A staging site is one of the most valuable tools a WordPress site owner can have. It lets you test changes — plugin updates, theme changes, new features, code edits — in an isolated environment before pushing them to your live site. WP Engine makes this straightforward with one-click staging included on every plan. Here’s how it works.
What Is a Staging Site?
A staging site is an exact copy of your live WordPress site running in a separate environment that your visitors can’t see. Changes you make on staging don’t affect your live site. Once you’ve tested and confirmed everything works correctly, you push the changes from staging to production with a single click.
Without staging, every change you make — updating a plugin, editing theme code, trying a new page builder — is a live experiment on your actual site. One bad update can take your site offline in front of real visitors. Staging eliminates that risk.
Creating a Staging Site on WP Engine
Step 1: Log into the WP Engine User Portal
Go to my.wpengine.com and log in with your account credentials.
Step 2: Select Your Site
From the Sites dashboard, click on the site you want to create a staging environment for.
Step 3: Add a Staging Environment
On the site overview page, you’ll see your existing environments (typically just “Production” to start). Click “Add Environment” and select “Staging” as the environment type.
Step 4: Copy Production to Staging
WP Engine will create an exact copy of your production site — files, database, media, plugins, and all — in the new staging environment. This typically takes a few minutes depending on your site size.
Step 5: Access Your Staging Site
Your staging site gets a temporary WP Engine URL (like yoursite.staging.wpengine.com). Visit it and verify it looks identical to your live site.
Step 6: Make and Test Changes
Now make your changes on staging — update that plugin you’ve been nervous about, test the new theme, add custom code, configure a new block. Test thoroughly on staging before touching production.
Step 7: Push Staging to Production
When you’re satisfied, go back to the User Portal, select your staging environment, and click “Copy to” then select Production. WP Engine pushes your staging changes to the live site. You can choose to copy files, database, or both.
Tips for Using Staging Effectively
- Always test plugin updates on staging first — this is the number one staging use case and prevents the most common WordPress site breakages.
- Refresh staging from production regularly — if your live site changes frequently (new posts, form submissions, orders), refresh staging before testing to work with current data.
- Don’t use staging for email testing — WP Engine disables outbound email on staging environments to prevent accidental sends to real users.
- Use the dev environment for code experiments — WP Engine also includes a Development environment. Use Dev for early experimentation, Staging for pre-launch testing, Production for the live site.
Staging on Every WP Engine Plan
One-click staging environments are included on every WP Engine plan at no additional cost. This is a feature you’d pay extra for on many other hosts — on WP Engine it’s standard. See all WP Engine plans through Screenwalker with exclusive first-year pricing, or learn more about what WP Engine managed hosting includes.