Softaculous WordPress Manager

Reviewed on September 8, 2026 3 min read wordpress softaculous

WordPress Manager is Softaculous's tool for finding, installing and managing WordPress. You can use it from cPanel alongside other available tools, such as WP Toolkit. Avoid setting up contradictory automation in several managers.

Accessing WordPress Manager

Log in to cPanel and open WordPress Manager by Softaculous, or go to WordPress Manager from Softaculous. The official manager guide describes its options.

Basic features

Install: select the domain, HTTPS and an empty directory. Check the root and credentials before confirming.
Scan: finds and registers existing installations so you can manage them. It does not clone or migrate the website on its own.
Manage Sets: prepares sets of plugins and themes to reuse. Check components, licences and compatibility; a set does not need to include tools that website will not use.

After a scan, confirm each installation's URL, path and version. If a website is missing, check its location and the import before reinstalling it.

Managing each installation individually

Open the right site's page. Login gives you access to its admin area when the integration works. Manage Users lets you manage users and reset passwords: create only the roles you need and keep new access details private.

For plugins and themes, distinguish deactivate from delete. Deleting can run the component's data clean-up. To update, keep a backup and follow the compatible order for WordPress and WooCommerce.

Quick settings

Setting	What to bear in mind
Automatic updates	Also review what is configured in WordPress and other managers
Search engine visibility	Discouraging indexing does not protect access to a private website
WP-Cron	Check a scheduled replacement before disabling visit-triggered runs
Debugging	Avoid showing errors or logs with private data to the public; turn it off when you finish
Site URL	Changing it does not move DNS, files or every reference in the content

For cron, follow the replacement and checking guide. Do not assume that flipping a switch schedules a suitable frequency for a shop.

Clones and staging

Use Clone for an independent copy or Staging to rehearse a compatible deployment. Protect the copy and keep email, payments, tasks and data separate.

Push to Live can replace production files and tables. It does not automatically merge new orders. Review the source, destination and scope, and test recovery before applying it.

Backups and removing installations

Before updating or restoring, check the backup's date, scope and location. Softaculous backups can take up space in the account; the service backups have their own availability and scope.

Restoring an old database can lose later data. Removing an installation is not the same as just taking it off the list either: check the boxes for files, database and SQL user before confirming and keep what you need.