wp core download

Overview

Download WordPress core files from WordPress.org directly to your server. The first step in any fresh WordPress installation — no browser, no FTP required.

What It Does

wp core download fetches the WordPress core package from WordPress.org and extracts it into the current directory (or the path specified via --path). It does not install or configure WordPress — that is handled by wp core install.

Syntax

wp core download [--path=<path>] [--locale=<locale>] [--version=<version>] [--force] [--insecure]

Options & Flags

Flag	Default	Description
--path=PATH	Current directory	Download to a specific directory
--locale=LOCALE	en_US	Download in a specific language (e.g. id_ID, fr_FR)
--version=VERSION	Latest stable	Download a specific WordPress version
--force	—	Overwrite existing files
--insecure	—	Skip SSL verification

Basic Usage

Download the latest WordPress

cd /var/www/html
wp core download

Download a specific version

wp core download --version=6.4.3

Download in Indonesian language

wp core download --locale=id_ID

Download to a specific path

wp core download --path=/var/www/newsite

Force overwrite of existing core files

wp core download --force

--force overwrites core files

Use --force for recovery scenarios (corrupted or hacked core files). Always take a backup first. It is not a substitute for wp core update.

Expected Output

Downloading WordPress 6.7.2 (en_US)...
md5 hash verified: 9a7fa9b67e6b7b0ee7b43a56e0e18b10
Success: WordPress downloaded.

Real-World Scenarios

Scenario 1: Full fresh install pipeline

mkdir -p /var/www/html
cd /var/www/html
wp core download --locale=en_US
wp config create --dbname=mydb --dbuser=admin --dbpass=secret
wp db create
wp core install \
  --url=https://example.com \
  --title="My Site" \
  --admin_user=admin \
  --admin_password=Admin1234! \
  --admin_email=admin@example.com

Scenario 2: Recover from a hacked core

# Backup DB first
wp db export backup_$(date +%Y%m%d).sql

# Re-download exact same version (do not upgrade during incident)
WP_VER=$(wp core version)
wp core download --version="${WP_VER}" --force

# Verify after recovery
wp core verify-checksums

Scenario 3: Test a beta or release candidate

wp core download --version=6.8-RC1 --force

Best Practices

1. Download to the correct directory — always cd to the WordPress root first.
2. Specify --locale for non-English sites to get the correct language pack.
3. Use --force only for recovery — routine updates should use wp core update.
4. Verify after download with wp core verify-checksums.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Cause	Fix
Error: WordPress files seem to already be present	Files already exist	Add --force if intended
Download fails	No internet / disk full	Check connectivity and disk space
MD5 mismatch warning	Corrupted download or wrong version	Re-run the command
Permission denied	Wrong user running WP-CLI	sudo -u www-data wp core download

Quick Reference

wp core download                               # Latest, English
wp core download --locale=id_ID               # Indonesian version
wp core download --version=6.4.3              # Specific version
wp core download --path=/var/www/mysite       # Custom path
wp core download --force                       # Overwrite existing files

Next Steps

• wp config create — create wp-config.php after download.
• wp core install — run the WordPress installation.
• wp core verify-checksums — verify the downloaded files.