{"id":1229,"date":"2006-05-06T22:59:05","date_gmt":"2006-05-06T17:29:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/05\/wordpress-mu-hosted-multiple-users-version\/"},"modified":"2026-10-28T10:15:40","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T04:45:40","slug":"wordpress-mu-hosted-multiple-users-version","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/05\/wordpress-mu-hosted-multiple-users-version\/","title":{"rendered":"WordPress MU Is Now WordPress Multisite: What It Is and How to Set It Up"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>WordPress MU (multi-user) was the separate edition of WordPress that let one installation run many blogs for many users. It no longer exists as a separate download: its features were merged into regular WordPress and renamed WordPress Multisite. If you searched for WordPress MU, this guide explains what Multisite is today, when it makes sense and how to switch it on.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-68377\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/wordpress-multisite-network.webp\" alt=\"A row of colourful houses on one street, like many sites sharing one WordPress Multisite network\" width=\"1200\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/wordpress-multisite-network.webp 1200w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/wordpress-multisite-network-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/wordpress-multisite-network-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/wordpress-multisite-network-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/wordpress-multisite-network-768x403.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> WordPress MU was merged into WordPress 3.0 in 2010 and is now called WordPress Multisite. To use it, add define( &#8216;WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE&#8217;, true ); to wp-config.php, then go to Tools &gt; Network Setup, choose subdomains or subdirectories and follow the steps. Multisite suits networks of related sites run by one team; separate installs are simpler for unrelated sites.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af04a000b1db\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af04a000b1db\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/05\/wordpress-mu-hosted-multiple-users-version\/#From_WordPress_MU_to_WordPress_Multisite\" >From WordPress MU to WordPress Multisite<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/05\/wordpress-mu-hosted-multiple-users-version\/#What_is_WordPress_Multisite\" >What is WordPress Multisite?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/05\/wordpress-mu-hosted-multiple-users-version\/#When_to_use_WordPress_Multisite\" >When to use WordPress Multisite<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/05\/wordpress-mu-hosted-multiple-users-version\/#When_separate_installs_are_better\" >When separate installs are better<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/05\/wordpress-mu-hosted-multiple-users-version\/#How_to_set_up_WordPress_Multisite\" >How to set up WordPress Multisite<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/05\/wordpress-mu-hosted-multiple-users-version\/#Tips_for_running_a_Multisite_network\" >Tips for running a Multisite network<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/05\/wordpress-mu-hosted-multiple-users-version\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/05\/wordpress-mu-hosted-multiple-users-version\/#Is_WordPress_MU_still_available\" >Is WordPress MU still available?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/05\/wordpress-mu-hosted-multiple-users-version\/#Is_WordPress_Multisite_free\" >Is WordPress Multisite free?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/05\/wordpress-mu-hosted-multiple-users-version\/#Can_I_convert_an_existing_site_to_Multisite\" >Can I convert an existing site to Multisite?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/05\/wordpress-mu-hosted-multiple-users-version\/#Subdomains_or_subdirectories_which_is_better\" >Subdomains or subdirectories: which is better?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"From_WordPress_MU_to_WordPress_Multisite\"><\/span>From WordPress MU to WordPress Multisite<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When we covered WordPress MU in 2006, it was a separate download from the old mu.wordpress.org site, aimed at people who wanted to host blogs for others, the way WordPress.com does. It was harder to install and maintain than normal WordPress. Since WordPress 3.0 the same capability is built into every copy of WordPress, so there is nothing extra to download; you simply turn the network feature on.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_WordPress_Multisite\"><\/span>What is WordPress Multisite?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>WordPress Multisite lets one WordPress installation run a network of sites. All sites share the same WordPress files, plugins and themes, while each site has its own content, settings and users.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Super Admin:<\/strong> manages the whole network, installs plugins and themes, and creates sites.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Site admins:<\/strong> manage their own site&#8217;s content and settings.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Shared users:<\/strong> one account can be added to several sites with different roles on each.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_to_use_WordPress_Multisite\"><\/span>When to use WordPress Multisite<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>A university, school or company with many department sites.<\/li>\n<li>A news group or brand with regional or language editions.<\/li>\n<li>An agency hosting many similar client sites that share one set of plugins.<\/li>\n<li>A blog network or community where users get their own site.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_separate_installs_are_better\"><\/span>When separate installs are better<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Sites that need very different plugins or must be moved to different hosts later.<\/li>\n<li>Client sites where each client needs full admin control of their own plugins.<\/li>\n<li>Hosting plans that do not support Multisite. Check with your host first.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_set_up_WordPress_Multisite\"><\/span>How to set up WordPress Multisite<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The steps below follow the official <a href=\"https:\/\/developer.wordpress.org\/advanced-administration\/multisite\/create-network\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WordPress guide to creating a network<\/a>. Take a full backup first.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Allow Multisite.<\/strong> Open wp-config.php and add this line above the &#8220;That&#8217;s all, stop editing&#8221; comment:\n<pre><code>define( 'WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true );<\/code><\/pre>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Deactivate all plugins<\/strong> while you set up the network.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Open Tools &gt; Network Setup.<\/strong> This menu item appears after step 1.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Choose subdomains or subdirectories.<\/strong> Subdomains give sites addresses like site1.example.com; subdirectories give example.com\/site1\/. You can change later, but it is not easy.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Copy the code WordPress shows<\/strong> into wp-config.php and your server&#8217;s rewrite rules (.htaccess on Apache), then log in again.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Add sites<\/strong> from My Sites &gt; Network Admin &gt; Sites, and reactivate plugins network-wide or per site.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tips_for_running_a_Multisite_network\"><\/span>Tips for running a Multisite network<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Test plugins and themes on one site before network-activating them.<\/li>\n<li>Back up the whole network: all sites share one database.<\/li>\n<li>Subdomain networks usually need wildcard DNS and an SSL certificate that covers subdomains.<\/li>\n<li>Keep the number of network-activated plugins small, since every site loads them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Building a community rather than separate sites? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/05\/download-buddypress\/\">BuddyPress<\/a> adds profiles, groups and activity streams to WordPress. For the story of a service that grew up around WordPress MU, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/07\/wpmudev-premium-subscription-service-for-wordpress-multiuser\/\">how WPMU DEV started<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_WordPress_MU_still_available\"><\/span>Is WordPress MU still available?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. It was merged into WordPress 3.0 in 2010. The same features are now WordPress Multisite, included in every WordPress download.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_WordPress_Multisite_free\"><\/span>Is WordPress Multisite free?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes. It is part of WordPress itself. You only need hosting that supports it.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_convert_an_existing_site_to_Multisite\"><\/span>Can I convert an existing site to Multisite?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes. Follow the setup steps above on your existing install. Your current site becomes the main site of the network. Back up first.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Subdomains_or_subdirectories_which_is_better\"><\/span>Subdomains or subdirectories: which is better?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Subdirectories are simpler to set up because they need no extra DNS. Subdomains suit sites that should feel more independent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WordPress MU (multi-user) was the separate edition of WordPress that let one installation run many blogs for many users. It&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":68377,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-1229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogging","tag-wordpress"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1229"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1229\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68378,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1229\/revisions\/68378"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}