Create Site
InstaWP allows you to create a new WordPress site which gives the benefit of testing different configurations and settings without affecting the live website. It operates in a safe environment where users can experiment with different themes, plugins, and codes without any risk of breaking the live website.
In this documentation, we will explore the steps to:
Create New Site
Access WP Admin Panel
Let’s get started 🚀
You can create a new staging site where you can test changes, updates, or new features to your WordPress website without affecting the live site.
Sign in to your InstaWP account to access the main dashboard. Locate the Add Sites button from the Sites page.
A new window will appear with the following options:
➡ From Scratch
➡ From Template
➡ From Store
➡ From AI
Step 1: Configure the values for your site as per your preferences and click Next Step.
On the top-right corner, you'll get options for configuring your site. You can build your WordPress site from scratch by choosing configurations as described in the table below:
👉 Note: You can also add or edit configuration by clicking the Manage option from the box.
From the main window, you can configure the following values for your website as per your preferences:
👉 Note: The user can also select "Beta" as a WordPress version to easily create staging sites to test newly released features, plugins, and themes.
Step 2: Now choose your preferred tools for your site and click Create Site button.
This window allows you to select themes and plugins from the available categories:
⚙️Popular
⚙️Security
⚙️Speed
⚙️Forms
⚙️Backups
⚙️Page Builder
⚙️SEO
⚙️Marketing
⚙️Translation
⚙️eCommerce
You can build your WordPress site by using templates. Templates are your formerly built WordPress websites which are saved as templates to be used again.
Step 1: Select your preferred template and click on the Next Step button.
👉 Note: If the user does not find any templates, they will need to create one first and then find it here. For more information, you can refer to the Template documentation.
Step 2: Choose PHP Version, Site name, and Permanent Site from the window, or keep them unchanged to make it same as template. Now, click Create Site button to create your new site from template.
👉 Note: The WordPress version cannot be changed while creating a website from a template because it was already defined when the template was created. Same goes for Server Location. Rest of the values can be configured such as PHP version, Custom site name & Reserve Site in paid plans only. View Pricing here. If you are not logged in, use this link to view pricing.
You can build your WordPress site by using the publicly monetized templates that are available in the store. For more information, please refer to the Monetize Shared Templates document.
Step 1: Select any publicly monetized template from the store based on your preferences and click Next Step.
Step 2: Optionally, configure PHP Version, Site name, and Permanent Site from the window, or keep them unchanged to make it same as template. Now, click Create Site button to create your new site from store.
InstaWP allows you to create a site using the beta version of WordPress for testing and development purposes.
This feature is ideal for developers and early adopters of WordPress updates who want to explore upcoming features, test plugins and themes for compatibility, or provide valuable feedback on WordPress development before the official release.
To create a site with the beta version of WordPress, follow these steps:
Click on Add New from Sites in the InstaWP dashboard.
From the WordPress Version dropdown, select Beta.
Click Create Site to launch your beta version site.
Beta versions are not recommended for production sites as they may contain bugs or incomplete features.
InstaWP allows you to create staging sites with older versions of WordPress (above version 5.0). This feature is particularly useful for testing and maintaining compatibility with legacy plugins, themes, or custom code that may not function optimally with the latest WordPress versions. It ensures that you can troubleshoot issues and implement updates safely in a controlled environment.
To create a site with an older version of WordPress, follow these steps:
Click on Add New from Sites in the InstaWP dashboard.
From the WordPress Version dropdown, select the desired older version (e.g., 5.1, 5.2).
Click Create Site to launch your staging site with the selected version.
👉 Note: In your InstaWP account, "Staging Sites" will count as a limit for all kind of active sites, including template sites.
You can build your site using AI. Go through the following documentations for details:
👉 Using Kadence AI
👉 Using ZipWP AI
When the WordPress site is created, you can access the WP admin panel and manage everything on your website you would like to. There are two ways to access the Admin Panel:
Auto Login
Manual Login
From Magic Login button you can automatically log in to the WordPress admin panel without using credentials.
You can also do a manual login (using credentials) to the WP admin panel of your website.
Step 1: Click on the horizontal ellipsis button and select Login Details from the options.
Step 2: Copy the site details, username, and password. Paste the details in a new tab manually and login to WordPress Admin Panel. You can also click on the Magic Login button to access the WordPress Admin Panel.
💡 Did you know - You can create template that saves the current files and database snapshots of your active staging site. Learn about Creating template.
In this documentation, we will explore the steps to:
Create New Site
Access WP Admin Panel
Let’s get started 🚀
Create New Site
You can create a new staging site where you can test changes, updates, or new features to your WordPress website without affecting the live site.
Sign in to your InstaWP account to access the main dashboard. Locate the Add Sites button from the Sites page.
A new window will appear with the following options:
➡ From Scratch
➡ From Template
➡ From Store
➡ From AI
From Scratch
Step 1: Configure the values for your site as per your preferences and click Next Step.
On the top-right corner, you'll get options for configuring your site. You can build your WordPress site from scratch by choosing configurations as described in the table below:
| Configurations | Description |
|---|---|
| Your Configuration | It is the default WordPress configuration (pre-selected). You can also customize your configuration, refer to this doc. |
| Curated Configuration | To choose from the admin’s predefined configuration which automatically set PHP & WordPress versions, some of them are: ⚙️Multisite, ⚙️Woocommerce, ⚙️Devstack. |
👉 Note: You can also add or edit configuration by clicking the Manage option from the box.
From the main window, you can configure the following values for your website as per your preferences:
| Values | Description |
|---|---|
| WordPress version | To select different versions of WordPress for your site ranging from 3.7 (min.) to Nightly (max.) |
| PHP version | To select different PHP versions for your site ranging from 5.6 (min.) to 8.3 (max.). Only in paid plans. |
| Server Location | To change the server location. Only in paid plans. |
| Site name | To add a custom name for your WordPress site. Only in paid plans. |
| Reserved Site | To reserve the site as it will not expire and will stay in your account forever (unless manually deleted). Only in paid plans. |
👉 Note: The user can also select "Beta" as a WordPress version to easily create staging sites to test newly released features, plugins, and themes.
Step 2: Now choose your preferred tools for your site and click Create Site button.
This window allows you to select themes and plugins from the available categories:
⚙️Popular
⚙️Security
⚙️Speed
⚙️Forms
⚙️Backups
⚙️Page Builder
⚙️SEO
⚙️Marketing
⚙️Translation
⚙️eCommerce
From Template
You can build your WordPress site by using templates. Templates are your formerly built WordPress websites which are saved as templates to be used again.
Step 1: Select your preferred template and click on the Next Step button.
👉 Note: If the user does not find any templates, they will need to create one first and then find it here. For more information, you can refer to the Template documentation.
Step 2: Choose PHP Version, Site name, and Permanent Site from the window, or keep them unchanged to make it same as template. Now, click Create Site button to create your new site from template.
👉 Note: The WordPress version cannot be changed while creating a website from a template because it was already defined when the template was created. Same goes for Server Location. Rest of the values can be configured such as PHP version, Custom site name & Reserve Site in paid plans only. View Pricing here. If you are not logged in, use this link to view pricing.
From Store
You can build your WordPress site by using the publicly monetized templates that are available in the store. For more information, please refer to the Monetize Shared Templates document.
Step 1: Select any publicly monetized template from the store based on your preferences and click Next Step.
Step 2: Optionally, configure PHP Version, Site name, and Permanent Site from the window, or keep them unchanged to make it same as template. Now, click Create Site button to create your new site from store.
Creating a Site with the Beta Version of WordPress
InstaWP allows you to create a site using the beta version of WordPress for testing and development purposes.
This feature is ideal for developers and early adopters of WordPress updates who want to explore upcoming features, test plugins and themes for compatibility, or provide valuable feedback on WordPress development before the official release.
To create a site with the beta version of WordPress, follow these steps:
Click on Add New from Sites in the InstaWP dashboard.
From the WordPress Version dropdown, select Beta.
Click Create Site to launch your beta version site.
Beta versions are not recommended for production sites as they may contain bugs or incomplete features.
Using Older WordPress Versions for Staging Sites
InstaWP allows you to create staging sites with older versions of WordPress (above version 5.0). This feature is particularly useful for testing and maintaining compatibility with legacy plugins, themes, or custom code that may not function optimally with the latest WordPress versions. It ensures that you can troubleshoot issues and implement updates safely in a controlled environment.
To create a site with an older version of WordPress, follow these steps:
Click on Add New from Sites in the InstaWP dashboard.
From the WordPress Version dropdown, select the desired older version (e.g., 5.1, 5.2).
Click Create Site to launch your staging site with the selected version.
👉 Note: In your InstaWP account, "Staging Sites" will count as a limit for all kind of active sites, including template sites.
From AI
You can build your site using AI. Go through the following documentations for details:
👉 Using Kadence AI
👉 Using ZipWP AI
Access WP Admin Panel
When the WordPress site is created, you can access the WP admin panel and manage everything on your website you would like to. There are two ways to access the Admin Panel:
Auto Login
Manual Login
Auto Login
From Magic Login button you can automatically log in to the WordPress admin panel without using credentials.
Manual Login
You can also do a manual login (using credentials) to the WP admin panel of your website.
Step 1: Click on the horizontal ellipsis button and select Login Details from the options.
Step 2: Copy the site details, username, and password. Paste the details in a new tab manually and login to WordPress Admin Panel. You can also click on the Magic Login button to access the WordPress Admin Panel.
💡 Did you know - You can create template that saves the current files and database snapshots of your active staging site. Learn about Creating template.
Updated on: 15/04/2025
Thank you!