Before you start
You need Local 6 or newer and a WordPress site on one of the supported hosts. The add-ons were developed against Local 10.1.2 on macOS. Review the setup requirements before your first transfer. These are early releases.
Have a current, independent backup of the destination. Start on a staging or disposable site, especially when trying a host connection for the first time.
1. Download your add-on
Choose Cloudways, Bluehost, or Kinsta from the add-ons section. Download the installable .tgz file. Keep it compressed; you do not need to extract it. All three add-ons can coexist in Local.
2. Install in Local
- Open Local and go to Add-ons.
- Choose Install from disk and select the downloaded .tgz file.
- Enable the installed add-on.
- Restart Local to load it.
If you download source code from GitHub in the future, a repository ZIP is not the same as an installable add-on package. Use the .tgz release asset.
3. Connect your host
Open an existing Local site, then Tools → Cloudways, Tools → Bluehost, or Tools → Kinsta. Follow the matching host guide:
- Cloudways: API access token or SSH
- Bluehost: shared hosting or Bluehost Cloud
- Kinsta: API key or environment SSH details
Choose the correct remote site or environment and select Link. Check the remote URL before continuing.
4. Make a small first transfer
Start with a harmless file change on staging. Use Compare & sync files to inspect differences, then select the intended file and direction. Verify the result in your browser. For a complete site, use the Push or Pull tab and choose files, the database, or both.
5. Verify the result
Check the destination URL, home page, a few inner pages, images, and WordPress admin. Confirm important settings and URLs. Check that unrelated files and sites remain in place. Purge caches if you see old content.
Keep your add-on current
Download the latest package for your host from the add-ons section. In Local, choose Add-ons → Install from disk, select the new .tgz file, and restart Local when installation finishes.