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A one-click WordPress installer is only an automation layer. It copies WordPress files and creates or connects a database, but your domain mapping, PHP runtime, database service, permissions and HTTPS still have to be correct. Stop clicking Install repeatedly: record the exact failure, identify the layer that failed, and make the least-destructive fix first.

Start with a precise record of the failure

Write down the complete message exactly as shown, including capitalization and any error code. Also record:

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  • The domain or subdomain you selected.
  • The directory or path entered in the installer, such as the account document root or a subdirectory.
  • The time the installation stopped.
  • Whether the installer reported success, partial success, or a rollback.
  • What you see when opening the site: an error page, a blank page, a directory listing, literal PHP code, or an older site.

Confirm that the domain currently points to the hosting account where you ran the installer. Then open the site at the same URL and path used by the installer. Installing WordPress in /blog and visiting the domain root, for example, can look like a failed installation even when the files are present.

Check the host requirements before changing files

WordPress Developer Resources states: “Before installing WordPress, you need to check that your web hosting provider fulfills the necessary software and conditions.” The current WordPress requirements page lists PHP 7.4 or greater, MySQL 5.7 or greater or MariaDB 10.3 or greater, and HTTPS support. Requirements can change, so verify the live requirements page and your host’s supported versions before treating these numbers as permanent.

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Requirement What to verify in the hosting panel Why failure matters
PHP The selected PHP version meets the current WordPress requirement and is enabled for the domain. PHP files may download as text, produce a server error, or fail during setup when the runtime is missing or unsupported.
Database MySQL or MariaDB is running, the account has a database quota available, and the database engine meets the current requirement. WordPress cannot create tables or connect after the files are uploaded.
HTTPS The domain has a working certificate and loads over https://. Secure-URL checks, redirects and administrator sign-in can fail when HTTPS is absent or incorrectly mapped.
Domain mapping The domain or subdomain points to the intended account and document root. You may be viewing another site, an empty directory or a host placeholder instead of the new installation.

Do not change WordPress files to compensate for a host that does not meet these prerequisites. Ask the host which PHP versions, database engines, modules and certificate options are available for your specific plan.

Fix database connection and privilege errors

Messages such as “Error establishing a database connection,” “CREATE command denied to user,” and “Unable to select database” indicate that the installer cannot use the database it was given. WordPress’s installation guidance says to verify the database name, user, password and host in wp-config.php, ensure that the user can access the database, and confirm that the database server is running.

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Verify the four connection values

  1. Open the hosting panel’s database section and copy the exact database name, including any account prefix.
  2. Confirm the database user exists and is assigned to that database.
  3. Reset the user password if necessary, then enter the new password in the installer or configuration file. Never paste the password into a support ticket.
  4. Use the database host name supplied by the host. On many accounts it is not safe to assume that localhost is correct.

One typo is enough to produce a connection error. If the installer created wp-config.php, inspect the values there rather than creating a second configuration with different credentials.

Grant the required privileges

In cPanel, Plesk or an equivalent panel, add the database user to the intended database and grant the privileges required by WordPress. A user that can connect but lacks permission to create tables can trigger a “CREATE command denied” message. Check that the assignment applies to the exact database name used by the installation.

Check service state, quota and outages

A correct username and password will not help if the database service is down, the account has reached its database quota, or the host is experiencing an outage. The WordPress common-errors guidance identifies all three as possible causes. Check the host’s status page and quota display, then ask support to confirm database-server health if the panel gives no useful status.

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Protect an existing database

Before deleting a database, user or partial installation, determine whether it belongs to another site. A one-click retry can overwrite or point a new set of files at an existing database. Export a backup and record the database name before making destructive changes. If the target is an established site, stop and obtain a host backup or administrator confirmation first.

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Understand what PHP-related symptoms mean

Literal <?php tags appear in the browser

If the page displays PHP source, the web server is sending the file as plain text instead of executing it. This is a server-side PHP configuration problem, not a WordPress theme or plugin problem. Check that PHP is enabled for the domain, that the selected version is supported by the host, and that the domain is using the intended document root. Do not leave a page containing configuration or database credentials publicly accessible; remove or protect it while the host corrects PHP handling.

The browser shows a generic HTTP 500 error

An HTTP 500 only says that the server failed while processing the request. On a brand-new installation, do not assume a plugin or theme caused it. If you cannot access server logs, ask the host to inspect the error log for the domain and identify the failing PHP module, handler or configuration directive. Provide the exact URL and time so the relevant log entry can be found.

PHP version changes are not taking effect

Some panels set PHP per account, domain or directory. Verify the setting at the same level as the installed files, then allow the host’s stated propagation or process-restart time. A version shown in a general account screen may not be the version actually assigned to the subdomain where WordPress was installed.

Use Site Health to check filesystem access

Once you can reach the WordPress administration area, open Tools → Site Health and review the technical information and the Filesystem Permissions section. It can show whether WordPress can write to directories it needs for updates, media uploads and temporary files.

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If required paths are not writable, correct ownership and permissions through the host’s file manager, SFTP account or support team. Avoid applying a blanket chmod command or making every file world-writable: the correct values depend on the host’s account model, PHP handler and ownership. A permissions change that appears to fix installation can create a security exposure or prevent the host from managing the files later.

When Site Health is unavailable because the installation never reaches the dashboard, ask the host to verify filesystem ownership and write access for the document root and WordPress directories. Include the exact path selected by the installer.

Resolve 403 errors, blank pages and missing sites

403 Forbidden

The installation FAQ describes a 403 as an authorization problem: the supplied credentials or request are not allowed to view the directory or page. Check three things in order:

  1. Confirm that the domain is mapped to the directory containing WordPress.
  2. Confirm that the directory and files are readable by the web server under the host’s ownership model.
  3. Ask whether a host security rule, firewall or web-application rule is blocking the request.

Do not disable security controls globally just to test a new site. Have the host identify the rule and create the narrowest exception if one is genuinely required.

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A directory listing appears

A directory listing usually means the server can reach the directory but is not configured to serve index.php as the default index document. The WordPress installation guide identifies this as a web-server configuration issue. Check that the WordPress files are in the mapped document root and ask the host to enable the correct index-file setting. If directory listing is enabled, have it disabled after the issue is fixed so visitors cannot browse filenames.

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The site is blank or an older site appears

First compare the URL you are opening with the installation path. Then inspect the domain’s document-root setting and DNS destination. A blank response can also result from a PHP fatal error; the host’s server log distinguishes that from a routing problem. An older site means the request is reaching a different directory or account, not that WordPress necessarily failed to copy its files.

HTTPS redirects loop or fail

Test both HTTP and HTTPS and verify that the certificate covers the exact domain, including the www variant if you use it. A redirect loop can occur when the host terminates HTTPS at a proxy but the application is told the request is HTTP. Ask the host to check proxy and SSL settings rather than repeatedly changing WordPress URLs.

Recover safely from a partial or interrupted installation

A stopped installer may have left a directory, database, user or wp-config.php behind. Treat each as potentially valuable until you know whether the target was a new, empty site.

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  1. Record the directory, database name and database user shown in the installer.
  2. Take a file and database backup if any existing content could be involved.
  3. Inspect the directory for a complete WordPress tree, a partial upload or unrelated files.
  4. Decide whether to resume, repair or remove the partial installation only after confirming it does not belong to another site.
  5. Clear only the failed installation’s files and database objects; do not delete shared account directories or an existing database.

If an upload was incomplete, Learn WordPress advises deleting the incomplete uploaded files and starting again. That guidance specifically warns not to delete the actual public_html folder. Remove the contents that belong to the failed attempt, preserve the document-root folder itself, and verify the host’s backup before retrying.

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Use the manual installation route when automation keeps failing

Manual installation separates the same layers, making it easier to see which one is broken. The official route is to obtain WordPress, create a database and a privileged user, upload the files, and open the installation URL.

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  1. Prepare the destination. Confirm the domain’s document root and create a new, clearly named subdirectory only if you intend WordPress to run there.
  2. Create database credentials. Make a database and dedicated user in the hosting panel, assign the user to that database with the required privileges, and save the exact host, name and username.
  3. Upload WordPress. Transfer the extracted WordPress files with the host’s file manager or SFTP. Ensure that index.php and the wp-admin, wp-content and wp-includes directories are at the intended web root rather than nested one level too deep.
  4. Open the installation URL. Visit the domain and path that contain index.php. Enter the database details when prompted, or create wp-config.php from the supplied template.
  5. Complete the administrator setup. Use a strong, unique password and confirm that the dashboard loads over HTTPS.

Manual installation will not bypass a stopped database service, unsupported PHP, incorrect domain mapping or unwritable files. It is useful because each prerequisite can be tested independently, not because it removes those requirements.

Choose the least-risk fix for your situation

Situation Best first action Risk to existing data Access usually needed
New, empty site; installer reports wrong path Correct the domain document root and installation directory, then verify the URL. Low if no existing files or database are touched. Hosting panel.
Database connection or CREATE error Check host, name, user, password, privileges, quota and service status. Medium; deleting the wrong database can destroy another site. Hosting panel; host support for server status.
Literal PHP source or HTTP 500 Check the domain’s PHP handler and request server logs. Low from diagnostics; avoid editing application files blindly. Hosting panel and host support.
403 or directory listing Verify mapping, ownership, permissions and index-file configuration. Medium if permissions are changed indiscriminately. Panel, SFTP or host support.
Interrupted upload Back up, identify partial files, remove only the incomplete upload and restart. Medium; never remove a shared document-root folder. File manager or SFTP.
No server-log, quota or module access Open a detailed host ticket instead of guessing. Lowest when the host performs the server-side change. Host support.

Send a support ticket that can be solved quickly

Give the host enough context to reproduce the failure without exposing secrets. Include:

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One-click scans. No signup required.

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  • The exact error text or a screenshot with passwords and tokens removed.
  • The domain, subdomain and installation directory.
  • The failure time and your time zone.
  • The PHP version selected for that domain.
  • The database host, database name and database username, but never the database password.
  • Whether HTTP and HTTPS each load and whether the certificate is valid.
  • The Site Health Filesystem Permissions result, if the dashboard opens.
  • Whether the attempt created files, a wp-config.php, a database or only an installer log.

Ask support to check database quota and server status, PHP modules and handler selection, filesystem ownership, domain routing, control-panel installer logs and any security rule returning a 403. This directs the ticket to the systems that a site owner cannot inspect from WordPress itself.

Final verification after the fix

  • Open the intended HTTPS URL and confirm it reaches the new site, not a placeholder or older document root.
  • Sign in to /wp-admin and open Tools → Site Health.
  • Confirm that the database connection is healthy and required directories are writable.
  • Create a harmless test post or upload a small image to verify database writes and media permissions.
  • Check that PHP source is never displayed and that directory listings are disabled.
  • Record the working domain path, PHP version and database names in your private administration notes.

A one-click installer has succeeded only when the correct domain serves the intended WordPress files, PHP executes them, WordPress can use its database and required directories, and the site remains reachable over HTTPS. If any one of those layers is still broken, the installer button is not the next diagnostic step.

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