How To Set WordPress URL and Site URL Separately

GOAL

Today’s goal is to set site address and WordPress address different. For example, the WordPress address is “example.com/admin” if the site address is “example.com”.

Environment

WordPress 5.4.1

What are WordPress address and site address?

On the Settings -> General screen in a single site installation of WordPress, there are two fields named “WordPress Address (URL)” and “Site Address (URL)”.

from Changing The Site URL in wordpress.org

The “Site Address (URL)” setting is the address you want people to type in their browser to reach your WordPress blog.
The “WordPress Address (URL)” setting is the address where your WordPress core files reside.

from Changing The Site URL in wordpress.org

Why should they be different?

WordPress has core directories such as “wp-admin” WordPress Address. The sub directory enables to mange WordPress core directories cleanly aside from normal contents of the blog such as images and text.

And it prevent people access wp-admin directly where a dashboard to edit blog is.

Method

*I will not bear any responsibility whatsoever for this method.

1. Change the site address on WordPress

Open “Settings” menu on WordPress Dashboard. Change Site Address. (It is better to install WordPress at www/admin directory on the server first and not to change WordPress Address.)

2. Download index.php and .htaccess

Download index.php and .htaccess from WordPress directory on the server.

3. Change index.php

Change require__DIR__ in index.php as below.

//before

/** Loads the WordPress Environment and Template */
require __DIR__ . '/wp-blog-header.php';

//after

/** Loads the WordPress Environment and Template */
require __DIR__ . '/admin/wp-blog-header.php';

4. upload index.php and .htaccess

Upload index.php and .htaccess to the site directory on the server.

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