LocalWP Doctor Pro
v2.0 Windows MIT License

Local won't start.
Let's find out why.

LocalWP Doctor Pro is a free, open-source Windows utility that diagnoses and repairs the most common reasons Local (by Flywheel) gets stuck at startup — MySQL/MariaDB delays, stale PID files, and slow database settings on mechanical drives.

Download for Windows View source on GitHub

LocalWP Doctor Pro.zip

Independent community project — not affiliated with or endorsed by Local.

LocalWP Doctor Pro — Dashboard
MySQL ServiceRunning · v8.0.34
Port 10004Accepting connections
Stale PID Files1 found
[OK] Database service responding
[OK] Backup created: my.ini.bak
[WARN] Removed 1 stale PID file
Applying repair…72%

If this looks familiar…

Local hangs on "Starting site…" with no clear error message.
MySQL or MariaDB times out before the service is ready.
A leftover .pid file quietly blocks the database from restarting.
Startup drags on mechanical hard drives with default database settings.

One dashboard, six diagnostic tools

Everything you need to see what's wrong and fix it — in one window.

Interactive Dashboard
Live status of MySQL and MariaDB services — detected versions, retry counts, and timeout state — in one view.
Stale PID Detector
Finds and counts orphaned .pid files that can silently block Local from starting.
Local Site Scanner
Scans your local WordPress sites and checks selected HDD-related database configuration settings.
Port Health Check
Tests whether your configured MySQL port (10004 by default) is actually accepting connections.
One-Click Repair
A guided workflow covering service configuration, stale PID cleanup, and HDD-related database tuning.
Automatic Backups
Creates a .bak backup before any supported change, so you can restore if something goes wrong.

From stuck to started

1
Open the Releases page and download the latest version.
2
Read the release notes, then back up your configuration files and databases.
3
Run the app and review exactly what it detects before applying anything.
4
Apply a guided repair, then check the activity log to see exactly what changed.

What you'll need

Windows operating system
Local (LocalWP) already installed
Access to Local's config files and logs
Admin rights only for operations that need them
Before you run a repair

Stop running sites and close Local when instructed, back up your configuration files and databases first, and review each proposed change. Never delete a PID file unless you've confirmed the related service is stopped.

LocalWP Doctor Pro is an independent community project — not affiliated with or endorsed by Local or Flywheel. Provided "as is," without warranty; it may not resolve every startup issue.