Overview
WordPress is most often installed in the directory you wish to run the site in. For example:
- example.com
- example.com/blog
In these examples, visiting the URL will load the WordPress site that's installed in that directory.
You also have the option to install in a different directory, but have it display from another directory. WordPress describes this in their Giving WordPress Its Own Directory article:
Many people want WordPress to power their website’s root (e.g. http://example.com) but they don’t want all of the WordPress files cluttering up their root directory. WordPress allows you to install it into a subdirectory, but have your website served from the website root.
This article explains how to display WordPress from either the root director or subdirectory when it's been installed somewhere else.
The steps below show how to do this via SSH, but you would create the subdirectory and move the files the same way in an FTP client.
Displaying WordPress in a subdirectory if it's installed in the root directory
This example assumes you've already installed WordPress into example.com, but want it to display at example.com/blog.
- Log into your site via FTP or SSH.
- Navigate into your website's directory. Make sure to change username to your Shell user.
[server]$ cd /home/username/example.com
- Create the subdirectory.
This example creates a subdirectory named blog.
[server]$ mkdir blog
- Move all of the files in the root directory (example.com) into the subdirectory (example.com/blog).
[server]$ mv .htaccess license.txt readme.html *.php blog [server]$ mv wp-* blog
- Create an .htaccess file via FTP or SSH in the root directory (example.com). Add the following contents to the file.
You only need to update the highlighted text which is your domain name and the subdirectory you created.
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c> RewriteEngine on RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(www.)?example.com$ RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/blog/ RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d RewriteRule ^(.*)$ /blog/$1 RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(www.)?example.com$ RewriteRule ^(/)?$ blog/index.php [L] </IfModule>
If you visit example.com/blog now, you will see your WordPress site.
Displaying WordPress in the root directory if it's installed in a subdirectory
These steps are the opposite of the steps above. They assume you've installed WordPress in a subdirectory at example.com/blog, but want it to display when visiting example.com.
These steps only allow you to view your WordPress site at example.com. You must still visit example.com/blog/wp-login.php to log into your admin dashboard. This is because the original installation was installed into example.com/blog, so all URLs in the database still point to the /blog subdirectory.
- Log into your site via FTP or SSH.
- Navigate into your website's subdirectory.
Make sure to change username to your Shell user.
[server]$ cd /home/username/example.com/blog
- Copy the index.php and .htaccess files into the root directory.
[server]$ cp .htaccess index.php ..
- Navigate into your root directory.
[server]$ cd ..
- Edit the index.php file via FTP or SSH. Add the subdirectory name just before /wp-blog-header.php. For example:
You only need to update the highlighted text which is the subdirectory you created.
/** Loads the WordPress Environment and Template */ require __DIR__ . '/blog/wp-blog-header.php'; - If you have already configured permalinks, navigate to the Settings > Permalinks page and re-save them.
If you visit example.com now, you will see your WordPress site.
