Rizwana Abdul Salam

22 April 2026

How to Install WordPress Manually on Hostinger

Installing WordPress manually on Hostinger takes 4 steps. Download the WordPress ZIP file from wordpress.org, create a MySQL database in hPanel, upload files to public_html, configure wp-config.php with your database credentials, and run the installation wizard. The full process takes 15 to 20 minutes.

What is Manual WordPress Installation?

Manual WordPress installation is the process of setting up WordPress on a hosting server without using an automatic installer. It requires downloading WordPress core files, creating a MySQL database, and configuring wp-config.php independently in 6 steps.

Manual installation gives complete visibility into how WordPress connects its 3 components: files, database, and configuration. This visibility helps identify and fix errors that auto-installation hides.

What is the Difference Between Auto Install and Manual Install on Hostinger?

Hostinger provides 2 WordPress installation methods. Auto-install completes the entire setup in under 2 minutes with 1 click. Manual installation takes 15 to 20 minutes and requires completing each step independently.

Feature	Auto Install	Manual Install
Time	Under 2 minutes	15 to 20 minutes
Steps	1 click	6 steps
Control	Limited	Full
Best for	Fast launch	Learning WordPress

Auto-install is faster but hides how WordPress connects files, database, and configuration. Manual installation makes each connection visible and builds error fixing ability.

What Do You Need Before Installing WordPress Manually on Hostinger?

Manual WordPress installation on Hostinger requires 2 things before starting.

1. An active Hostinger hosting account with a connected domain Log in to hPanel and confirm your domain is active and pointing to Hostinger nameservers.

2. WordPress core files. Go to wordpress.org and download the latest WordPress ZIP file. This file contains all core WordPress files, including wp-config-sample.php, the wp-admin folder, the wp-content folder, and the wp-includes folder.

How Do You Install WordPress Manually on Hostinger?

Step 1: Download WordPress from wordpress.org

Go to wordpress.org and click the Download WordPress button. Save the ZIP file to your computer.

The WordPress ZIP file contains all core files WordPress needs to run: the wp-admin folder, the wp-content folder, the wp-includes folder, and the wp-config-sample.php. Always download WordPress from wordpress.org. Never use third-party sources for core files.

Step 2: Create a MySQL Database on Hostinger

WordPress stores all content in a MySQL database. Without a database, WordPress cannot save or retrieve any content.

Follow these steps in Hostinger hPanel:

Log in to your Hostinger account.
Go to your Website Dashboard.
Click Databases and select MySQL Databases.
Create a new database and enter a database name.
Create a database user, enter a username and a strong password, and assign the user to the database.

Save these 3 details anywhere (notepad, docs, etc.) before moving to the next step:

Database name
Database username
Database password

These 3 credentials connect WordPress to the database in Step 3.

Step 3: Upload WordPress ZIP file to the public_html folder

Go to your Website Dashboard in hPanel.
Open File Manager.
Navigate to the public_html folder.
Upload the WordPress ZIP file downloaded in Step 1.
Right-click the ZIP file and select Extract.
After extraction, a folder named WordPress appears inside public_html.
Open the WordPress folder, select all files, and move them to public_html
Delete the empty. WordPress folder and the original ZIP file.

WordPress files must be placed directly in public_html. If you are installing WordPress on a subdomain, the files go into the subdomain folder instead of public_html. See How to Install WordPress on a Subdomain on Hostinger.

Step 4: Configure wp-config.php

wp-config.php is the configuration file that connects WordPress files to the MySQL database. WordPress reads this file on every page load to retrieve content from the database.

Inside public_html find the file named wp-config-sample.php.
Right-click and select Edit.
Find these 4 lines and update them with the database credentials saved in Step 2:
- define(‘DB_NAME’, ‘your_database_name’);
- define(‘DB_USER’, ‘your_username’);
- define(‘DB_PASSWORD’, ‘your_password’); define(‘DB_HOST’, ‘localhost’);
Replace your_database_name, your_username, and your_password with the exact credentials from Step 2.
Save the file.
Rename the file from wp-config-sample.php to wp-config.php.

One incorrect character in the database name, username, or password causes the “Error Establishing a Database Connection” in WordPress. See Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress: Causes and Fixes for the complete fix.

Step 5: Run the WordPress Installation Wizard

Open your browser and type your domain name: yourdomain.com
The WordPress setup page appears automatically
Fill in these details:
- Site Title: your website name
- Username: your admin username. Never use “admin” as a username
- Password: a strong password combining letters, numbers, and symbols
- Email: your administrator email address
- Search Engine Visibility: tick “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” during setup. Untick this when the site is ready to go live
Click Install WordPress

WordPress completes installation in under 30 seconds.

Step 6: Run the WordPress Installation Wizard

Go to yourdomain.com/wp-admin
Enter the username and password created in Step 4
The WordPress dashboard opens

WordPress is now fully installed and running on Hostinger.

Tags :

WordPress, WordPress How-To Guides

WordPress