WordPress Multisite Hosting & Setup: Complete Guide

Managing five WordPress sites means five logins, five update cycles, and five separate dashboards. Or it could mean one – even if it’s not 5, but 50 different sites you’re managing. WordPress Multisite lets you run an entire network of websites from a single installation, sharing themes, plugins, and core files while keeping each site’s content separate.

If you’re building sites for different business departments, managing client projects, or running a network of related blogs, WordPress Multisite hosting on a VPS gives you the control and resources to do it right.

WordPress Multisite is a built-in feature that turns one WordPress installation into a hub for multiple websites. Introduced in WordPress 3.0, it lets you create and manage a network of sites that share the same core files, themes, and plugins. Each site keeps its own content, users, and settings.

Think of it like running multiple coffee shops under one brand. Each location has its own manager, its own inventory, and its own customers. But they all use the same point-of-sale system, the same supplier for beans, and the same company logo. You update the logo once and it shows up everywhere. A new supplier agreement happens once and benefits all locations. That’s Multisite. Each site runs independently, but they share the core infrastructure that keeps everything running.

A standard WordPress installation has one admin dashboard, one set of themes, and one database. With Multisite enabled, you get a Network Admin dashboard that sits above individual site dashboards. From there, a Super Admin can install themes and plugins for the entire network, create new sites, and manage users across all properties.

Site Admins can activate available themes and plugins for their specific site, manage content, and add users. But they can’t install new themes or plugins on their own. This separation keeps the network secure and consistent.

Each site in the network has its own URL structure. You choose between subdomains (east.coffee.com and west.coffee.com) or subdirectories (coffee.com/east and coffee.com/west) when setting up the network. You can also map custom domains to individual sites, so visitors never know they’re part of a larger network.

Understanding what happens under the hood helps you decide whether Multisite fits your project with multiple WordPress sites.

So how does WordPress Multisite work? All sites in a Multisite network share the same WordPress core files, themes folder, and plugins folder. You install and update each theme or plugin once, no matter how many sites use it. Updates roll out network-wide, which saves hours of maintenance time when you’re managing ten or twenty sites.

But each site’s content stays separate. WordPress creates a new set of database tables for every site you add. If your main site uses tables like wp_posts and wp_options, a second site gets wp_2_posts and wp_2_options. Media uploads go into site-specific folders within wp-content/uploads/sites/.

Some data is shared across the network. User accounts live in global tables (wp_users and wp_usermeta), so one person can access multiple sites without creating separate accounts. Network-wide settings go in wp_sitemeta. Tables like wp_blogs and wp_site track information about the network itself.

WordPress Multisite works well when your sites share common characteristics. But it’s not always the right choice. Here’s how to decide:

Real-world examples where Multisite thrives: Universities running faculty and student blogs. Businesses managing regional sites with consistent branding. Agencies hosting multiple client sites on shared infrastructure. Media companies running networks where each publication gets its own site. 

The catch with Multisite: The shared database is powerful but comes with tradeoffs. If one site gets compromised, the entire network is at risk. A database issue on one site can affect all sites. A traffic spike on one site can slow down the rest. And if you need to extract a single site from the network later, it takes more work than moving a standalone installation. 

When separate installations are worth the extra work: You’re managing completely unrelated projects with different security requirements. Each site needs to scale independently. You want guaranteed isolation between projects. You need maximum flexibility without network-wide constraints.

Shared hosting rarely has the resources a Multisite network needs. As you add sites and traffic grows, you’ll hit limits on CPU, memory, and database connections. VPS hosting gives you dedicated resources that can scale with your network.

A Virtual Private Server allocates specific CPU cores, RAM, and storage to your account. You’re not competing with other customers for resources. This matters for Multisite because each site in your network adds database queries and memory usage. During traffic spikes, you need headroom to handle the load without slowdowns hitting all your sites at once.

VPS hosting also gives you full control over your server environment. You can tune PHP settings, configure caching at the server level, and optimize MySQL for better performance. These options typically aren’t available on shared plans. For networks running multiple WordPress sites, this control lets you dial in the environment for your specific workload.

When evaluating WordPress VPS hosting for your multisite network, focus on: 

• RAM: Multisite networks benefit from 4GB or more for moderate-sized networks 

• Storage: NVMe SSDs reduce database query times compared to traditional drives 

• Scalability: Add capacity as your network grows without migrating servers 

Security features matter too. DDoS protection keeps your entire network online during attacks. Full root access lets you configure security exactly as needed and install the tools you want.

A WordPress VPS from Contabo gives you the allocated resources and control that Multisite networks need. You get dedicated CPU cores, enough RAM to handle your growing network, and NVMe SSDs that keep database queries fast. Plus, always-on DDoS protection means your entire network stays online even during attacks. When you’re managing multiple sites, you can’t afford downtime. The 99.9% uptime and scalable plans at Contabo let you grow without worrying about outgrowing your hosting. 

Before touching any configuration files, prepare your environment. Back up your entire WordPress installation and database. If you’re enabling Multisite on an existing site, deactivate all plugins first to avoid conflicts during setup.

You’ll need access to your WordPress files through your hosting file manager or an FTP/SFTP client. The two files you’ll edit are wp-config.php and .htaccess, both in your WordPress root directory (typically public_html).

To enable WordPress Multisite, open wp-config.php and find this line:

/* That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing. */ 

Add this code immediately above it: 

/* Multisite */ 
define( 'WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true ); 

Save the file. This single line enables the Network Setup option in your WordPress admin. 

Log back into your WordPress dashboard. You’ll now see a new menu item under Tools called Network Setup.

With Multisite enabled, you’re ready to configure your WordPress multisite network. The process needs a few more file edits, but WordPress walks you through each step.

Go to Tools → Network Setup in your WordPress admin. You’ll see options for how sites in your network will be addressed.

Subdomains create URLs like blog.yoursite.com. This WordPress multisite subdomain structure works well when sites represent distinct entities or brands. It requires wildcard DNS configuration on your server.

Subdirectories create URLs like yoursite.com/blog. This is easier to configure and works immediately without DNS changes. But if your WordPress installation is older than 30 days, WordPress limits you to subdomains only to prevent URL conflicts with existing content.

For most new installations, either option works fine. If you plan to use domain mapping (assigning custom domains to individual sites), the underlying structure matters less since visitors see the mapped domain anyway.

Enter a name for your network in the Network Title field. This shows up in the Network Admin dashboard and notification emails. Add the Super Admin email address. This account will have full control over the network.

Click Install. WordPress generates two code snippets you’ll add to your configuration files.

Copy the first code block WordPress provides and add it to wp-config.php, just above the “stop editing” line:

define( 'MULTISITE', true ); 
define( 'SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL', true ); 
define( 'DOMAIN_CURRENT_SITE', 'yourdomain.com' ); 
define( 'PATH_CURRENT_SITE', '/' ); 
define( 'SITE_ID_CURRENT_SITE', 1 ); 
define( 'BLOG_ID_CURRENT_SITE', 1 ); 

Replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain. If you chose subdirectories, SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL will be false instead of true.

Open .htaccess in your WordPress root directory and replace the existing WordPress rewrite rules with the code WordPress provides. For subdomain installations:

RewriteEngine On 
RewriteRule .* - [E=HTTP_AUTHORIZATION:%{HTTP:Authorization}] 
RewriteBase / 
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L] 
 
# add a trailing slash to /wp-admin 
RewriteRule ^wp-admin$ wp-admin/ [R=301,L] 
 
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -f [OR] 
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -d 
RewriteRule ^ - [L] 
RewriteRule ^(wp-(content|admin|includes).*) $1 [L] 
RewriteRule ^(.*\.php)$ $1 [L] 
RewriteRule . index.php [L] 

Save both files. Your WordPress Multisite network is now active.

If you chose subdomain-based sites, configure a wildcard DNS record. In your DNS settings, add an A record with * as the name, pointing to your server’s IP address. This routes all subdomains to your WordPress installation automatically.

DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate globally, though they often kick in within a few hours. Online DNS propagation checkers can tell you when changes have taken effect.

For HTTPS across all subdomains, you’ll need a wildcard SSL certificate. Let’s Encrypt supports wildcard certificates through DNS validation. Many hosting control panels automate this, or you can configure it manually using Certbot with the DNS challenge.

Log out and log back in. You’ll see a new “My Sites” menu in the WordPress toolbar. Hover over it to access the Network Admin dashboard.

The Network Admin is your control center for the entire network. From here you can create and manage sites, update the network’s name, install themes and plugins, manage network-wide users, and configure registration settings.

Once your network is running, day-to-day WordPress multi site management happens through the Network Admin dashboard.

Go to Sites in the Network Admin. Enter the site address (the subdomain or subdirectory), site title, site language, and the admin email.

Click Add Site. WordPress creates the necessary database tables and folder structure right away. The new site appears in your Sites list, ready for content. You can create as many sites as your server resources support.

The Sites screen lists every site in your network. Hover over a site name to see available actions.

The Edit screen for each site has several tabs. Info shows basic site information and lets you change the site URL. Users lists everyone with access and their roles. Themes shows which themes are enabled for that specific site. Settings provides database table information and additional configuration options.

Users in a Multisite network exist at the network level but have roles assigned per site. One user account can be an Administrator on one site, an Editor on another, and have no access to a third. This flexibility makes access management across your network much easier.

As Super Admin, you add users through Users → Add User in the Network Admin. Enter a username and email address. WordPress sends them a password setup link. You can then assign that user to specific sites with the right roles through each site’s Users tab.

To grant someone Super Admin privileges (full network control), edit their user profile and check the Super Admin box. Use this sparingly. Super Admins can install plugins, delete sites, and modify network settings. Limit this access to people you trust completely.

Site Admins can add existing network users to their site or create new accounts. New accounts created by Site Admins automatically join the network user pool, making them available for other sites.

Under Settings → Network Settings, you configure how your network operates. Key options include: 

• Whether new users can register accounts 
• Whether users can create their own sites 
• Whether Site Admins can add new users 
• Upload file type restrictions and size limits 
• Banned usernames and email domains

The Menu Settings option controls whether Site Admins see the Plugins menu. Disabling this prevents Site Admins from activating or deactivating plugins on their sites. Useful when you want tight control over which plugins run where.

Managing WordPress Multisite themes and plugins works differently than single-site WordPress. Only Super Admins can install new themes and plugins. Site Admins work with what’s already available on the network.

Install plugins through Plugins → Add Plugin in the Network Admin, just like a regular WordPress site. Once installed, you have two activation options.

Network Activate makes the plugin run on every site in the network automatically. Site Admins can’t deactivate network-activated plugins. Use this for security plugins, caching, or SEO tools you want running everywhere.

If you don’t network activate a plugin, it stays available for Site Admins to activate on their individual sites. They’ll see it in their Plugins menu and can choose whether to use it. This gives you flexibility in how tools get deployed.

Not all plugins support Multisite. Before relying on a plugin across your network, check that it’s Multisite-compatible. Most popular plugins work fine, but some need network-level configuration or behave differently in Multisite environments.

Themes work a bit differently. You install themes in Themes within Network Admin, but you don’t “activate” them network-wide the same way as plugins. Instead, you enable themes to make them available.

Network Enable makes a theme available on all sites. Any Site Admin can then activate it for their site. For site-specific enabling, go to Sites → Edit → Themes tab. Enable themes for just that site, and only that site’s admin can use them.

Only one theme can be active per site. Enabling a theme just makes it available. The Site Admin still chooses which enabled theme to actually use.

If your sites share branding elements, consider a parent theme with site-specific child themes. Install the parent theme once, enable it network-wide, then create child themes for each site that needs custom styling. This keeps common elements consistent while allowing per-site customization.

For WordPress multisite subdomain setups, you can use domain mapping to give each site its own branded URL, paired with child themes for visual distinction. Visitors experience what feels like separate websites, but you manage everything from one dashboard. This works well for WordPress multi-user environments where different teams handle different sites.

What is WordPress Multisite?
WordPress Multisite is a feature built into WordPress that lets you run multiple websites from a single installation. All sites share the same core files, themes, and plugins, but each site has its own content, users, and settings. A Super Admin manages the network through a Network Admin dashboard.

How does WordPress Multisite work?
Multisite adds a network layer on top of standard WordPress. Core files are shared across all sites. When you create a new site, WordPress generates new database tables (prefixed with the site ID) to store that site’s content separately. User accounts are stored globally, so one person can access multiple sites without separate logins. A Super Admin manages the network while Site Admins handle individual site content.

How to set up WordPress Multisite?
Add define( ‘WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE’, true ); to your wp-config.php file, then go to Tools → Network Setup in your WordPress admin. Choose between subdomains or subdirectories, configure your network details, and click Install. WordPress provides code snippets to add to wp-config.php and .htaccess. After saving both files, log back in to access your new Network Admin dashboard.

How to migrate a Multisite WordPress?
Migrating a Multisite network or extracting a single site takes more work than standard WordPress migration. For full network migrations, you need to move all files plus the entire database, then update domain references in the database. To migrate a single subsite out of a network, you’ll need to export its content and recreate it as a standalone installation, or use migration plugins designed for Multisite.

WordPress Multisite changes how you manage multiple websites. Instead of juggling separate installations, updates, and logins, you get centralized control. One update covers all your sites. One login accesses everything. One dashboard manages the whole network.

Setup takes about 30 minutes once you know the steps. Enable Multisite in wp-config.php, run the Network Setup wizard, update your configuration files, and start adding sites.

For WordPress multisite hosting that grows with your network, a WordPress VPS provides the dedicated resources, security, and flexibility your sites need. Start with what you need today and scale up as your network expands.