A WordPress installation has three main folders: wp-admin, wp-includes and wp-content. The first two belong to WordPress itself. The third one belongs to you.
In simple words, wp-content is the folder that stores all the themes, plugins and media files you add to your site. Whenever you move, back up or repair a site, this is the folder you will deal with the most.
What is inside the wp-content folder?
Here are the folders you will usually find inside it:
- themes: every theme you have installed, each in its own folder.
- plugins: all your installed plugins, whether they are active or not.
- uploads: images, PDFs and other files you add through the Media Library. By default, they are sorted into year and month folders, such as
uploads/2026/10/. - languages: translation files, if your site uses a language other than English.
Some plugins add their own folders too. For example, a caching plugin often creates a cache folder here.
Why wp-content matters
Think of WordPress core as a building and wp-content as your own room inside it. When WordPress updates, it replaces the files in wp-admin and wp-includes, but your themes, plugins and uploads stay where they are.
Remember that your posts and pages are not stored here. Their text lives in the database, while wp-content holds the files. A complete backup needs both.
How to open wp-content
- First, connect to your site using FTP or open the file manager in your hosting panel.
- Next, go to the root folder of your site, often called
public_html. - Now, open wp-content to see its folders.
If you are new to FTP, our guide on accessing WordPress websites with FTP makes it pretty easy. You can also explore the full WordPress directory structure to see how everything fits together.
If a broken plugin locks you out of the dashboard, rename its folder inside wp-content/plugins. WordPress will deactivate that plugin, and you can log in again.
That's all for now. wp-content holds everything you have built, so treat it with care and back it up often. Share your thoughts or questions in the comment box below.