How to Install WordPress via Softaculous in cPanel?

Use cPanel’s Softaculous Apps Installer. Log in to cPanel from your Hostworld client area, open Softaculous, select WordPress, click Install, complete the form, then click Install again.

Before you start

• You can log in to cPanel from the Hostworld client area. If Single Sign-On fails, see “If it does not work”.
• Decide where the site should live: which domain, and whether you want it at the domain root or in a subfolder.
• If you want https URLs now, your domain must already have a valid SSL certificate.

Step 1: Log in to cPanel from the Hostworld client area

1. Go to https://portal.hostworld.uk and sign in.
2. Open Services, then My Services. Click your hosting service.
3. Click Login to cPanel. This uses WHMCS Single Sign-On. If you see “Action Failed Unable to auto-login”, that account is not allowing SSO. open a support ticket and we will fix it.

Step 2: Open Softaculous in cPanel

1. In cPanel’s Jupiter theme, you land on the Tools page. Use the search bar to find Softaculous Apps Installer and open it.
2. Choose WordPress, then click Install.

Step 3: Fill the WordPress install form correctly

1. Protocol: pick https:// only if the domain already has a valid SSL certificate. Otherwise choose http://.
2. Domain: select the exact domain or subdomain you want. If your account has addon domains, make sure you pick the right one.
3. In Directory: leave this blank to install at the domain root. If you type a value, WordPress installs at that subfolder, for example example.com/blog.
4. Admin Account: avoid the username “admin”. Set a strong password. Use an Admin Email you can access. Softaculous can email your install details to this address.
5. Language: choose as needed.
6. Advanced Options: set the database name and change the table prefix from the default wp_ for a bit of hardening.
7. Auto Upgrade and Automated Backups (optional): if you enable auto updates, also enable backups so you can roll back if a theme or plugin conflicts. Backups rotate when they hit the max count. These options may be disabled by the server admin.
8. Click Install. When it finishes, Softaculous shows links to your site and to the WordPress admin area.

Step 4: Undo a wrong install

• If you installed to the wrong domain or folder, do not start deleting files and databases by hand. Dropping a database is destructive and there is no undo once it is gone.
• To put the site in the right place, run the installer again with the correct domain and with In Directory left blank for a root install. That leaves the first install where it is, so ask us to clear it up afterwards.
• If Softaculous reports existing files at the path you have chosen, that is what the Overwrite Files option is for. Do not tick it unless you are certain the path is safe to replace. Overwrite can take a live site offline by replacing files like index.php.
• To have the mistaken install removed, open a support ticket and we will check what is in that path and which database belongs to it before anything is removed.

If it does not work

• Cannot log in to cPanel or Softaculous is missing: Use the client area SSO path in Step 1. If you get “Action Failed Unable to auto-login” or you do not see “Softaculous Apps Installer” in cPanel, open a support ticket.
• WordPress installed at /wp or on the wrong domain: You likely typed a value in In Directory or chose the wrong domain. Follow Step 4, then reinstall with the correct domain and In Directory blank.
• Site not loading publicly: If your domain is not pointing to Hostworld, update your registrar to use our nameservers exactly: ns1.serverworld.uk, ns2.serverworld.uk, ns3.serverworld.uk, ns4.serverworld.uk. DNS changes take time to propagate.

What next

If you want us to check your install, remove a duplicate one or configure backups for you, open a support ticket and tell us the domain and the folder you were aiming for.