🚀 How to Set Up a Virtual Host in XAMPP (C:) to Run WordPress from Another Drive (G:)

August 18, 2025

This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Pranto Mollick

1. Install XAMPP(Already Installed)

Make sure Apache and MySQL modules are running from the XAMPP Control Panel.

2. Download/Edit WordPress on G:

Extract WordPress, say, to G:\wordpress.

3. Create a Database for WordPress

Go to http://localhost/phpmyadmin in your browser.
Click “Databases”, create a new database (e.g., wordpress_db).

4. Set Permissions (if needed)

Make sure your user account has read/write permissions for G:\wordpress.

5. Configure Apache Virtual Hosts

a. Edit httpd-vhosts.conf:

Open C:\xampp\apache\conf\extra\httpd-vhosts.conf with a text editor (running as Administrator).
Add a block like this at the end:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName gamestore-dev.local
    ServerAlias gamestore-dev.local
    DocumentRoot "G:/wordpress"
    <Directory "G:/wordpress">
        Options +Indexes +Includes +FollowSymLinks +MultiViews
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
    ErrorLog "logs/dummy-host2.example.com-error.log"
    CustomLog "logs/dummy-host2.example.com-access.log" common
</VirtualHost>

Replace mywordpress.local with your desired local domain.

b. Ensure mod_vhost and mod_rewrite are Enabled

In C:\xampp\apache\conf\httpd.conf, make sure these lines are uncommented (no #):

Include "conf/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf"
LoadModule rewrite_module modules/mod_rewrite.so

6. Edit Your hosts File

Open Notepad as Administrator.
File > Open: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
Add this line at the end:

    127.0.0.1   mywordpress.local

7. Restart Apache

In the XAMPP Control Panel, stop and start Apache.

8. Install WordPress

Visit http://mywordpress.local in your browser.
Run the installation wizard.
Enter your database info: > – Database Name: wordpress_db > – Username: root > – Password: (leave blank unless you set one)

9. Test

You should see the WordPress setup page from G:\wordpress.
Log in to your WordPress site as normal.

Tip:
For multiple projects, just replicate the block with different folders and domain names.

This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Pranto Mollick