WordPress Studio does not start anymore

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  starcopysnc · Member · May 15, 2026 at 9:38 am

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  Hi,

  a few weeks ago I downloaded WordPress Studio and started creating a local site. The last time I launched the application, a few days ago, I clicked the “Run” button as usual to launch the site, but it didn’t work; it loaded and loaded without ever reaching the “Running” state. It took so long that I finally closed the application and restarted it.

  Since then, the application hasn’t opened. When I double-click it, nothing happens. I tried restarting Windows in Safe Mode, but that didn’t work either. How can I fix this? If I uninstall and reinstall the application, will I lose the site I built?

  I’d also like to know which folder to look for the content I created (text, images, etc.), assuming it’s recoverable. Since the site was mostly a test run, I’ll rebuild it from scratch in the worst-case scenario; but I’d like to recover that material.

  Thanks to anyone who can help!

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  mbarekam · Member · May 15, 2026 at 4:00 pm

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  Hi @starcopysnc

  Good news: reinstalling the app won’t delete your site. Studio stores site files separately at C:Users[your username]Studio, so the app and your data are independent.
  Before reinstalling though, try this first: open Task Manager, end any Studio-related tasks you find running, then try launching the app again. A crashed session often leaves a stuck background process that prevents it from reopening.
  If that doesn’t work, copy your C:Users[your username]Studio folder somewhere safe as a backup, then go ahead and reinstall. Your site should reappear automatically, but the backup gives you peace of mind.
  As for recovering your content: your text (posts, pages) lives inside the site’s database file at C:Users[your username]Studio[your site name]. Images and uploads are in the wp-contentuploads subfolder inside that same location. So even in the worst case, the raw files are accessible through Windows Explorer without needing the app to open at all.

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  james3265166 · Member · May 15, 2026 at 5:27 pm

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  Before attempting a reinstall, check your Windows Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) for any lingering ‘WordPress Studio’ or ‘Site-Runner’ processes and end them manually; this usually clears the launch block. If you do decide to reinstall, your site data should remain safe as it is stored separately from the application files. On Windows, you can find your content, including images and text, in the following directory: C:Users[YourUsername]AppDataLocalWordPressStudiosites. Inside that folder, each site has its own directory where the /wp-content/ folder lives. You can simply copy that wp-content folder to a safe location now to ensure your images and themes are backed up before you troubleshoot further!