Install WP-CLI on Windows and Run Basic WordPress Commands

WP-CLI lets you manage WordPress from the command line. On Windows, it is useful for checking a site, listing posts, reviewing plugins, importing media, and running small maintenance helpers without opening the browser for every task.

What It Does

• Installs the WP-CLI Phar file in a reusable Windows folder.
• Adds a small wp.bat wrapper so the wp command works from PowerShell.
• Shows how to point WP-CLI at a WordPress install with --path.
• Gives basic examples for posts, plugins, themes, categories, media imports, and helper scripts.

Requirements

WP-CLI needs PHP available from the command line. Before installing WP-CLI, confirm that PowerShell can find PHP:

php -v

If that command is not recognized, install PHP or add the existing PHP folder to the Windows Path environment variable first.

Download WP-CLI

Create a folder for WP-CLI and download the Phar file:

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path C:\wp-cli -Force
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wp-cli/builds/gh-pages/phar/wp-cli.phar -OutFile C:\wp-cli\wp-cli.phar

Test the Phar directly with PHP:

php C:\wp-cli\wp-cli.phar --info

Add the wp Command

Create a small batch wrapper named wp.bat:

Set-Content -Path C:\wp-cli\wp.bat -Value '@php "%~dp0wp-cli.phar" %*'

Add C:\wp-cli to the Windows Path environment variable, then open a new PowerShell window and test:

wp --info

Point WP-CLI at a WordPress Site

When the terminal is not inside the WordPress folder, use --path with the WordPress install path:

wp --path="C:\inetpub\sites\example.com" core version

The --path value should point to the folder that contains wp-config.php, wp-admin, wp-content, and wp-includes.

Basic WP-CLI Examples

List posts:

wp --path="C:\inetpub\sites\example.com" post list --post_type=post --fields=ID,post_title,post_status,post_date

List plugins:

wp --path="C:\inetpub\sites\example.com" plugin list

List themes:

wp --path="C:\inetpub\sites\example.com" theme list

List categories:

wp --path="C:\inetpub\sites\example.com" term list category --fields=term_id,name,slug,count

Import an image into the Media Library:

wp --path="C:\inetpub\sites\example.com" media import .\assets\example-screenshot.png --title="Example screenshot"

Run a PHP helper script:

wp --path="C:\inetpub\sites\example.com" eval-file .\path\to\helper.php

Common Path Mistake

The folder where you keep helper scripts is not always the WordPress install. For example, a source repository can be in C:\DevOps\DEV-Site, while WordPress is installed in C:\inetpub\sites\example.com.

In that case, run WP-CLI from the source repository but point --path at WordPress:

Set-Location C:\DevOps\DEV-Site
wp --path="C:\inetpub\sites\example.com" eval-file .\.codex\scripts\sync-posts-from-posts.php

That pattern lets WP-CLI load WordPress correctly while still running a helper script stored outside the WordPress folder.