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Install WordPress in cPanel with Softaculous

Softaculous in cPanel installs WordPress, creates its database and sets up your admin account in one form. Five minutes later you have a working site; the last section covers the settings worth changing before you publish anything.

  • Updated
  • 6 min read
  • Level Beginner

Before you start

  • Your domain pointing at VirtualCloud, so you can open the new site by its name. See Point your domain.
  • Ideally, a free SSL certificate already issued, so you can install straight onto https://. AutoSSL usually issues it within a few hours of the domain pointing at us.
  • An email address you check for the admin account. Password resets and security notices go there.
Hands-on timeAbout 5 minutes
Works onEvery web, WordPress and reseller plan

Step 1: Open the WordPress installer

Log in to cPanel and go to SoftwareSoftaculous Apps Installer. Hover over WordPress and click Install. The same installer also appears as WordPress Manager by Softaculous in some cPanel themes; on a VPS without cPanel, use our one-click WordPress on a VPS instead.

Use "Quick Install" only for a test site. The Custom Install option shows the directory, admin and update settings below, which are the ones people most often need to fix later.

Step 2: Choose where WordPress goes

  1. Pick the protocol and domain

    Under Software Setup, set Choose Protocol to https:// if your certificate is issued, otherwise http:// for now. Pick the version with or without www.: whichever you choose becomes the site's main address, and the other redirects to it.

  2. Empty the "In Directory" field

    Softaculous fills in wp by default, which would put your site at yourdomain.in/wp. Delete it so WordPress installs at the root of the domain.

    cPanel›Softaculous›WordPress›Install
    Software SetupCustom Install
    Choose Protocol
    https://
    Choose Domain
    yourdomain.in
    In Directory
    Leave empty for the domain root
    Site Name
    Your site name
    Installs tohttps://yourdomain.in/
    Nothttps://yourdomain.in/wp/
    The highlighted field is the one to clear. Site name and domain are examples.

  3. Name the site

    Enter the Site Name and a one-line Site Description. Both appear in search results and browser tabs, and you can change them later under SettingsGeneral.

Step 3: Set up the admin account and options

  1. Choose an admin username that isn't "admin"

    Automated login attacks try admin first. Use something less obvious, click the key icon for a strong generated password, and enter the admin email you'll actually read.

  2. Pick the language and skip extra plugins

    Choose the site language. In Select Plugin(s), the login-limiting plugin is worth ticking; leave the rest unticked, because you can add plugins later from WordPress itself.

  3. Set updates and backups under Advanced Options

    Open Advanced Options and set these, then click Install:

    OptionSet it toWhy
    Database name and table prefixLeave as generatedThe random prefix is fine and avoids clashes
    Auto upgrade WordPressMinor versionsSecurity releases install themselves; major versions wait for you
    Auto upgrade plugins and themesOn, if you won't log in weeklyMost hacked sites run outdated plugins
    Automated backupsOff on Orbit and above; weekly on LaunchOur server backups already run daily on Orbit, Galaxy, Universe and WordPress plans

    Softaculous backups are stored inside your account and count towards your disk space, which is why we don't double up on plans that already have daily backups.

Step 4: The first settings to change after installing

When the install finishes, Softaculous shows two links: the site and the admin area at https://yourdomain.in/wp-admin. Log in and work through this list before you add content.

  1. Turn on LiteSpeed Cache

    Our servers run LiteSpeed, and its WordPress plugin serves cached pages straight from the web server. Go to PluginsAdd New Plugin, search for LiteSpeed Cache, then Install and Activate. The default settings are a sensible start; our website speed checklist covers the rest.

  2. Set readable permalinks

    In SettingsPermalinks, choose Post name and save. Addresses become yourdomain.in/contact instead of yourdomain.in/?p=12. Do this now: changing it after you've shared links breaks them.

  3. Check the address, timezone and sample content

    In SettingsGeneral, both addresses should start with https:// and Timezone should be Kolkata so scheduled posts go out at the right time. Then delete the "Hello world!" post and the sample page.

Installed on http:// because SSL wasn't ready? Once the certificate is issued, change both addresses in SettingsGeneral to https:// and add the redirect from Turn on free SSL and force HTTPS. Do it before the site has much content, so fewer links need fixing.

Need a different PHP version for a theme or plugin? Change PHP version in cPanel shows how, per domain.

Common WordPress install errors

Softaculous says files already exist in the folder

A placeholder page, usually index.html or default.html, is still in public_html. If it isn't part of a site you need, delete it in cPanelFilesFile Manager and run the installer again. Never delete files you don't recognise from an existing site; ask us first.

The site opens at yourdomain.in/wp

The In Directory field wasn't emptied. On a brand-new site, the quickest fix is to remove it in SoftaculousAll Installations and install again with the field empty. If you've already added content, open a ticket and we'll move it to the root for you.

"Too many redirects" after switching to https://

Two redirects are fighting. If you use Cloudflare, set its SSL/TLS mode to Full (strict), not Flexible. Otherwise check .htaccess for more than one HTTPS rule, and make sure both addresses in SettingsGeneral match the address you redirect to, including www.

I've lost the admin password

Use Lost your password? on the login page if you can read the admin email. If not, open SoftaculousAll Installations, click the pencil icon next to the site, and set a new admin password under Admin Account.

"Error establishing a database connection"

WordPress can't reach its database with the details in wp-config.php. On a fresh install, this usually means the database or its user was removed in cPanelDatabasesMySQL Databases. If nothing was changed, open a ticket and we'll check the database server; you can also roll back with Restore from a backup.

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