WordPress is developed using PHP language and uses MySQL for storage. Therefore, to install WordPress on a personal computer, you need to install a web server environment directly on the computer you want to learn WordPress, which we call a virtual web server.

To have a virtual web server, you can use Google to search for it. There will be many software programs like Xampp, Vertrigo, Wamp, etc., and choose the most suitable one for you to start conquering WordPress. Here, I will use the familiar software, Xampp, but if you use Vertrigo, please refer to the Xampp installation guide to proceed with the installation.

1. Download the WordPress source code.

First, you need to download the latest WordPress source code at https://wordpress.org/latest.zip.

After downloading, extract the file and you will see the WordPress folder inside it. Then simply copy the folder to the C:\xampp\htdocs\ folder. This folder contains source code to run on localhost, and all source code must be placed here in order to work properly.

At this point, you don’t need to worry about the folders inside the WordPress folder because even with an explanation, you still may not fully understand how each folder works. At this point, just focus on how to install WordPress.

2. Install WordPress on localhost.

To install WordPress, open any browser and enter the web address http://localhost/wordpress, where “wordpress” is the name of the folder where you extracted the source code on localhost. If you have changed the name of the folder containing the WordPress source code, then adjust the URL accordingly.

Step 1: Choose a language

If everything goes smoothly, the browser will return a result as shown in the image.

The WordPress system will prompt you to choose a language for the first installation. In older versions, WordPress did not support the Vietnamese language. Therefore, if you want to use the Vietnamese language in older versions, you must manually install and add it.

However, from version 4.x onwards, WordPress has integrated the Vietnamese language package into the system. You have the option to choose the Vietnamese language during the first installation. In this series, I will choose the English language. After selecting the language, click on the Continue button.

Step 2: View configuration information

At this point, the system will remind you of some necessary information before proceeding with the WordPress installation. After reading through it, click on the Let’s go button to be taken to the configuration setup page.

Step 3: Configure the database

First, create a database with the name “wordpress“. Next, enter the relevant information for username, password, and database in the interface below.

• Database name: This is the name of the database that you created in phpmyadmin.
• Username: By default, Xampp always has the username “root”.
• Password: Since I am using Xampp, leave this field blank.
• Database host: Keep it as “localhost”.
• Table prefix: Change it if you want to improve the security of your website, otherwise keep it as default.

After entering all the information, click on the Submit button to proceed to the next step. If any of the information is incorrect, it will prompt you to enter it again by clicking on the Try Again button.

Step 4: Start installation

If all the information you entered above is correct, the browser will automatically redirect you to a page similar to the image below.

Click on the Run the install button to proceed to the final step in the WordPress installation process.

Step 5: Enter admin account information

In this final step, you only need to fill in the important information about your website such as the website title, admin login details, and your email address. If you want your website to be indexed by search engines, check the box “Allow search engines to index this site.”

After entering all the information, click on the Install WordPress button.

The installation process will take a few minutes, with the fastest being one minute. If nothing goes wrong during the installation process, the browser will redirect you to a page with a successful installation message like the image below:

Click on the Login button, and the browser will take you to the WordPress admin page with the login information that you created in Step 5. If you want to view the homepage interface, enter the URL http://localhost/wordpress.

3. Conclusion

I hope this article has shown you the fastest way to install WordPress. Although the article is short, with fully illustrated and detailed images, I believe anyone can do it. Please continue to support me in future articles.