Editing a website easily online and in real-time is one of the big drawcards of WordPress, but what if you want to build a WordPress website offline on your own computer?
Well, that’s very easy too … with a free tool called Local WP.
Setting up a WordPress site with Local WP is super simple. Newbies to WordPress will have no problem at all.
And for experienced developers, it also offers a range of tools and environments to give good granular control over your new site.
Local WP makes it easy
Set-up takes just a couple of minutes and gives you full and free access to WordPress software and its amazing ecosystem of themes, plugins and so on. All from the privacy of your own computer.
I do all my website development offline these days using Local WP.
Simply download the app, open it, and click to create a new WordPress site.
Once your site is finished and ready for release, moving it online is also simple.
Note: ‘Local’ is the IT word for working on files in your own computer, rather than on an IT network or online in the cloud. Local WP is a good clear name for what the tool does.
How to use Local WP
There’s just a few point-and-click steps to create and set up a Local WP web site. Easy as!
How to instal Local WP
- Find the version that fits your computer’s operating system (Windows, Mac or Linux) from this page: https://localwp.com/releases/
- Click the relevant Download link and save the file to your computer.
- Double-click the Local WP icon at the saved location on your computer.
- Click Next in the Installation window, and then follow the installation instructions.
How to set up a Local WP website in 5 easy steps
Once Local WP is installed, set up your website:
- Select Create a new site and click Continue.
- Give your site a name and click Continue.
- Select the Preferred environment option and and click Continue .
- Enter a user name, password and email address and click Add Site.
- Local WP then automatically sets up your site.
How to create and edit site using Local WP
This part’s easy! Using Local WP is exactly the same as using WordPress online. Anything you can do with WordPress online you can do with Local WP but all from the privacy of your own computer.
- Once you have followed steps 1-5 above, the name of your new site appears under Local Sites (on the left of the local WP window). See screenshot here.
- Click the name of your website .
- Click WP Admin (top-right of window) and enter your user name and password to open the site.
- Edit your site. All WordPress functionality is now available to you.
How to transfer a Local WP site online
When you’re ready to go live, migrating to a web server is simple.
Local WP stores your sites in standard WordPress folders, making moving to a web server as easy as using a WordPress migration plug-in to do it all for you. I use Duplicator, but there are plenty of others to choose from.
Other local WP tools
WordPress Studio is another tool that does the same job as Local WP. It has a very similar interface, and is just as easy to install and then spin up a WordPress site.
I choose to use Local WP as it uses the same MySQL database as traditional WordPress, and in my experience that makes it seamless to migrate existing sites from the internet down to Local WP.
Studio uses the SQLite database, and when I tried to quickly migrate a site from the internet down to Studio I was forced into a complicated database migration, and had to learn technical details that the local experience was supposed to do seamlessly for you.
Local WP does it seamlessly and is now my tool of choice for friction-free local WordPress creation.
Before Local WP, offline WordPress editing was clunky
Before Local WP, the main options for local WordPress editing were tools such as WAMP and MAMP.
If you’ve ever tried setting up a local WordPress environment WAMP or MAMP, you’ll know it can sometimes be overwhelming. These traditional stacks require you to install techncal components such as Apache, PHP, and MySQL, and then configure everything before you even touch WordPress. For beginners and even experienced developers these days, that process is clunky, outdated, and time-consuming.
Why Local WP is a game-changer
Local WP is a dedicated local development tool built specifically for WordPress. Instead of piecing together servers and databases, you can spin up a working WordPress site in just a few clicks.
Simplicity from the start
The biggest difference between Local WP and WAMP/MAMP is usability. With Local WP, you simply download the app, open it, and click to create a new WordPress site. No fiddling with PHP versions, no worrying about MySQL ports, and no manual database setup. The entire stack is preconfigured, so you can spend your time designing and building.
Local storage made easy
One of Local WP’s best features is how it handles local storage. Each site you create lives in its own folder on your computer. Inside, you’ll find the standard WordPress file structure — including wp-content (with your themes, plugins, uploadsm amnd so on) — exactly as you’d expect.
This makes it incredibly easy to:
- Drop in new themes or plugins
- Tweak files directly without digging through complex server folders
- Upload it to your web server when you’re ready to go live.
Compared to WAMP or MAMP, where files are often buried deep inside system directories, Local WP keeps everything clean and accessible. It feels natural for WordPress users who want to stay hands-on with their projects.
Built for WordPress
Unlike general-purpose local servers, Local WP is purpose-built for WordPress development. WordPress is preinstalled, letting you, fdpor example, easily test plugins, experiment with design ideas, or develop custom themes instantly, as well as editing websites. You can also manage multiple projects easily, switching between sites in seconds.
Lightweight and cross-platform
Local WP runs smoothly on Mac, Windows, and Linux, without the heavy overhead of WAMP or MAMP. It’s lightweight, fast, and doesn’t slow down your machine — perfect if you’re working on a laptop or juggling multiple sites.
A modern workflow
While WAMP and MAMP had their place in WordPress’s early days, Local WP is the modern, user-friendly alternative. It eliminates complexity, makes local development intuitive, and keeps your files organized so publishing online is effortless.
For freelancers, small business owners, and bigger businesses, Local WP provides a great balance: a powerful WordPress set-up and workflow that’s fast, simple, and designed for real-world use.