Install MainWP

Set up your MainWP Dashboard and connect your first WordPress site in about three minutes.

MainWP is two free WordPress plugins. The MainWP Dashboard plugin turns one WordPress site into your control panel, and the MainWP Child plugin goes on each site you manage. Agencies, freelancers and developers who look after many WordPress sites install both and connect their first site in about three minutes.

Over 20,000 MainWP Dashboards manage over 700,000 child sites, and MainWP has over 2,200 five-star reviews on WordPress.org.

Download MainWP Dashboard

Quick start

How do I install MainWP?

Install MainWP Dashboard

Add the free plugin to the WordPress site you’ll use as your control panel.

Install MainWP Child

Add the free plugin to each WordPress site you want to manage.

Connect your sites

The Quick Setup Wizard connects your first site to your MainWP Dashboard.

What do I need to install MainWP?

A WordPress site for your MainWP Dashboard. A fresh install, used only for MainWP, keeps your Dashboard clear of plugin conflicts.
Administrator access to your Dashboard site and to each site you want to connect.

Step 1

Install the MainWP Dashboard plugin

In the WordPress admin of your Dashboard site, go to Plugins > Add Plugin and search for MainWP. Click Install Now on MainWP Dashboard, then Activate.

MainWP Dashboard in the WordPress plugin search results with an Install Now button, over 20,000 active installations and a five-star rating

Step 2

Install MainWP Child on each site

On each WordPress site you want to manage, go to Plugins > Add Plugin, search for MainWP, then install and activate MainWP Child.

MainWP Child in the WordPress plugin search results marked Active, with over 700,000 active installations and a five-star rating

Step 3

Connect your first site with the Quick Setup Wizard

Open MainWP in the WordPress admin menu of your Dashboard site. The Quick Setup Wizard asks for the site’s URL and an administrator login, checks that MainWP Child is ready, and connects the site.

MainWP Quick Setup Wizard Connect your first site form with the site URL, administrator username and password, and a note that MainWP checks the site is reachable and MainWP Child is ready

After setup

What happens after MainWP connects your first site?

Your MainWP Dashboard shows the site’s WordPress version and the updates waiting, with Update everything now one click away. Uptime monitoring and a daily digest email are on from the start, so MainWP tells you when a site goes down or needs updates.

MainWP Quick Setup Wizard showing Your first site is connected for Kevin’s Kitchen, with WordPress 7.1.4, two updates waiting and an Update everything now button, uptime monitoring on and the daily digest on

Good to know

What else should I know about installing MainWP?

Can MainWP connect many sites at once?

Yes. Choose Import a CSV on the Quick Setup Wizard’s Welcome step to add many sites from a file with each site’s address and an administrator login.

Does MainWP keep my administrator password?

No. Your MainWP Dashboard uses the password once to set up a secure key pair with the site, then discards it. The password never goes to MainWP.com.

How do I add more sites to MainWP later?

Go to Sites > Add New in your MainWP Dashboard, enter the site’s URL, administrator username and password, and click Add Site. Every connected site appears on Sites > Manage Sites with its client, updates, uptime and backups.

Can I install MainWP Dashboard from a zip file?

Yes. Use the Download MainWP Dashboard button on this page, then add the zip file in WordPress with Plugins > Add Plugin > Upload Plugin.

How many sites can one MainWP Dashboard manage?

Your MainWP Dashboard has no site limit. The MainWP system requirements help you size your server for the number of sites you plan to manage.

Walkthrough video

Get started with MainWP

Download MainWP Child from WordPress.org
Getting started with MainWP in the MainWP docs
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