How to Install WordPress in 2026 (2 Easy Ways)

Learning how to install WordPress is the first real step toward building your own website. The good news is that it is much easier than most people think. You do not need any coding knowledge, technical experience, or special software. With modern hosting providers, you can install WordPress in less than 5 minutes with just a few clicks.

In this guide, we will show you the easiest way to install WordPress step by step. We will focus on the 1 click installation method because it is the fastest, simplest, and most beginner friendly approach. By the end of this guide, you will have WordPress fully installed and ready to use on your website.

If you do not have hosting and a domain name yet, you will need those first. Read our domain and hosting guide to get both for under $3 per month. If you already have hosting, let us jump straight into the installation.

What Do You Need Before You Install WordPress?

Before you can install WordPress, you need two things:

A domain name. This is the address people type to visit your website (like yoursite.com). If you do not have one yet, check our domain name guide for tips on choosing the perfect one.

A web hosting account. This is where your website files are stored on the internet. We recommend Hostinger or Bluehost because both include a free domain name, free SSL certificate, and 1 click WordPress installation. See our hosting comparison for more options.

Once you have these two things, you are ready to install WordPress. Let us get started.

How to Install WordPress on Hostinger (Step by Step)

If you have been following another tutorial and cannot find the buttons it tells you to click, you are not doing anything wrong. Hostinger redesigned its control panel, and the old route through a tool called the Auto Installer no longer exists. Most guides still ranking in Google describe that dead route, which is why so many people get stuck at the first step.

This guide shows you how to install WordPress on Hostinger the way it actually works now, using screenshots taken from a real account rather than old marketing images. There is no code, nothing to download, and no database to set up. The whole thing takes about five minutes and by the end you will have a live WordPress site ready for a theme and your first pages.

If you have not bought hosting yet, start there first. My guide on how to sign up for Hostinger covers choosing a plan and claiming your free domain, then come straight back here.

There Are Two Ways In, and Both End Up in the Same Place

This is the part that confuses people, so it is worth two minutes before you start clicking. Which screens you see first depends on when you are doing this.

Both routes ask you exactly the same questions and install exactly the same thing. The only difference is the order the questions appear in. Hostinger has also confirmed that the screens vary slightly between accounts and panel versions, so do not worry if yours appear in a different sequence to the one shown here. Answer the same way regardless and you will end up in the same place.

Route A: Installing WordPress Right After You Buy Hosting

When your payment goes through, Hostinger takes you into your account and offers to set everything up. Here is what happens, in order.

Step 1: Start the Setup

After the payment confirmation you land on your account home page. Look for a section called Account actions, where your new hosting plan appears marked as pending setup, with a Setup button beside it. Click that button to begin. This is the step most tutorials skip entirely, which is why people end up hunting through menus for an installer that is not there.

Step 2: Choose to Create a New Website

The wizard asks whether you want to create a new website or migrate one that already exists elsewhere. Choose to create a new website. Migration is only for people moving an existing site from another host, and it is a different process entirely.

Step 3: Choose WordPress

Now you pick what to build your site with. This is the single most important decision in the whole process, and it is the one where beginners most often go wrong. The next section explains exactly why, so read it before you click.

Step 4: Enter Your WordPress Login Details

You set your admin language, the email address you want notices sent to, and a password. This is covered in detail further down, since both routes share this screen.

Step 5: Choose Between AI Setup and a Blank Site

Hostinger offers to generate a site for you using AI, or to give you a blank WordPress installation. There is an honest comparison of these further down. For anyone learning WordPress, the blank option is the right answer.

Step 6: Pick Your Domain

Claim your free domain, connect one you already own, create a subdomain, or take the temporary domain option if you have not decided on a name yet.

Step 7: Choose a Server Location

You are asked where your website should physically live. Pick the location closest to where most of your visitors will be, since a shorter distance means a faster website for them. If you are unsure, leave whatever Hostinger suggests. It is a sensible default and you are not locked into it forever.

Step 8: Wait for Installation

Hostinger builds your site. A progress screen appears and it usually takes a few minutes. Leave the tab open until it finishes, then jump to the section below on logging in.

Route B: Installing WordPress From an Existing Account

If you skipped the wizard, or you are adding another website to a plan you already own, you start the process yourself. These are the screens from a real account.

Step 1: Open the Websites Section

Log in and click Websites in the left hand menu. This is the hub for everything site related, and it lists any websites you already have along with the tools to manage them.

This is where people following older tutorials get stuck. There is no Manage button to click any more, and no hPanel section to scroll through looking for an installer. Websites in the left menu is the starting point now.

Step 2: Click Add Website

Find the Add website button near the top right and click it. A short menu opens listing the different kinds of site you can create. This menu is where WordPress installation now lives.

Step 3: Choose Your Domain

Hostinger asks which web address your site should use. Type your choice into the field and wait for the green tick that confirms it is valid, then continue.

• Your free domain, if your plan includes one and you have claimed it
• A domain you already own elsewhere, which Hostinger will help you point over
• A subdomain, such as blog.yourdomain.com, to build on part of a site you own
• A temporary domain, if you have not chosen a name yet

The Choice That Trips Up Most Beginners

Both routes reach a screen asking how you want to build your website, and this is where it is genuinely easy to make an expensive mistake. Hostinger labels WordPress as fully customizable, and its own Website Builder as beginner friendly.

Read those two labels as a nervous first timer and the builder sounds like the safer choice. It is not, and here is the honest reason why.

The other options on that menu are worth knowing about so you do not pick one by accident. Hostinger Horizons is an AI tool for building web apps. Custom PHP or HTML is for uploading your own code. Deploy Web App is for developers pushing code from a repository. None of these are what you want here.

Creating Your WordPress Login Details

Both routes share this screen. You are setting the login you will use every single time you work on your website, so it is worth thirty seconds of care.

• WordPress admin language: the language of your dashboard. English is the default and matches most tutorials, including the ones on this site.
• WordPress admin email: where password resets and important notices are sent. Use an address you genuinely check.
• Administrator password: your key to the whole site. Hostinger shows a live checklist as you type, asking for a number, a symbol, an uppercase letter, a lowercase letter, and between eight and fifty characters.

Build From Scratch or Let AI Do It

The last decision before installation is whether Hostinger should generate a starter site for you with AI, or simply give you clean WordPress to build yourself. Both produce a real WordPress site, so this is not a trick question, but they suit different people.

Choose Build from scratch. Starting clean sounds harder and is actually easier, because you understand every part of your site as you add it. An AI generated site looks impressive for about ten minutes, then you spend far longer working out what it did and undoing the parts you do not want.

Wait for WordPress to Install

Hostinger now does the work. A progress screen appears while it creates your database, installs WordPress, and configures your site, all of which older tutorials made you do by hand with file uploads and database setup. There is even a small game on the screen while you wait.

It usually takes a few minutes. Leave the tab open until it finishes. When it completes, your new website appears in your Websites list and it is live on the internet.

Log In to Your New WordPress Site

Your site exists, and now you need to get inside it. There are two ways in and both work.

• From your Websites list, click the WP Admin button beside your new site, which logs you straight in
• Or visit your web address followed by /wp-admin, for example yourdomain.com/wp-admin, then enter the admin email and password you set earlier

You will land on the WordPress dashboard. This is where everything happens from now on, your pages, your posts, your theme and your plugins. Bookmark it, because you will be back here constantly.

Check That Your Site Is Secure

Hostinger includes a free SSL certificate, which is what makes a website load with https and show a padlock in the address bar. Visitors trust it, and search engines expect it. It is normally applied automatically during setup.

Open your website in a new tab and look at the address bar. A padlock and https means you are done. If you see a not secure warning instead, give it a little longer to finish activating, and if it still has not appeared you can turn on the free SSL from the security settings for that site in your panel.

Your Site Is Live, Now Make It Look Like Yours

WordPress is installed, but it is currently wearing the plain default theme that every new installation starts with. Nobody launches on it. Your next job is choosing a theme, which controls how your entire website looks, and picking a fast one matters because page speed affects both how visitors feel and how well you rank.

Worth knowing: Hostinger used to offer theme selection during setup and has since removed it, so themes are now installed from inside WordPress itself under Appearance and Themes. My next guide walks you through it: how to install a WordPress theme.

Do Not Have Hosting Yet?

Everything above assumes you already have a Hostinger plan, because WordPress needs somewhere to live before you can install it. If you have not sorted that yet, Hostinger is what I point beginners toward for three specific reasons. A free domain is included on annual plans, the installer does all the technical work you just read about, and there is a thirty day money back guarantee, so a first attempt at a website costs you nothing if you change your mind.

Problems and Quick Fixes

I Cannot Find the Auto Installer

You will not find it, and there is nothing wrong with your account. Hostinger removed that route when it redesigned the panel. Installing WordPress now happens through Websites in the left menu, then Add website, or through the setup wizard if you have only just bought hosting.

My Screens Appear in a Different Order

That is normal and Hostinger has confirmed it. The exact sequence varies between accounts and panel versions. The questions are always the same, so answer them the same way as this guide and you will reach the same result.

I Chose the Website Builder by Mistake

Fix this immediately, before you spend hours adding content. Delete that site from your Websites list and start again, choosing WordPress this time. The two products are completely separate and nothing you build in one transfers to the other, so the sooner you correct it the less work you lose.

My Site Shows a Not Secure Warning

Your SSL certificate has not finished activating yet. Wait a little and refresh. If the warning persists, open the security settings for that website in your panel and enable the free SSL certificate, then check again shortly afterwards.

I Have Forgotten My WordPress Password

Go to yourdomain.com/wp-admin and click the lost your password link. WordPress emails a reset link to the admin address you set during installation, which is exactly why using an email you actually check matters.

Frequently Asked Questions

You Have a Live WordPress Website

That is the whole job. You opened the setup, chose WordPress rather than the builder, set your login details, picked a domain, and let Hostinger handle everything technical. No code, no file transfers, no database work, and no hunting through menus that no longer exist.

The next step is the one that makes it feel like yours. Follow my guide on how to install a WordPress theme to give your site a proper design, and then you are ready to add your content and share it with the world.

How to Install WordPress on Bluehost (Step by Step)

Bluehost is officially recommended by WordPress.org and makes the installation process equally simple. In fact, Bluehost installs WordPress automatically when you sign up. Here is what the process looks like:

That is literally it. Bluehost handles everything for you. WordPress is ready to use the moment you finish signing up.

How to Log In to Your WordPress Dashboard

After you install WordPress, you need to know how to access your dashboard. This is the control panel where you manage your entire website.

Your login URL is: yourdomain.com/wp-admin

Replace “yourdomain.com” with your actual domain name. For example, if your domain is myblog.com, you would go to myblog.com/wp-admin in your browser. Enter the username (or email) and password you created during installation, and you will see the WordPress dashboard.

What to Do Immediately After You Install WordPress

Once you have WordPress installed, there are a few important things to do right away before you start creating content. These settings will make your website faster, more secure, and better for SEO.

1. Set Your Permalink Structure

Go to Settings > Permalinks in your WordPress dashboard. Select “Post name” and click Save Changes. This makes your URLs clean and SEO friendly. Instead of yourdomain.com/?p=123, your URLs will look like yourdomain.com/your-post-title. Do this immediately because changing it later can break your existing links.

2. Set Your Site Title and Tagline

Go to Settings > General. Enter your website name as the Site Title and a short description as the Tagline. This information appears in search results and browser tabs.

3. Install a WordPress Theme

Go to Appearance > Themes > Add New Theme. Search for a theme you like, click Install, then Activate. We recommend GeneratePress for speed, Astra for versatility, or Divi for visual drag and drop design. Read our Divi theme review for a detailed look.

4. Install Essential Plugins

Go to Plugins > Add New and install these essential free plugins:

• Rank Math SEO for search engine optimization
• WPForms Lite for contact forms
• LiteSpeed Cache for speed optimization (if your host uses LiteSpeed servers like Hostinger)
• UpdraftPlus for automatic backups

5. Delete Default Content

WordPress comes with a sample post called “Hello World,” a sample page called “Sample Page,” and a sample comment. Delete all of these. Go to Posts > All Posts and delete the sample post. Go to Pages > All Pages and delete the sample page. Go to Comments and delete the sample comment. You want a clean slate before you start creating your own content.

6. Set Up SSL (HTTPS)

If you are using Hostinger or Bluehost, your SSL certificate is already included for free. Make sure your website URL starts with https:// instead of http://. Go to Settings > General and check that both the WordPress Address and Site Address begin with https://. This encrypts your website and is required by Google for better search rankings.

7. Create Your Essential Pages

Every website needs certain core pages from day one. Create these by going to Pages > Add New:

• Homepage (what visitors see first)
• About page (who you are and what your site is about)
• Contact page (use WPForms to add a contact form)
• Privacy Policy (go to Settings > Privacy to generate a basic one)

For a complete walkthrough of setting up your entire website after installation, including themes, plugins, menus, and content creation, follow our complete guide to creating a WordPress website.

Common WordPress Installation Problems (and How to Fix Them)

Most people install WordPress without any issues. But if you run into a problem, here are the most common ones and their solutions:

“Error establishing a database connection” means WordPress cannot connect to the database where your website data is stored. This usually happens if your database credentials are incorrect. Contact your hosting provider’s support team and they will fix it for you in minutes.

White screen after installation usually means a plugin or theme conflict. Try accessing yourdomain.com/wp-admin. If you can log in, deactivate all plugins and switch to a default theme. If you cannot access the dashboard, contact your hosting support.

WordPress login page not loading can happen if your domain DNS has not fully propagated yet. This can take up to 24 to 48 hours after registering a new domain. Wait a few hours and try again.

Forgot your password is the easiest fix. Go to yourdomain.com/wp-admin, click “Lost your password?”, enter your email, and WordPress will send you a password reset link.

Frequently Asked Questions

Start Building Your WordPress Website

You now know exactly how to install WordPress. The process takes less than 5 minutes and requires zero technical knowledge. Whether you choose Hostinger or Bluehost, both make the installation effortless for beginners.

After installation, your next step is to set up your website properly. Follow our complete guide to creating a WordPress website for a detailed walkthrough of themes, plugins, pages, menus, and everything else you need.

If you are completely new to WordPress and want to understand what it is first, read our guide to what is WordPress.