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Guide

Run WordPress locally

A local WordPress normally means a server bundle, a database created by hand, a wp-config.php edit and the five-minute install wizard. In EnvKit it is one dialog: WordPress is downloaded, its database created and the admin user set up, and the site opens straight to a working dashboard over HTTPS.

Platform
Windows 10/11 and macOS (Apple Silicon)
Time
About 5 minutes
You need
  • 64-bit Windows 10 or 11, or a Mac with Apple Silicon
  • An internet connection for the first downloads

Written against the EnvKit 0.33.0-beta.25 interface (WordPress 7.1), checked 2026-09-18.

  1. Step 1: Install EnvKit

    Download the installer, or paste the command below into PowerShell (Windows) or Terminal (macOS). Both fetch the latest release from GitHub.

    Download for Windows
    Or install from the terminal
    irm https://envkit.net/install.ps1?c=guide-run-wordpress-locally | iex

  2. Step 2: Install a web server, PHP and MySQL

    On the first launch keep Nginx (preselected) and click Install & continue. Choose Start fresh, select Laravel / PHP (it lists PHP, Composer & MySQL) and click Install all. WordPress needs the web server, PHP and MySQL.

  3. Step 3: Create the WordPress site

    Open Sites, click New project and choose New WordPress site. Type a folder name such as shop. Leave Database name empty to derive it from the folder name.

    Keep Finish the setup for me on and fill in Site title, Admin username, Admin password (at least 8 characters) and Admin email. Click Create.

  4. Step 4: What EnvKit does for you

    It downloads WordPress from EnvKit’s GitHub mirror and checks the file’s hash, starts MySQL if it is stopped, creates the database, and writes wp-config.php with fresh salts, WP_ENVIRONMENT_TYPE set to local and FS_METHOD set to direct, so plugin and theme installs never ask for FTP details. Then it registers the site and issues its certificate.

  5. Step 5: Log in at https://shop.test/wp-admin

    When it finishes you see “WordPress is ready — log in at https://shop.test/wp-admin”. The certificate is trusted, so there is no browser warning.

    If you turned Finish the setup for me off, the message links to the WordPress setup wizard in the browser instead.

  6. Step 6: Use pretty permalinks

    EnvKit detects WordPress and serves it with its WordPress rewrite template, so Settings → Permalinks → Post name works on nginx without an .htaccess file.

If something goes wrong

“The automatic setup did not finish”
The files and the database are ready; only the admin-user step failed. Open the URL in the message to finish in the browser.
Browsing the database
On the Databases page, click Open phpMyAdmin next to MySQL. If phpMyAdmin is not installed yet, the same button installs it first.
Moving an existing site in
Zip the site with its SQL dump in a db/ folder and add it under Settings → Blueprints. New project → From blueprint… then creates the database, imports the dump and updates the site URL.