How to install WordPress on MAMP

Installing WordPress on MAMP keeps a full local copy of a site on macOS, which is useful for theme work, plugin testing, content imports, and configuration changes that should be proven locally before they touch a hosted environment.

MAMP provides a local Apache or Nginx web server, MySQL, and PHP from one app, and the active web root is controlled from MAMP → Preferences → Server. Current MAMP documentation still uses /Applications/MAMP/htdocs as the default document root and uses ports 8888 for the web server and 8889 for MySQL in the default configuration, although the ports can also be switched to the standard internet values.

Using a dedicated project folder under the MAMP document root keeps the WordPress files separate from the default start page and makes the local URL predictable. Current MAMP guidance for WordPress still uses the local database account root with password root and database host localhost, and MAMP also documents a Safari-specific caveat where the install can fail on ports 8888 and 8889 when the AdBlock extension is enabled.

Steps to install WordPress on MAMP:

Open MAMP → Preferences → Server and note the active document root.
```
Default document root: /Applications/MAMP/htdocs
```
The current MAMP Server preferences still list /Applications/MAMP/htdocs as the default location for local web files.
Open MAMP → Preferences → Ports and confirm the active web-server and MySQL ports.
```
Apache: 8888
MySQL: 8889
```
MAMP can also switch the ports to 80 and 3306, so every later URL and database connection value should match the current port settings instead of assuming the defaults.
Start the local MAMP servers and wait for the status indicator to show that the web server and MySQL are running.
Create a dedicated project folder under the active MAMP document root.
```
/Applications/MAMP/htdocs/wordpress-mamp
```
Keeping WordPress in its own subdirectory avoids overwriting the default MAMP landing page and leaves room for multiple local projects under the same stack.
Download and unzip the current WordPress package from wordpress.org.
Copy the extracted WordPress files into the new project folder.

Copy the contents of the extracted wordpress directory into wordpress-mamp so the local site opens at a short project URL instead of /wordpress/wordpress/.
Click WebStart in MAMP and open phpMyAdmin from the tools list.

The current MAMP WebStart page still exposes phpMyAdmin as the built-in route for creating the database before the WordPress installer runs.
Create a database for the local site in phpMyAdmin.
```
Database name: wordpress_mamp
Collation: utf8mb4_general_ci
```
The empty-database message No tables found in database. is expected immediately after creation because WordPress has not created its tables yet.
Open the local project URL in a browser to start the WordPress installer.
```
http://localhost:8888/wordpress-mamp/
```
If MAMP was switched to ports 80 and 3306, the same project opens at http://localhost/wordpress-mamp/ instead.

Current MAMP documentation warns that Safari with the AdBlock extension enabled can break the WordPress install when MAMP is using ports 8888 and 8889, so pause the extension for the install if that combination is in use.
Enter the database connection values in the WordPress installer.
```
Database Name: wordpress_mamp
Username: root
Password: root
Database Host: localhost
Table Prefix: wp_
```
MAMP's current WordPress FAQ still uses root, root, and localhost for the stock local database connection. If the local MySQL account, password, or port was changed earlier, use the current values instead.

If WordPress cannot write wp-config.php automatically, copy wp-config-sample.php to wp-config.php inside the project folder, reload the installer, and submit the same database values again.

Complete the site details form and create the first administrator account.

Site Title: WordPress on MAMP
Username: admin
Password: choose-a-strong-password
Email: admin@example.test

Sign in to the local WordPress dashboard and confirm that both the dashboard and the front page load from the MAMP project URL.
```
Dashboard: http://localhost:8888/wordpress-mamp/wp-admin/
Front page: http://localhost:8888/wordpress-mamp/
```
Change the permalink structure to Post name.
```
Dashboard -> Settings -> Permalinks -> Post name
```
Related: How to configure SEO-friendly URLs in WordPress

Author: Mohd Shakir Zakaria
Mohd Shakir Zakaria is a cloud architect with deep roots in software development and open-source advocacy. Certified in AWS, Red Hat, VMware, ITIL, and Linux, he specializes in designing and managing robust cloud and on-premises infrastructures.