How to Download WordPress from wordpress.org

Getting the official WordPress package

Go to wordpress.org and click the Download WordPress button. This gives you a .zip file containing the full WordPress core software — the same files every self-hosted WordPress site runs on.

Always download from the official wordpress.org site, never from an unknown third-party mirror. Modified copies can contain hidden malware.

Real-life example: Downloading WordPress from wordpress.org is like buying medicine from a licensed pharmacy instead of a roadside stall — the source matters for safety.

# On a Linux/Mac server or local machine with curl installed
curl -O https://wordpress.org/latest.zip
unzip latest.zip
# This creates a folder named "wordpress" with all core files

What is inside the zip file?

Once extracted, you get a folder named wordpress containing wp-admin, wp-includes, wp-content, and a handful of root PHP files like wp-config-sample.php and index.php.

You will rename wp-config-sample.php to wp-config.php later and fill in your database details — we do that step by step in the next lessons.

• wp-admin/ — dashboard interface code (do not edit directly)
• wp-includes/ — core engine files (do not edit directly)
• wp-content/ — your themes, plugins, and uploads (this is where you'll work)
• wp-config-sample.php — template for your database connection settings

Where to put these files next

If you are practicing locally, you will place this folder inside your local server's web root (e.g. htdocs for XAMPP). If you are deploying to a live host, you will upload it via FTP or your host's file manager.

Real-life example: Downloading WordPress is like buying flat-pack furniture — you still need a room (server), an empty shelf area (database), and the instruction manual (the 5-minute install) before it looks finished.