Step 2: Set Up Your Local Environment

For local development, we recommend using Studio, a free, open source development environment for WordPress sites created by the WordPress.com team. It’s currently available for Mac and Windows.

Create a blank Studio site

You may choose to start from scratch. If that’s the case, you can create a blank WordPress site through Studio by following these instructions.

Import content into Studio

If you have existing content to import into Studio, you have two options. To import an entire site, you can:

• Use Studio Sync to pull content from an existing WordPress.com site into Studio automatically. Follow these instructions to get started.
• Use the importing feature within Studio if your site is hosted elsewhere.

To import custom plugin or theme code, you can upload ZIP files through wp-admin or add files directly into the correct folder through Finder or File Explorer:

• If importing a plugin, add files to the wp-content/plugins folder.
• If importing a theme, add files to the wp-content/themes folder.

By default, all Studio sites are located in the Studio folder in the root directory of your computer.