If you are tech-savvy, why should you rely on external servers? Instead, you must ask, “How can I install XAMPP and WordPress locally?” and create your own server and host your website. It’s a great idea to enhance your website’s speed and reliability.
XAMPP is a free and open-source server distribution that allows you to run your own WordPress testing environment on any operating system, may it be macOS, Windows, or Linux. It is the acronym for cross-platform, Apache, MySQL or MariaDB, PHP, and Perl, which allows you to run a local web server for your WordPress website. In this article, you will learn about how you can install it on your PC.
Why XAMPP for WordPress?
If you have ever worked with WordPress earlier, you must know how much time it takes to wait for the server to make the required changes for your website. With XAMPP, you create your own testing environment that allows you to make changes on your WordPress site in real-time.
Apart from this, XAMPP also requires certain platforms to run WordPress like PHP, Apache, MySQL, and HTTP support, and XAMPP gives you all.
How to Install XAMPP on Windows?
To install XAMPP on Windows, you just need to follow the steps given below:
Step 1: Go to the Apache Friends website. Download the XAMPP software. It is 150 MB approx.
Step 2: Run the downloaded file to launch the installer. Your antivirus, if installed, may give you a warning, so accept it and move ahead. You may face a User Account Control prompt. Check it and move ahead.
Step 3: There will be options to choose from. To run XAMPP, you need MySQL and mandatorily, most importantly. So, check both of them, uncheck others and click Next.
Step 4: On the next step, you need to decide where you want the XAMPP installation folder. A default location is a good option unless you want it to be located in a specific location.
Step 5: In the next step, you are asked if you want Bitnami to be installed. As you do not need it for installing XAMPP and WordPress, you can simply uncheck the box and click “Next.”
Step 6: As you click “Next”, the installation will start. It may take some time.
Step 7: Congratulations! You have installed XAMPP. Now, you are ready to start working.
But the work is not done yet. You need some specific files to run WordPress and XAMPP. So, follow the next steps.
Testing Your XAMPP Installation
As you open the control panel, you will see various modules for your local server, like MySQL, Apache, FileZilla, Mercury, and Tomcat and their admin files, config files, etc. But for XAMPP and WordPress, all you need is Apache and MySQL. So, click on the “Start” buttons next to Apache and MySQL.
They will turn Green.
Once you have launched them, it’s time to test your server. Type “http://localhost/” in your browser, and boom! Your XAMPP server has been installed and running successfully.
How Can You Install WordPress?
If you have ever installed WordPress, you know the procedure. But if you haven’t then here are the steps to do it:
Step 1: Create a database first. So, go to the Control Panel in XAMPP and click “Admin” in the MySQL section. A new window will open. Click on Databases on the Top left, and you will be asked to name your database. You can name it as you like. Click on “Create,” close the window, and go.
Step 2: Next, go to www.wordpress.org. Download the latest version of WordPress that is compatible with your PC.
Step 3: Now, go to the folder where you installed XAMPP, where you will see a folder named “htdocs.” Create a sub-folder in this folder. You can name it as you want. It will be a sub-name for accessing your site. So, if you name it my site, you will see “http://localhost/mysite/” when you access your site.
Step 4: Unzip your downloaded WordPress software here.
Step 5: It is just like a normal install, apart from the fact that you need to enter your database details separately.
Enter them as:
Database Name – The name of the database you gave it in PHPMyAdmin.
Username – Name it “root”.
Password – Leave it empty.
Step 7: After entering this information, go to your test site in the browser, where you will see a language selection screen. Choose your language, enter your credentials and click on “Install WordPress.”
Step 8: Sit back and relax. WordPress has been installed on your Windows PC.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question – How to fix the issue with my antivirus?
Answer – As talked about earlier, you may be faced with an antivirus error. A XAMPP folder includes numerous files required to install XAMPP and WordPress. Thus, the number of files is numerous.
If you have an antivirus app enabled, you are most probably going to face the problem with it because one or another file may be blocked by antivirus, and it will also decrease the installation speed. You can change the antivirus settings in the following manner:
- Go to the firewall setting. Click on exceptions and add Apache, MySQL, or other servers that you wish to install.
- You can exclude the files from the scanning because it also slows down the servers.
- Exclude the “localhost” traffic for developing on XAMPP.
Question – Why am I unable to start Apache on my system?
Answer – There are can be several reasons behind it., some of which are enlisted as follows:
- You have Skype installed on your system, which is using port 80. You can change this from Skype settings. Just uncheck the box “Use port 80 for an alternate port.”
- You have other servers installed on your system like IIS or ZEUS, which are using Port 80. If you want an Apache server, uninstall the other ones, if possible.
- Your Firewall is blocking Apache. You must deactivate it or uninstall it.
- Apart from the problems mentioned above, it may be possible that your browser cannot connect to the Apache server.
Question – How do I enable port 80 for Apache on Windows 10?
Answer – Both IIS and Apache use Port 80. So, if you are using IIS, Apache will face difficulty. In this case, you need to disable IIS. Follow these steps to do so:
- Step 1 – Go to Computer Management and open the Services panel.
- Step 2 – Search for World Wide Web Publishing Service.
- Step 3 – Click on “Stop The Service,” double-click the service name.
- Step 4 – In the startup type field, turn it on to “Disabled.”
- Step 5 – Save the changes.
Conclusion
That’s all for installing XAMPP and WordPress locally on Windows. It is simple, isn’t it? But not everyone is so lucky while installing XAMPP and WordPress.
You may face certain issues, and it is completely normal. It is easy to fix them. You can get help for the same on various online forums and websites. Hopefully, if you follow these steps, installing XAMPP and WordPress will be a cakewalk. Wait no more and install it now.
People are also reading:
- How to Fix Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress?
- What is WordPress Security?
- How to Find Your WordPress Login Password?
- Why You Need a CDN for Your WordPress Blog?
- How to Install Google Analytics on WordPress?
- What Is the .htaccess File in WordPress?
- How to build your website with WordPress?
- How to Backup a WordPress Site for Free?
- Free WordPress Themes
- How to Create a Blog?
