WP Instances

WP Instances documentation

WP Instances runs local WordPress sites on your Windows PC: a new site in seconds, live backups restored with one click, and PHP chosen per site.

Every site runs on one shared Docker stack (nginx, PHP-FPM, MariaDB and a mail catcher), so a new site is just a folder and a database. You can restore a live site from an All-in-One WP Migration, UpdraftPlus or SQL backup, and every URL is pointed at the local copy. Emails your sites send are caught on your PC and never reach a real inbox.

Built by Warcal.

Start here

If you want to… Read
Install it and create your first site Getting started
Open, log in to, copy or delete a site Working with sites
Restore a live site from a backup Importing backups
Run a site on another PHP version, or add one PHP versions
Find out why a site shows an error Debugging and critical errors
Connect a database app or use phpMyAdmin Database
See the emails a site sends Mail
Work faster from the keyboard Keyboard shortcuts
Know what every setting does Settings reference
Understand the trial and your license License and trial
Know what leaves your PC Privacy and crash reports
Fix something FAQ and troubleshooting

At a glance

  • New sites in seconds: type a name, get a working WordPress at http://<name>.127.0.0.1.nip.io:8080. No hosts file, no admin rights.
  • Backup restores:
    • All-in-One WP Migration .wpress files, read by a built-in extractor (no paid extension, no 512 MB limit)
    • UpdraftPlus backup sets, including split archives
    • any .sql or .sql.gz dump, with optional .zip archives of wp-content
    • the live address is rewritten everywhere, including serialized and JSON-escaped data
  • PHP per site: 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3 (default), 8.4 and 8.5 built in. Add any official release, from 5.6 to an exact version such as 8.2.12.
  • One-click login: sign in to wp-admin as any user on the site, without a password.
  • Mail catching: every email is caught locally and shown per site.
  • Critical error detection: a site that shows "There has been a critical error" is flagged, with the plugin or theme that caused it and a one-click fix.
  • Tools per site: a Debug console, a Database page with phpMyAdmin, and a Mail page.
  • Windows app: starts Docker Desktop for you, lives in the tray, picks free ports, and speaks English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese (Brazil) and Swedish.
  • 14-day free trial, then a lifetime license for one computer.

Requirements
Windows A PC that can run Docker Desktop
Docker Desktop Required. WP Instances starts it for you, and links to the download if it isn't installed.
WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) Required by Docker Desktop. WP Instances offers to install it if it's missing.
Internet On first start (to build the PHP container and download WordPress), to activate a license, and to add PHP versions
Microsoft Edge Used for site previews. It comes with Windows.
Visual Studio Code Optional, for Open in VS Code

Docker Desktop is free for personal use and small businesses. Larger organizations may need a paid Docker subscription.