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Frequently Asked Questions

On this page you’ll find answers to common questions about the Studio app and certain features like the Assistant and Studio Sync.

As a reminder, Studio is an open source project that welcomes all contributions. If you spot a bug or the Studio feature you need is missing, we have some options:

General FAQs

Here are some answers to common questions about Studio:

How can I export a theme I created in Studio?

Themes created in Studio are the same as themes created on traditional WordPress sites. You can export your theme by following these steps:

  1. Select the local site within Studio.
  2. Ensure that your site is already running.
  3. Click on the Overview tab.
  4. Click the Site Editor button.
  5. Once the site editor loads in your browser, expand the editor by clicking anywhere on the site preview.
an orange arrow pointing to a WordPress theme in the site editor
  1. Click the Options menu button, represented by three stacked dots (⋮). 
  2. Click Export, and your browser should begin downloading a .zip file of your theme.

You can then upload your theme to any live or staging WordPress site by following these instructions.

How can I publish my Studio site so that it’s publicly available?

While demo sites are intended for sharing with clients and gathering early feedback for up to seven days, a hosting plan is required to make your site permanently accessible.

To publish your local site on WordPress.com, follow the steps outlined in the Studio Sync doc.

To publish your local site on another WordPress host, follow the Import and Export guide to create an export of your source site. When the export is ready, you can import that content to the destination site, for example, following the Manually Restore Your Site from a Jetpack Backup File on WordPress.com guide.

How can I manage the Studio site’s SQLite database?

Studio uses SQLite instead of MySQL server. SQLite is a lightweight, self-contained SQL database engine that stores your database in a single file. Each of your sites will have a database file available in the following path: wp-content/database/.ht.sqlite. This is a hidden file and may not be visible using your File Explorer. On a Mac, you can press cmd + shift + . to reveal the hidden files using Finder.

Once you’ve located the SQLite database file, you can manage the database using any application compatible with SQLite. We recommend using SQLite3, provided you are comfortable using the terminal and SQLiteStudio as a UI.

While connecting to the SQLite database directly can be useful for running SQL queries, the dump generated by SQLiteStudio or running “sqlite3 wp-content/database/.ht.sqlite .dump > backup.sql” will not be directly compatible with MySQL.

SQLite3

SQLite is installed by default in Unix systems like Mac. For Windows, you can download it from the official page.

Once you have it installed:

  1. Select the local site within Studio.
  2. Click on the Overview tab.
  3. Click the Terminal button.
  4. In your terminal, execute the following command to interact with your database:
    sqlite3 wp-content/database/.ht.sqlite

Learn more about using SQLite3 from the terminal in SQLite3 documentation.

SQLiteStudio

If you prefer using an application with a user interface, you can use SQLiteStudio.

Once you have it installed:

  1. Find the wp-content/database/ folder in your File Explorer or Finder.
  2. Make sure you can see hidden files.
  3. Open SQLiteStudio.
  4. Drag and drop the .ht.sqlite file into the application.

How can I use Studio with the MySQL server of my choice?

Studio has built-in support for a SQLite database, but you can use the MySQL server of your choice, e.g., Homebrew or Docker, to test your site with different database engines.

If you have a local site already configured to work with a custom MySQL server of your choice, you can add it to Studio. If the site files include a wp-config.php file, Studio will skip the SQLite database setup and use the already configured database.

If you have already created a site in Studio, and want to switch SQLite to the MySQL server of your choice, follow the steps below:

  1. Stop the site.
  2. Open your Studio’s site directory.
  3. Navigate to the wp-content directory and delete the db.php file and the database directory.
  4. Navigate to the mu-plugins directory and delete sqlite-database-integration-main directory.
  5. Update wp-config.php file and fill in your MySQL server’s credentials.
  6. Start the site.
  7. Start your MySQL server.
  8. Open the site.

How do I change the PHP version used for my site? 

After creating a site, the current PHP version is displayed in the site’s settings tab, where you can also edit and change the PHP version.

  1. Select the relevant site in the sidebar. 
  2. Click the Settings heading. 
  3. Click the Edit button next to the PHP Version item. 
  4. Within the dialog, select the desired PHP version. 
  5. Click the Save button to persist the changes. 

Why isn’t the “Open In” button available for my preferred app?

The current buttons available in the Open in… area for each of your local sites are Finder (for macOS), File Explorer (for Windows), and then VS Code, Terminal, and PhpStorm for both platforms.

Studio, PhpStorm, and VS Code must live in your Applications folder to ensure the Open in… options are available.

How can I make Studio faster on Windows?

If the Real-Time Protection Service of Windows Defender is enabled on your machine, it may slow down the process of creating and starting a site, particularly when running PHP files of WordPress. To enhance site speed, we recommend adjusting the configuration accordingly:

Windows 11:

  1. Select Start, then open Settings. Under Privacy & security, select Virus & threat protection.
  2. Under Virus & threat protection settings, select Manage settings, and then under Exclusions, select Add or remove exclusions.
  3. Select Add an exclusion, and then select from process.
  4. Type the path of the Studio app executable file (e.g. C:\Users\<YOUR_USER>\AppData\Local\studio\Studio.exe) and then click on Add button.

Windows 10:

  1. Go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection.
  2. Under Virus & threat protection settings, select Manage settings, and then under Exclusions, select Add or remove exclusions.
  3. Select Add an exclusion, and then select from process.
  4. Type the path of the Studio app executable file (e.g. C:\Users\<YOUR_USER>\AppData\Local\studio\Studio.exe) and then click on Add button.

How can I regenerate my thumbnails?

If some thumbnails are missing after importing your site, you can regenerate them by running the following WP-CLI command:

wp media regenerate --yes --only-missing

If WP-CLI isn’t installed locally, you can ask Studio Assistant to run this command for you. Simply request, “Please regenerate my images using WP-CLI.”

How can I access Studio logs?

Occasionally, actions like Push or Pull in the Sync tab, or Import and Export, could fail due to different reasons related to PHP, the site’s database, or custom code issue.

If this happens, Studio will allow you to open logs and may ask to contact support. You can also open the logs manually.

If you use Studio on Mac:

  1. Open Terminal.
  2. Enter command:
    open ~/Library/Logs/Studio/current.log

If you use Studio on Windows:

  1. Open Terminal.
  2. Enter command:
    ii AppData\Roaming\Studio\logs
  3. Locate the latest log file and open it.

Studio Assistant FAQs

Here are some answers to common questions about the Studio Assistant. Please review the Studio Assistant doc for step-by step instructions and helpful tips for using this feature.

Where do the Assistant’s answers come from?

The Assistant leverages WordPress.com infrastructure and our WordPress knowledge base to provide helpful responses using Retrieval Augmented Generation. That’s why it needs internet connectivity and to be connected to a WordPress.com account.

What languages does the Studio Assistant support?

The sample prompts you see when you first start using the Assistant will be displayed in your chosen Studio language. That said, you can talk with the Assistant in any language you prefer. 

Can I use the Studio Assistant without a WordPress.com account?

No, you must log into Studio with your WordPress.com account to use the Studio Assistant. This is because we use WordPress.com infrastructure to generate messages and manage access.

Is there any cost to use the Studio Assistant?

It is free for any WordPress.com user, regardless of which plan you have. 

How many prompts can I use per month?

Each user is allowed 200 prompts per month across all of their Studio sites. If you reach this limit, you will need to wait until the next month for the prompt count to reset.

Where can I give feedback about the Studio Assistant’s responses?

There are two ways to give feedback about the Assistant’s responses.

First, there is a feedback mechanism built into the responses. Simply click Yes or No at the end of each response to help give feedback to the Studio team.

Second, you can write into support to share specific feedback about the Assistant’s responses. 

Studio Sync FAQs

Here are some answers to common questions about the Studio Sync feature. Please review the Studio Sync doc for step-by step instructions and helpful tips for using this feature.

Why don’t my local users appear on the WordPress.com site after pushing?

When pushing, Studio exports all your content and your entire database except for the wp_users and wp_usermeta tables. This ensures that the Jetpack-powered features on your WordPress.com website (like single sign-on or image optimization) continue working after the push.

Last updated: January 14, 2025

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