What is XAMPP?

Many people know from their own experience that it's not easy to install an Apache web server and it gets harder if you want to add MySQL, PHP and Perl.

XAMPP is an easy to install Apache distribution containing MySQL, PHP and Perl. XAMPP is really very easy to install and to use - just download, extract and start.

Download XAMPP Server

XAMPP is a compilation of free software (comparable to a Linux distribution), it's free of charge and it's free to copy under the terms of the GNU General Public License. Download the latest release of XAMPP at: https://www.apachefriends.org/index.html

Installing XAMPP Server

To install XAMPP you only need to download and extract XAMPP, that's all. There are no changes to the Windows registry (not true if you use the Windows installer version of XAMPP) and it's not necessary to edit any configuration files. It couldn't be easier!

If you decide that XAMPP isn't needed any more just delete the XAMPP directory and it's completely removed from your system.

However if you use the Windows installer version of XAMPP it's recommended to use the uninstall feature. As every installer the installer will make registry entries to remember the install. 

Installation with the Installer

Using the installer version is the easiest way to install XAMPP. After the installation is complete, you will find XAMPP under Start | Programs | XAMPP. You can use the XAMPP Control Panel to start/stop all server and also install/uninstall services.

Installation" without the Installer

Unzip the zip archives into the folder of your choice. XAMPP is extracting to the subdirectory "C:\xampp" below the selected target directory. Now start the file "setup_xampp.bat", to adjust the XAMPP configuration to your system.

If you choose a root directory "C:\" as target, you must not start "setup_xampp.bat".

Like with the installer version, you can now use the "XAMPP Control Panel" for additional tasks. 

How to start 

  • After the installation is complete, you will find XAMPP under Start | Programs | XAMPP. You can use the XAMPP Control Panel to start/stop all server and also install/uninstall services.
  • If you extract XAMPP in a top level folder like "C:\" or "D:\", you can start most servers like Apache or MySQL directly without execution of the file "setup_xampp.bat".

Not using the setup script, or selecting relative paths in the setup script, is preferred if you are installing XAMPP on a usb drive. Because on each pc such a drive can have an other drive letter. You can switch from absolute to relative paths at any time with the setup script.

The XAMPP control panel for start/stop Apache, MySQL, FilaZilla & Mercury or install these server as services.
The XAMPP control panel for start/stop Apache, MySQL, FilaZilla & Mercury or install these server as services.

When you install XAMPP, a htdocs directory is created (generally c:\xampp\htdocs). This is your webroot, you can create a sub directory inside for your project and put your PHP files in it.

You can find other releases of XAMPP on the SourceForge website.

How to install XAMPP Server on Windows 7