Title: Start using WordPress Playground in 5 minutes Published: July 15, 2026 Last modified: July 16, 2026 --- # Start using WordPress Playground in 5 minutes ## In this article * [Start a new WordPress site](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/quick-start-guide/?output_format=md#start-a-new-wordpress-site) * [Try a block, a theme, or a plugin](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/quick-start-guide/?output_format=md#try-a-block-a-theme-or-a-plugin) * [Save your site](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/quick-start-guide/?output_format=md#save-your-site) * [Restore a saved site](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/quick-start-guide/?output_format=md#restore-a-saved-site) * [Use a specific WordPress or PHP version](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/quick-start-guide/?output_format=md#use-a-specific-wordpress-or-php-version) * [Import a WXR file](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/quick-start-guide/?output_format=md#import-a-wxr-file) * [Build apps with WordPress Playground](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/quick-start-guide/?output_format=md#build-apps-with-wordpress-playground) [ Back to top](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/quick-start-guide/?output_format=md#wp--skip-link--target) WordPress Playground can help you with any of the following: This page will guide you through each of these. Oh, and if you’re a visual learner– here’s a video: ## 󠀁[Start a new WordPress site](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/quick-start-guide/?output_format=md#start-a-new-wordpress-site)󠁿 Every time you visit the [official demo on playground.wordpress.net](https://playground.wordpress.net/), you get a fresh WordPress site. You can then create pages, upload plugins, themes, import your own site, and do most things you would do on a regular WordPress. It’s that easy to start! The entire site lives in your browser and is scraped when you close the tab. Want to start over? Just refresh the page! **WordPress Playground is private** Everything you build stays in your browser and is **not** sent anywhere. Once you’re finished, you can export your site as a zip file. Or just refresh the page and start over! ## 󠀁[Try a block, a theme, or a plugin](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/quick-start-guide/?output_format=md#try-a-block-a-theme-or-a-plugin)󠁿 You can upload any plugin or theme you want in [/wp-admin/](https://playground.wordpress.net/?url=/wp-admin/). To save a few clicks, you can preinstall plugins or themes from the WordPress plugin directory by adding a `plugin` or `theme` parameter to the URL. For example, to install the coblocks plugin, you can use this URL: https://playground.wordpress.net/?plugin=coblocks Or this URL to preinstall the `pendant` theme: https://playground.wordpress.net/?theme=pendant In case you would like to install multiple themes and plugins, it is possible to repeat the `theme` or `plugin` parameters: https://playground.wordpress.net/?theme=pendant&theme=acai You can also mix and match these parameters and even add multiple plugins: https://playground.wordpress.net/?plugin=coblocks&plugin=friends&theme=pendant This is called [Query API](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/developers/apis/query-api/) and you can learn more about it [here](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/developers/apis/query-api/). ## 󠀁[Save your site](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/quick-start-guide/?output_format=md#save-your-site)󠁿 To keep your WordPress Playground site for longer than a single browser session, you can export it as a `.zip` file. 1. Open **Export** from the Dock. 2. Select **Download as .zip**. ![Export Playground from the Dock](https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.github.io/wordpress- playground/img/dock/dock-export-playground.webp?ssl=1) The exported file contains the complete site you’ve built. You could host it on any server that supports PHP and SQLite. All WordPress core files, plugins, themes, and everything else you’ve added to your site are in there. The SQLite database file is also included in the export, you’ll find it `wp-content/ database/.ht.sqlite`. Keep in mind that files starting with a dot are hidden by default on most operating systems so you might need to enable the “Show hidden files” option in your file manager. ## 󠀁[Restore a saved site](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/quick-start-guide/?output_format=md#restore-a-saved-site)󠁿 You can restore the saved site from the Dock’s **New** pane: 1. Open the **New** pane from the Dock. 2. Select **Import zip**. 3. Choose the `.zip` file you exported earlier. ![Import a Playground zip from the Dock](https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.github.io/wordpress- playground/img/dock/dock-new-playground-import-zip.webp?ssl=1) ## 󠀁[Use a specific WordPress or PHP version](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/quick-start-guide/?output_format=md#use-a-specific-wordpress-or-php-version)󠁿 The quickest way to change the version of WordPress or PHP is by opening **Site Settings** from the Dock on the [official demo site](https://playground.wordpress.net/): ![WordPress and PHP settings in the Dock](https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.github.io/ wordpress-playground/img/dock/dock-site-settings.webp?ssl=1) **Test your plugin or theme** Compatibility testing with so many WordPress and PHP versions was always a pain. WordPress Playground makes this process effortless – use it to your advantage! You can also use the `wp` and `php` [query parameters](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/developers/apis/query-api) to open Playground with the right versions already loaded: * https://playground.wordpress.net/?wp=6.5 * https://playground.wordpress.net/?php=8.3 * https://playground.wordpress.net/?php=8.2&wp=6.2 * https://playground.wordpress.net/?php=next This is called [Query API](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/developers/apis/query-api/) and you can learn more about it [here](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/developers/apis/query-api/). Use `php=next` to preview the next PHP version built from the php-src development branch. For example, see the [PHP 8.6 feature preview](https://playground.wordpress.net/php-8-6.html). To learn more about preparing content for demos, see the [providing content for your demo guide](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/guides/providing-content-for-your-demo). **Major versions only** You can specify major versions like `wp=6.2` or `php=8.1` and expect the most recent release in that line. You cannot, however, request older minor versions so neither` wp=6.1.2` nor `php=7.4.9` will work. Generic aliases like `latest` and `next` are exceptions. ## 󠀁[Import a WXR file](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/quick-start-guide/?output_format=md#import-a-wxr-file)󠁿 You can import a WordPress export file by uploading a WXR file in [/wp-admin/](https://playground.wordpress.net/?url=/wp-admin/import.php). You can also use [JSON Blueprints](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/blueprints). See [getting started with Blueprints](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/blueprints/getting-started) to learn more. This is different from the import feature described above. The import feature exports the entire site, including the database. This import feature imports a WXR file into an existing site. ## 󠀁[Build apps with WordPress Playground](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/quick-start-guide/?output_format=md#build-apps-with-wordpress-playground)󠁿 WordPress Playground is programmable, which means you can [build WordPress apps](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/developers/build-your-first-app), setup plugin demos, and even use it as a zero-setup [local development environment](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/developers/local-development/). To learn more about developing with WordPress Playground, check out the [development quick start](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/developers/build-your-first-app) section. First published July 15, 2026 Last updated July 16, 2026 Edit article [ Improve it on GitHub: Start using WordPress Playground in 5 minutes ](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/WordPress/wordpress-playground/trunk/packages/docs/site/docs/main/quick-start-guide.md) Changelog [ See list of changes: Start using WordPress Playground in 5 minutes ](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/quick-start-guide/?output_format=md#) [ Next: WordPress Playground web instance](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/web-instance/)