The files are uploaded and the database exists, but the website still shows an installation screen. This is the handoff point where four database values become a real WordPress site—and where one confident guess, especially about DB_HOST, can waste an afternoon.

Collect the four values before opening the installer

Open your hosting control panel and copy the database name, database username, database password, and database host into a private note. Shared hosts frequently prefix database names and users with the account name. The displayed value—not the short name you originally typed—is the value WordPress needs.

  • Database name: the empty database reserved for this installation.

  • Database username: the account assigned to that database.

  • Database password: the unique password created for that user.

  • Database host: often localhost, but sometimes a host-specific server name, port, or socket.

Open the installer at the address you actually want

Visit the HTTPS URL that corresponds to the upload location. Files placed directly in the domain root should open at https://example.com/; files placed in a blog subdirectory should open at https://example.com/blog/. If you see a hosting placeholder, directory listing, or 404 page, stop and fix the document-root mapping before entering credentials.

Choose the installation language and continue. WordPress explains that it needs database connection details, then presents the configuration form. This browser flow is the normal alternative to editing wp-config.php manually.

Complete the database connection screen

Database name, username, and password

Paste the exact values from the hosting panel. Treat capitalization and punctuation as significant. Do not use the hosting-account password unless the provider explicitly made it the database password; reusing it would also be poor credential isolation.

Database host

Use the host value supplied by the provider. If the panel gives no separate value, its documentation may specify localhost. Some environments require a port or socket as part of this field, which is why copying provider-specific instructions is safer than relying on a universal screenshot.

Table prefix

The prefix distinguishes WordPress tables inside a database. A unique prefix helps when a host limits you to one database containing more than one installation, but it does not secure a vulnerable site by itself. Never point a new installation at a prefix already used by a live site.

Let WordPress create its configuration

Submit the form. A successful connection leads to the “Run the installation” step. WordPress writes wp-config.php when file permissions allow it; if it cannot, it displays configuration text and asks you to create the file yourself. Follow that generated instruction instead of loosening every directory permission.

The official installation sequence permits either approach: prepare wp-config.php manually, or let the installer attempt it after you supply the database information.

Create an administrator you will not regret

Enter a clear site title; it can be changed later. For the first administrator, avoid predictable usernames such as admin, generate a unique password, and use an email inbox you actively monitor. This account can install code and change the site, so it deserves stronger protection than an ordinary subscriber login.

  • Save the administrator credentials in a password manager.

  • Confirm the administrator email before relying on password recovery.

  • Do not share one administrator login among several people; create separate accounts after installation.

  • Leave search-engine visibility disabled only while the site is genuinely private or unfinished, then revisit it before launch.

The first login is not the finish line

After WordPress reports success, sign in through /wp-login.php or /wp-admin/. The dashboard proves that the database-backed application is running, but it does not prove that the public URLs, mail delivery, backups, or HTTPS configuration are healthy.

Perform a ten-minute launch check

  1. Open Settings → General and confirm both site addresses use the intended HTTPS hostname.

  2. Install available core, theme, and plugin updates before adding custom extensions.

  3. Choose a permalink structure, publish a temporary test page, and open it in a private browser window.

  4. Request a password-reset email to learn whether outbound mail works on this host.

  5. Locate the host’s backup controls and perform or schedule the first complete backup.

  6. Open the site on a phone and check for mixed-content or certificate warnings.

When the installer refuses to cooperate

Error establishing a database connection

Start with the four connection values and the user-to-database assignment. Official guidance also identifies incorrect wp-config.php information and hosting-side database problems as possible causes. If the same credentials work in the host’s database tool but not in WordPress, ask support for the correct database host.

WordPress cannot create wp-config.php

Use the configuration content WordPress generates, create the file in the installation root through the secure file manager or SFTP, and reload the installer. Avoid permissions such as 777; they grant far more write access than this task requires.

The installer appears again after a successful run

Check that the browser is reaching the same domain and directory you installed, then verify that the configuration file contains the intended database and table prefix. Multiple copies of WordPress in neighboring directories can make this surprisingly confusing.

Save the permalink settings again, then consult the host about rewrite support. On shared hosting, web-server configuration is usually controlled by the provider; escalating with the exact failing URL is more productive than randomly editing server files.

Keep the two installation jobs distinct

Uploading WordPress prepares the application files. Running the browser installer connects those files to a database and creates the first site and user records. Once that distinction clicks, most installation errors stop feeling mysterious: you can identify whether the failure belongs to DNS and files, database access, or WordPress configuration.

Useful next steps