Install Magento on Windows with XAMPP | Hostvento Knowledge Base

Note: Magento 2 needs a lot of resources and (from 2.4) a search engine such as Elasticsearch or OpenSearch. A local test setup on Windows is best done with a recent Magento version and the Composer install. These steps give you the main outline.

Step 1: Install XAMPP

Download XAMPP from the Apache Friends website and install it with Apache, MySQL, PHP and phpMyAdmin.

Step 2: Configure XAMPP

Start the XAMPP Control Panel.

Open php.ini (the Config button next to Apache) and enable or set:

extension=intl
extension=xsl
extension=soap
max_execution_time=18000 (the maximum script run time)
max_input_time=1800 (the maximum time to parse input)
memory_limit=2G (the memory limit)

Also check that gd, curl, mbstring, bcmath, zip, sockets and openssl are enabled. Restart Apache.

Step 3: Download and extract Magento

Download Magento Open Source from the Adobe/Magento website (a free account is needed), or create the project with Composer. Extract the files to C:\xampp\htdocs\magento.

Step 4: Create the database

Start Apache and MySQL. Open phpMyAdmin (http://localhost/phpmyadmin), click New, name the database magento and click Create.

Step 5: Install Magento

Open http://localhost/magento in your browser and follow the installer. Enter:

The database host (localhost), name (magento), user (root) and password (empty by default).
The store address and the admin URL.
The search engine host, if it asks.
The admin user and password.

Step 6: Finish

When it ends, the installer shows the admin URL and the success page.

Check the store front. Open http://localhost/magento.

Check the admin. Open the admin URL and log in.

Warning: Do not publish this XAMPP setup to the internet. It is meant for local tests.

Quick recap

Install XAMPP and raise the PHP limits.
Create a database and extract Magento.
Run the installer, then check the store and the admin.