> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.stablepoint.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to install WordPress

WordPress powers over 40% of the web, and installing it on Stablepoint hosting takes about a minute with Softaculous.

## Installing WordPress with Softaculous (recommended)

1. Log in to cPanel.
2. In the **Softaculous Apps Installer** section, click **WordPress**.
3. Click **Install Now**.
4. Complete the form:
   * **Choose Protocol:** https\:// (SSL is free and automatic on our hosting).
   * **Choose Domain:** the domain to install WordPress on.
   * **In Directory:** leave **empty** to install at yourdomain.com, or enter a folder (e.g. blog) for yourdomain.com/blog.
   * **Site Name / Description:** you can change these later in WordPress settings.
   * **Admin Username:** choose something other than "admin".
   * **Admin Password:** use a strong password.
   * **Admin Email:** a real address you can access — password resets go here.
5. Optionally enable **automated backups** and select an update policy.
6. Click **Install**.

After a few seconds, Softaculous shows your site URL and the admin URL (yourdomain.com/wp-admin).

## Installing WordPress manually

If you prefer the manual route:

1. Download WordPress from [https://wordpress.org/download/](https://wordpress.org/download/).
2. Upload and extract the archive into your document root via File Manager or FTP.
3. Create a MySQL database and user in cPanel (**MySQL Databases**), and add the user to the database with all privileges.
4. Visit your domain — the WordPress installer starts. Enter the database details (host: localhost), then complete the site and admin details.

## After installation

* Log in at yourdomain.com/wp-admin.
* Go to **Settings → Permalinks** and choose "Post name" for clean URLs.
* Delete the default plugins/themes you won't use.
* Install a caching plugin (e.g. LiteSpeed Cache on our LiteSpeed servers) for performance.
* Review our [WordPress security guide](/security/wordpress-security).

<Tip>
  If your domain's DNS doesn't point at our server yet, you can still install and preview WordPress — ask our support team about a temporary preview URL, or use your local hosts file to preview the site before switching DNS.
</Tip>