There doesn't seem to be a wp-config.php file 📝 WordPress

WordPress: There doesn't seem to be a wp-config.php file. I need this before we can get started

WordPress can’t find wp-config.php, so it starts the installer — on an existing site that means the file was deleted, renamed or the document root is wrong.

Seen on: WordPress

Meaning

wp-config.php can live in the WordPress folder or one level up. Deployments that don’t include it, wrong document roots, or permission problems (unreadable) trigger the setup screen.

Common causes

  • wp-config.php missing from deployment
  • Document root pointing to the wrong folder
  • File unreadable by PHP
  • Fresh install not yet configured

⚡ Quick fix

  1. Restore wp-config.php (not wp-config-sample.php)
  2. Fix the vhost document root
  3. Check file ownership/permissions

Detailed fix by platform

Shell

  1. php
    ls -l /var/www/html/wp-config.php /var/www/wp-config.php
wp config create --dbname=wp --dbuser=wp --dbpass=secret --path=/var/www/html

How to diagnose

  1. File — Present and readable?
  2. Root — Server document root

🔧 Still not fixed?

Many errors look alike. If the steps above didn’t solve it, one of these is probably what you’re facing:

🧠 Still stuck? Analyze your error

Paste the full message, response headers or stack trace — we'll detect the platform and point to the most likely cause.