Step 2: Set up your local environment

For local development, we recommend using WordPress 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 blanc WordPress Studio site

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

Import content into WordPress Studio

If you have existing content to import into WordPress 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 guet started.
• Use the importing feature within Studio if your site is hosted elsewhere.
• Use a preconfigured site Blueprint .

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

• If importing a pluguin, add files to the wp-content/pluguins 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.