WordPress Multisite allows users to manage tens to hundreds of websites at once in a single WordPress account. This feature gives access to all sites within the network to use basic features similar to the main WordPress installation.
WordPress Multisite is a built-in WordPress feature that allows users to create multiple websites on one account. By using WordPress Multisite, you can manage hundreds, thousands, or even millions of websites. This includes managing features, themes, and roles. What makes WordPress Multisite popular is that the installation is almost exactly the same as regular WordPress. Multisite has the same folder structure, base files, and code base as regular WordPress.
The difference is the Network Admin dashboard display. In Multisite, there is a highest level admin called Super Admin. The Super Admin can do anything, including installing themes and plugins as well as creating and managing sites within the Multisite. This limits the Admins of managed sites, who can only activate themes and plugins that are already available on the dashboard.
In addition, there are two differences in the files and folders on the WordPress Multisite network, namely the wp-config.php then folder wp-uploads. In the folder wp-uploads, There will be a subfolder for each site that is part of the network. Files related to that site will go into the appropriate subfolder..
Advantages of WordPress Multisite
Before getting into how to create a WordPress Multisite, you might be wondering what advantages this feature offers. Below are the advantages that differentiate WordPress Multisite from regular WordPress:
1. Super Administrator (Super Admin)
Admins are the ultimate role holders in regular WordPress. This is because they can manage access for other authors, install plugins, themes, and other features on the dashboard freely.
In WordPress Multisite, the highest role holder is called the Super Administrator or Super Admin. Later, this Super Admin will give access to admins who manage sites in Multisite.
2. Network Admin
In addition to having the most access, Super Admins also get access to the "Network Admin" menu area. The Network Admin function itself is to manage settings on a large network scale to be distributed to the sites in it. How to create a WordPress Multisite will explain how this menu is used.
3. Plugin & Themes
In WordPress Multisite, plugins and themes can only be installed by the Super Admin through the network admin area. However, installed plugins and themes will be available and can be activated by each site in the network. For activation, the Super Admin can directly activate all of them through the network admin dashboard, or give the site admin the freedom to activate as needed.
Installing WordPress Multisite
Since all the websites in the WordPress Multisite will be on the same server, we recommend using VPS or dedicated hosting.
In the section on how to create a WordPress Multisite later, you can add sites by choosing a subdomain or sub-directory format.
- If you use subdomains, each site will have a URL like
http://website1.namadomain.com. You need to use subdomain wildcards so that users can create their own sites. - If you use sub-directories, the URL will be something like
http://namadomain.com/website1and the only thing you need to pay attention to is the selection of URLs that can beautify the website.
How to Create a WordPress Multisite
The installation of regular WordPress and WordPress Multisite is almost the same. The only difference is enabling Multisite (WPMU) when installing WordPress through Softaculous Apps Installer. Follow the steps below to find out how to create a WordPress Multisite.
If you already have regular WordPress installed and want to enable WordPress Multisite, you can easily do that too.
Please open the FTP application or cPanel File Manager to make sure that WordPress Multisite is actually active. Select the menu wp-config and click to edit. For FTP applications, you can use FileZilla to make it easier.
1. Enabling WordPress Multisite
After knowing how to create a WordPress Multisite with a regular WordPress installation, open your FileZilla app. Then, follow the steps below:
a. After successfully logging in, search for the public_html in the root directory of your website.
b. Then search for the file wp-config.php, then right-click on the file.
c. The above step will command FileZilla to download the file, so you can edit it with the default text editor.
You will find a lot of code inside the file. Find /* That's all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */. Then, add the command below before that sentence.
/* Multisite */ define( 'WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true );d. Save the changes and close your editor. FileZilla will upload the file again, click Yes.
2. Configure WordPress Multisite via Dashboard
Afterward, login to your WordPress dashboard by accessing http://namadomain.com/wp-admin (replace namadomain.com with your own domain name).
a. First of all, you need to disable the Plugin that has been installed. You can do this by selecting the Plugins menu.
b. Click (check) the box next to the Plugin menu and select Deactivate from the dropdown menu. After confirming that all plugins will be deactivated, click Apply.
c. Then, click the Tools > Network Setup menu.
d. You will see a choice of subdomains or sub-directories. Choose one of the two formats to add sites within your Multisite network. When you're done configuring, scroll down and click Install.
3. Changing wp-config and .htaccess files
Once you've followed how to create a WordPress Multisite above, you'll find instructions for changing the wp-config.php then file .htaccess on your File Manager website.
For this step, you can use FTP as before, or directly through cPanel to make it easier.
a. First, edit the wp-config.php file via cPanel. Select the public_html > wp-config.php > edit folder. Add this command before /* That's all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */. Then, click Save to save your new configuration.
define('MULTISITE', true); define( 'SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL', false); define('DOMAIN_CURRENT_SITE', 'new-multisite-setup.dev'); define('PATH_CURRENT_SITE', '/'); define ('SITE_ID_CURRENT_SITE', 1); define('BLOG_ID_CURRENT_SITE', 1);
b. Still in the public_html folder, select the .htaccess file menu > edit. Delete all the commands in it, then replace them with the commands below. Click Save to save your new configuration.
RewriteEngine On RewriteBase / RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L] # add a trailing slash to /wp-admin RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?wp-admin$ $1wp-admin/ [R=301,L] RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -f [OR] RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -d RewriteRule ^ - [L] RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?(wp-(content|admin|includes).*) $2 [L] RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?(.*\.php)$ $2 [L] RewriteRule . index.php [L]
c. After adding the two commands above, log back into your WordPress dashboard. You'll find a new menu indicating that your WordPress Multisite is installed, namely the My Sites menu.
Adding a New Site to WordPress Multisite
Now that you know how to create a WordPress Multisite, it's time to add a new site to your network. To add it, follow the steps below:
1. To add a new site, hover over the My Sites > Network Admin > Sites menu.
2. Then, select Add New
3. Finally, fill in the Site Address, Site Title, and Admin Email. After all the fields are filled in, click Add Site.
Enabling Plugins Thoroughly on WordPress Multisite
As explained above, you can activate the plugin in the Network Admin (Super Admin) dahsboard as a whole so that all websites in the network can use the plugin immediately after knowing how to create a WordPress Multisite.
The trick is to click the Plugin menu through the sidebar, then select the plugin to be activated, and click Network Activate.
NOTE: Each admin who manages a site in the network can still deactivate the plugin separately later. This applies equally to themes that you install across the board for all sites in the network.
Upgrade Multisite WordPress
The beauty of WordPress Multisite is that you don't have to worry about updates to your WordPress account. With just one click, you can perform a complete upgrade for all the sites in your network.
Now that you know how to create a WordPress Multisite, it's time to learn how to upgrade the features within your WordPress account.
1. Click Dashboard > Upgrade Network
2. Then click Upgrade Network and wait for the system to finish upgrading your network completely.
WordPress Multisite is a powerful feature that WordPress gives away for free. It helps you manage multiple ongoing WordPress sites that are part of your network.