Want to safely test WordPress themes, plugins, and custom code before going live? Setting up WordPress locally on your Mac is an essential skill for developers and site builders. As experienced WordPress professionals, we've guided thousands through this process using MAMP, a reliable local server environment. Follow our proven steps below.
Tip: On Windows? See our tutorial for installing WordPress locally on Windows.
Start by downloading MAMP from the official website. Once downloaded, open the DMG file and drag the MAMP icon to your Applications folder. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete installation.
Launch MAMP from Applications » MAMP. Note: MAMP installs both the free version and MAMP Pro (paid); right-click the free MAMP app to open it.
Optimize your setup first. Open Preferences, go to the Ports tab, set Apache Port to 80, and click OK. This lets you access sites at https://localhost (instead of :8888), though you'll enter your admin password on server start.
Next, set your document root—the folder for your sites. In Preferences > Web Server tab, choose a convenient location like a subfolder in Documents (e.g., 'allwebsites').
Click OK to save.
With MAMP running, download WordPress from WordPress.org and unzip it. Copy the 'wordpress' folder to your document root (e.g., /allwebsites/), and rename it (e.g., 'mysite').
WordPress requires a MySQL database. Click Open WebStart page in MAMP, then Tools » phpMyAdmin.
In phpMyAdmin, click Databases, create a new one (e.g., 'test_db'), and note the name.
Now install: Visit https://localhost/mysite (use your folder name). Choose your language and continue.
WordPress lists required info—click 'Let's go'. Enter database details: Name ('test_db'), Username/Password ('root'), Host ('localhost'). Submit.
WordPress configures and prompts 'Run the installation'. Add site title, username, password, and email, then Install WordPress.
Success! Log in at https://localhost/mysite/wp-admin.
Use your local setup to experiment safely:
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Follow our guide to install WordPress on live hosting, or migrate from localhost if your site is ready.
That's it—you're set up for local WordPress development on Mac. Explore more WordPress site ideas next.
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