins for your workflow

Conclusion: WordPress Successfully Installed on Localhost with WampServer

Your WordPress local environment is ready. You can now develop safely on localhost, test new features, and move to production when everything is stable.