Not every hosting plan offers one-click installations, and sometimes you might want more control over your WordPress setup. That’s where manual installation comes in. Installing WordPress manually using cPanel is easy once you understand the steps no advanced technical background required.
Whether your one-click installer failed or you simply prefer setting things up from scratch, this article will walk you through everything you need to do to get WordPress running manually on your hosting account.

What You’ll Need Before Starting

Before diving into the installation, make sure you have:

• A cPanel hosting account

• A registered domain pointed to your hosting server

• Access to File Manager and MySQL Databases in cPanel

• The latest version of WordPress (download from wordpress.org)

Step-by-Step Manual WordPress Installation

Step 1: Download WordPress

1. Visit https://wordpress.org/download

2. Click Download WordPress

3. Save the .zip file to your computer

Step 2: Upload WordPress to Your Server via cPanel

1. Log in to your cPanel dashboard

2. Go to Files > File Manager

3. Navigate to the folder where you want to install WordPress:

   • Usually public_html for the main domain

   • Or a subfolder like public_html/blog for a subdirectory install

4. Click Upload, then select the WordPress .zip file from your computer

5. Once uploaded, extract the contents of the zip file

6. Move the files from the “wordpress” folder to the main directory (optional but recommended if you want your site at the root URL)

Step 3: Create a New MySQL Database

WordPress needs a database to store all your site content and settings.

1. Go back to cPanel

2. Under Databases, click MySQL® Databases

3. In the Create New Database section, type a name (e.g., wp_mywebsite)

4. Click Create Database

Next, create a database user:

1. Scroll down to MySQL Users

2. Add a username and password (e.g., user: wp_user, password: strong one!)

3. Click Create User

Then, assign the user to the database:

1. Under Add User to Database, select your user and your database

2. Click Add

3. On the next screen, check All Privileges, then Make Changes

You now have a database and user ready for WordPress.

Step 4: Configure wp-config.php

1. In File Manager, go to your WordPress directory

2. Find wp-config-sample.php and rename it to wp-config.php

3. Right-click and Edit the file

Update these lines with your database info:

Replace the placeholder values with the actual ones you created.

Save the file and close the editor.

Step 5: Run the WordPress Installation Script

Open your browser and go to your domain:

• If you uploaded to public_html/, visit https://yourdomain.com

• If you uploaded to a subfolder, visit https://yourdomain.com/folder

You should see the WordPress installation wizard.

Follow these steps:

1. Choose your language

2. Enter site details:

   • Site Title

   • Username (for admin login)

   • Password

   • Admin Email

3. Click Install WordPress

Within seconds, you’ll see a success message: “WordPress has been installed!”

Click Log In to access your WordPress dashboard.

Post-Installation Tips

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Conclusion

Installing WordPress manually through cPanel may sound complicated, but once you break it down into steps, it becomes manageable even for non-technical users. This method gives you more flexibility and a deeper understanding of how your website works behind the scenes.
Whether you’re launching a personal blog or a business site, knowing how to manually install WordPress gives you control and confidence to manage your hosting independently.
Happy building! If you ever get stuck, our support team can always lend a hand.