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What the WordPress desktop app does
The WordPress.com desktop app is available for Windows, Mac (Intel and Apple silicon), and Linux. It is a desktop wrapper around the WordPress.com service, not a replacement for your web host. The app bundles a local copy of the online interface so you can write, publish, preview, manage sites, customize settings, and view available stats from one desktop window.
For a self-hosted site, Jetpack supplies the connection between your WordPress installation and the WordPress.com cloud. The site itself continues to run on its own server and domain.
Requirements before connecting
Prepare these items before opening the app:
- An already-created WordPress site on a web-hosting provider.
- The Jetpack plugin installed and activated in WP Admin.
- A current, supported WordPress release on a host meeting Jetpack’s documented PHP and MySQL or MariaDB requirements.
- A WordPress.com account. You can create one during Jetpack setup if necessary.
- A site that is publicly reachable in a normal browser. Temporarily disable password protection, Coming Soon pages, and maintenance-mode plugins while connecting.
- A publicly reachable XML-RPC endpoint. Security plugins, firewalls, host rules, or network controls must not block it.
- Administrator access to the WordPress site. Only an Administrator can establish or remove the Jetpack connection.
The first Administrator who connects the site becomes the primary connection owner. On a team site, use an account that will remain available for ownership and support tasks rather than a temporary contractor account.
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Connect the self-hosted site to WordPress.com
- Sign in to your site’s WP Admin.
- Open Jetpack → My Jetpack.
- In the Connection section, select Connect my account or Connect your user account; the exact label can vary by Jetpack version.
- Sign in to WordPress.com, or create an account.
- Review and approve the authorization request.
- Wait for Jetpack to report that the site is connected. If the connection wizard stops, use the troubleshooting checks below before repeating it.
During setup, Jetpack requires you to log in as a WordPress Administrator. Connecting a regular Editor, Author, or Contributor account will not establish site ownership.
Install and sign in to the desktop app
- Download the current WordPress.com desktop app package for your operating system from the official WordPress.com download page. Choose the Mac Intel, Mac Apple silicon, Windows, or Linux build that matches your computer.
- Install and launch the application.
- Sign in with the same WordPress.com account used when you connected Jetpack.
- Open My Sites.
- Select the connected self-hosted site. It should appear alongside any WordPress.com sites associated with that account.
If the site is missing, signing out and back in with the account that owns the Jetpack connection is the first check. Do not create a second connection with a different account until you know which account currently owns the site connection.
Write, preview, and publish a post
- In My Sites, choose the self-hosted site.
- Open Posts and choose the control for creating a new post. Labels can change between app releases.
- Write the post in the editor.
- Add images or other media, categories, tags, and a featured image as appropriate for your site’s theme and editorial workflow.
- Save the draft. The app supports draft auto-saving, but saving manually before switching views is still prudent on a long post.
- Use the in-app preview to check layout and content.
- Publish when the post is ready, or leave it as a draft for review in WP Admin.
The app is well suited to focused writing and publishing, while advanced plugin controls, server settings, file access, backups, and hosting operations still belong in your site’s WP Admin or hosting control panel.
What the app can and cannot replace
| Workflow | WordPress.com account | Jetpack and public XML-RPC | Writing and preview | Site management | Stats and notifications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress.com desktop app with a self-hosted site | Required | Required | Dedicated desktop editor, drafts, auto-saving, media, and in-app preview | Common site management and customization features; advanced server and plugin work remains in WP Admin | Available features depend on the connected site and current app build |
| Browser-based WP Admin | Not required for ordinary local administration | Not required for ordinary local administration | WordPress editor and browser preview | Full WordPress dashboard, plugins, themes, users, settings, and media | Provided by WordPress, plugins, or other services configured on the site |
Choose the desktop app for a dedicated interface and a unified view of connected sites. Use browser WP Admin when you need every native WordPress, plugin, user, theme, or hosting control without adding the Jetpack connection.
Troubleshoot a site that will not connect
Check the connection and account
- Confirm Jetpack is active and connected to the intended WordPress.com account.
- Verify that the account performing the connection has the Administrator role.
- If the connection belongs to a former administrator, ask a current Administrator to reconnect the site and establish a new primary owner.
- Sign in to the desktop app with that same WordPress.com account.
Check public access
- Open the site in a private or logged-out browser window and confirm that it loads publicly.
- Disable password gates, Coming Soon pages, and maintenance-mode plugins during setup.
- Confirm that the site’s HTTPS certificate is valid and that the URL in WordPress settings matches the public HTTPS address.
Check XML-RPC and server security
Jetpack needs the XML-RPC file to be reachable from the public internet. A security plugin, web application firewall, host rule, or server configuration may block it even when the homepage works. Review those controls and allow the site’s XML-RPC requests, following your host or security provider’s documented procedure.
Update the software
Update WordPress and Jetpack to current supported versions, then retry the connection. Compatibility problems are more likely when either component is substantially out of date.
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Retry only after correcting the cause
Once the account, public access, XML-RPC availability, URL, and certificate are correct, return to Jetpack → My Jetpack and repeat the connection flow. If it still fails, your host’s firewall or security logs can show whether requests are being denied.
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When the desktop app is the right choice
- Use it when you regularly write or edit posts, switch among several connected sites, want a dedicated desktop window, or prefer in-app previews and centralized site access.
- Use WP Admin instead when you need plugin installation, theme code, user and role administration, database or media-library work, server configuration, backups, or controls that the current app build does not expose.
- Use both when the app is your writing workspace and WP Admin remains your administration and maintenance console.
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