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Install Drupal on Windows with XAMPP

Run Drupal on your own Windows PC for testing. XAMPP gives you Apache, MySQL and PHP.

CMS and Apps3 min read6 steps13 screenshots

Step 1: Download and install XAMPP

XAMPP bundles the tools Drupal needs:

  • Apache. The web server that serves your Drupal site.
  • MySQL (MariaDB). The database that stores your Drupal data.
  • PHP. The language that Drupal is written in.

Download XAMPP from the Apache Friends website, run the installer and keep the default folder C:\xampp.

Step 2: Download Drupal

Go to drupal.org and download the latest release as a zip file.

Step 3: Extract the files

Extract the zip file to C:\xampp\htdocs. Rename the folder to something short, such as drupal.

Extracting the Drupal files

Step 4: Create the database

  1. Open the XAMPP Control Panel and start Apache and MySQL.
    Apache and MySQL started in XAMPP
  2. Click Admin next to MySQL to open phpMyAdmin (or go to http://localhost/phpmyadmin).
  3. Click New, type a database name such as drupal, choose utf8mb4_general_ci and click Create.
    Creating the database in phpMyAdmin

Step 5: Start the Drupal installation

Open http://localhost/drupal in your browser.

The Drupal site in the browser

If you see errors, check that you extracted the Drupal files directly into the htdocs folder (not into a folder inside a folder), and that Apache and MySQL run.

Choose your language and click Save and continue.

Choosing English as the language

Step 6: Choose an installation profile

Select Standard and continue.

The Standard profile

Step 7: Check the requirements

The installer checks the PHP settings. If it asks for changes (for example to enable an extension such as curl or ffi), do this:

  1. In the XAMPP Control Panel, click Config next to Apache and open php.ini.
  2. Remove the ; before the extension that is missing.
  3. Save the file and restart Apache.
    The requirements check
    The XAMPP Control Panel
    A PHP extension that must be enabled

Then reload the installer page.

Step 8: Set up the database and install

Enter the database details:

  • Database type: MySQL, MariaDB or equivalent.
  • Database name: drupal.
  • Database username: root.
  • Database password: leave it empty (the default in XAMPP).
  • Open Advanced options if you need another host or port. The host is localhost.

Click Save and continue.

The database configuration

Drupal installs. This takes a few minutes.

Installing Drupal

Step 9: Configure the site

Enter the site name, your email, and the user name and password for the admin. Click Save and continue.

Configuring the site

Drupal shows the welcome page.

The Drupal welcome page
Warning: XAMPP is meant for local tests. The root user has no password in the default setup. Do not publish this to the internet.

Quick recap

  • Install XAMPP, extract Drupal into htdocs and create a database.
  • Run the web installer at http://localhost/drupal.
  • Enable missing PHP extensions in php.ini.