Site URL Greyed Out on AWS Lightsail Bitnami WordPress Instance

If you’re managing a WordPress website hosted on an AWS Lightsail instance using the Bitnami stack, you may run into an issue where the WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) fields under Settings > General are greyed out and uneditable.

This can be frustrating, especially if you’re trying to force your website to load over https:// instead of http:// after installing an SSL certificate. Fortunately, there is a straightforward fix — but it involves editing your WordPress configuration file from the server’s command line.

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Why Are the Site URLs Greyed Out?

In Bitnami WordPress stacks, certain settings are hardcoded directly into the wp-config.php file for stability and security purposes. This is why you can’t change them via the WordPress dashboard.

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How to Fix It: Force HTTPS in wp-config.php

• SSH into your Lightsail instance using your terminal or SSH client.

• Use the following command to view the contents of your wp-config.php file:

cat /opt/bitnami/wordpress/wp-config.php

• Edit the file with nano (or any CLI text editor):

nano /opt/bitnami/wordpress/wp-config.php

Scroll to the lines that look like this:

define('WP_SITEURL', 'http://your-domain.com');
define('WP_HOME', 'http://your-domain.com');

Replace them with the secure HTTPS version:

define('WP_SITEURL', 'https://your-domain.com');
define('WP_HOME', 'https://your-domain.com');

After editing save the file by:

• Ctrl + O to write changes
• Enter to confirm
• Ctrl + X to exit

• That’s it! Even though the fields will still appear greyed out in the WordPress dashboard, your site should now load using https:// instead of http://

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Final Notes

This method is especially useful when using Bitnami stacks where settings are managed outside the typical WordPress admin interface. It’s a good idea to clear your browser cache and restart your Lightsail instance if you don’t see the changes take effect right away.

If you’re using a domain management tool like Cloudflare or Route 53, make sure your DNS settings also support HTTPS and that your SSL certificate is properly configured.

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