Written by Admin on 2025-05-06

How to Download Your WordPress Site for Free to Your Desktop

WordPress is one of the most popular Content Management Systems (CMS) in the world. Thousands of websites are powered by this platform, and for good reasons. WordPress offers an intuitive and user-friendly interface that makes website management easy for everyone.

One of the benefits of using WordPress is that you can download your entire website to your desktop. This allows you to have a copy of your website saved offline, which can come in handy in case of any mishap. It also allows you to work on your website locally before publishing it to your online server.

In this article, we’ll show you how you can download your WordPress site to your desktop, step-by-step.

Step 1: Install Local Development Environment

To download your WordPress site to your desktop, you need to have a local development environment installed. This will allow you to run your website on your computer, just like you would on your server.

Two of the most popular local development environments are XAMPP and WampServer. XAMPP is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, while WampServer runs only on Windows.

1. Download and install XAMPP or WampServer on your computer
2. Launch the application and start Apache and MySQL

Step 2: Download and Install Duplicator Plugin

The next step is to install the Duplicator plugin on your WordPress site. This plugin allows you to create a package of your website that can be downloaded and installed on another server or locally.

1. From your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New
2. Search for "Duplicator" and install the plugin
3. Activate the plugin

Step 3: Create Duplicator Package

Now that you have the Duplicator plugin installed, it’s time to create a package of your website.

1. From your WordPress dashboard, go to Duplicator > Packages
2. Click on "Create New"
3. Follow the steps in the wizard and create a package of your website

Step 4: Download and Install Duplicator Package

Once you have created a package of your website, it’s time to download it to your computer.

1. Click on "Installer" and "Archive" to download the package
2. Save the files on your computer

Step 5: Extract and Run Duplicator Installer

To run your website on your computer, you need to extract and run the installer.

1. Extract the files to your XAMPP or WampServer web folder (htdocs or www)
2. Launch your web browser and navigate to http://localhost
3. Follow the instructions in the installer to complete the installation process

And there you have it! You now have a copy of your WordPress site that you can run on your computer, without an internet connection. You can now work on your website locally and even make changes to the design and functionality, without affecting your live site.

In conclusion, downloading your WordPress site to your desktop is easy and can be done for free. All you need is a local development environment and the Duplicator plugin. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can have a copy of your website saved offline, which can come in handy for a variety of reasons.