How to Upload WordPress Website from Localhost to Live Server?

Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to upload your WordPress website from localhost to a live server:

Step 1: Choose a Hosting Provider and Set Up

• Sign up for a web hosting service if you haven’t already (e.g., Bluehost, SiteGround).
• Get access to the cPanel or your hosting control panel, where you’ll manage your website.

Step 2: Download Your Local WordPress Files

• Go to your localhost WordPress folder (usually C:\xampp\htdocs\your-site if using XAMPP).
• Compress the entire folder (right-click > Compress to ZIP file).

Step 3: Export Your Local Database

• Open phpMyAdmin from your localhost setup (e.g., XAMPP).
• Select your WordPress database.
• Click on the Export tab and select Quick method, then click Go to download your .sql file.

Step 4: Upload WordPress Files to the Live Server

1. Login to cPanel or your hosting control panel.
2. Open File Manager and go to the directory where your website files should be uploaded (usually public_html).

3. Click Upload and upload the ZIP file of your WordPress site from Step 2.

4. Once uploaded, extract the ZIP file in the same directory.

Step 5: Create a New Database on the Live Server

1. In cPanel, go to MySQL Databases.

2. Create a new database, user, and assign the user full permissions to the database.

3. Note down the database name, username, and password.

Step 6: Import the Local Database

1. Go to phpMyAdmin in cPanel.
2. Select the database you created.
3. Click on the Import tab, choose the .sql file you exported earlier, and click Go to import it.

Step 7: Update wp-config.php

• In the File Manager, open the wp-config.php file in your WordPress directory.
• Update the following lines with your live server’s database details:
  php

  Copy code

  define('DB_NAME', 'your_live_database_name');
define('DB_USER', 'your_live_database_user');
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'your_live_database_password');
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost'); // In most cases, this will be localhost.


  

Step 8: Update the Site URL in the Database

1. In phpMyAdmin, go to your live database.
2. Open the wp_options table.
3. Find siteurl and home rows.
4. Change the URLs to your live domain name (e.g., https://yourdomain.com).

Step 9: Check Your Site

• Go to your domain (e.g., https://yourdomain.com) and check if your site is live.

Now your WordPress site is successfully moved from localhost to a live server!