Update WordPress On Localhost

Can’t update or install WordPress plugins on localhost

I remember the first time I tried to install a plugin on a local WordPress setup — it failed immediately. The system asked for FTP server credentials, and I had no idea what to enter. I didn’t have time to dig into it, so I just kept installing plugins manually. Eventually, I needed to update WordPress itself along with WooCommerce and about a dozen other plugins on a project running on localhost. That was enough motivation to finally make one-click updates work. Here are two solutions, both tested on WordPress running under XAMPP.

Problem: WordPress on localhost asks for FTP credentials when installing or updating plugins and themes, and the update fails without them.

Solution:

Method 1: Using FS_METHOD (quick fix)

1. Open wp-config.php and add:
   define('FS_METHOD', 'direct');
2. Change the owner or group of the project folder (see Method 2, Step 4).

Method 2: Using ProFTPD credentials

1. Open the ProFTPD config file (the default FTP server bundled with XAMPP):
   /opt/lampp/etc/proftpd.conf
2. Find the user and group XAMPP runs as (look for User daemon and #Group daemon):
   User daemon — the username
   #Group daemon — commented out by default; uncomment if needed
3. Find the user password (look for these lines):
   # daemon gets the password "xampp"
   UserPassword daemon 2TgjxA8g179G9c — the default is xampp; replace it with something custom
4. Change the owner or group of the project folder:
   sudo chown daemon: -R project_folder — change owner
   sudo chown :daemon -R project_folder — change group
   sudo chown daemon:daemon -R project_folder — change both (usually one is enough)
5. Enter these credentials when WordPress prompts you:
   Host: localhost
   User: daemon
   Password: xampp

Common problems and solutions

WordPress defaults to 755 for folders and 644 for files. After changing the owner, you may lose the ability to edit files.

Solution 1: Temporarily change the owner, run the update, then revert to the original owner.

Solution 2: Add your current user to the ProFTPD group. This is less clean than Solution 1 because it requires changing the default WordPress file permissions. It's easy to forget to reset them at the end of development — so proceed carefully:

1. Uncomment #Group daemon in /opt/lampp/etc/proftpd.conf
2. Add your Linux user to the daemon group:
   id — check all groups for the current user
   sudo usermod -a -G daemon username — replace username with your Linux username
   id — confirm the change
3. Update the permissions:
   find . -type d -exec chmod 775 {} + — for folders
   find . -type f -exec chmod 664 {} + — for files
4. Important: After the project is finished, reset to WordPress-recommended permissions:
   find . -type d -exec chmod 755 {} +
   find . -type f -exec chmod 644 {} +

NOTE: Setting FS_METHOD to 'direct' tells WordPress to write files to disk without going through FTP. It's fine for local development but should never be left in a production wp-config.php — remove it before deploying.

Sources:

1. https://wpfortune.com/blog/wordpress-tips-tricks/install-plugins-localhost/
2. https://teamtreehouse.com/community/i-cannot-install-plugins-or-themes-from-a-local-wordpress-installation-ubuntuxampp-connection-information-required