If you are a web developer or trying to get into blogging, XAMPP will save you time and frustration manually installing and configuring Apache, MySQL, PHP, and Perl to create a testing environment on your device. In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to install XAMPP on Windows 10, as well as the instructions to configure the web environment and fix common problems after the setup.

How to install XAMPP on Windows 10 How to configure XAMPP on Windows 10 How to fix Apache not starting on XAMPP How to increase phpMyAdmin upload size on XAMPP How to change phpMyAdmin password on XAMPP

How to install XAMPP on Windows 10

To download and install XAMPP on Windows 10, use these steps: Once you complete the steps, the XAMPP Control Panel will launch, and you can begin the web server environment configuration. Complete XAMPP installation on Windows 10 XAMPP install components XAMPP installation location XAMPP installation wizard on Windows 10

Install XAMPP using winget command

Alternatively, you can install XAMPP using the Windows Package Manager (winget) using Command Prompt. To install the latest version of XAMPP on Windows 10 with the winget command, use these steps: After you complete the steps, the package manager will download the package from the specified source, and it will proceed to install the application. The device may restart automatically during this process. The installation will set up the app inside the C:\xampp folder. winget install XAMPP command

How to configure XAMPP on Windows 10

The XAMPP Control Panel includes three main sections. In the Modules section, you will find all the web services available. You can start each service by clicking the Start button. When you start some of the services, including Apache and MySQL, on the right side, you’ll also see the process ID (PID) number and TCP/IP port (Port) numbers that each service is using. For example, by default, Apache uses TCP/IP port 80 and 443, while MySQL uses TCP/IP port 3306. You can also click the Admin button to access the administration dashboard for each service and verify that everything is working correctly. On the right side, there is a list of buttons to configure various aspects of the control panel, including the Config button to configure which modules will automatically start when you launch XAMPP. Clicking the Netstart button will give you a list of services currently accessing the network, including TCP/IP address and port and process ID information. In addition, there are also quick access buttons from the control panel to open the shell command-line utility, XAMPP installation folder, services, and close the app. Lastly, you get the logs section to glance at what happens every time you start a module or change a setting. Also, this is the first place to look when something isn’t working. The default settings should work for most people using XAMPP to create a testing environment to run a website. However, depending on your setup configuration, you may need to change the Apache server’s TCP/IP port number, the database upload size, or set the password for phpMyAdmin. You’ll need to use the Config button for the corresponding service to change these settings. For example, you’ll need to open the httpd.conf file to change the settings on the Apache server and the my.ini file to change the MySQL settings.

How to fix Apache not starting on XAMPP

The XAMPP installation is very straightforward, but Windows 10 sometimes may not allow the Apache server to run. Usually, it’s because the World Wide Publishing Service is running on port 80 on your computer, which also happens to be the default TCP/IP port that Apaches uses on XAMPP. And two applications can’t use the same networking port. If you run into this issue, there are a couple of ways to get around it. You can uninstall the publishing service or change the default port on Apache.

Uninstall World Wide Web Services

If you do not have any app depending on the World Wide Web Services feature, you can uninstall it with these steps: After you complete the steps, Apache should be able to run in port 80 on your device. Turn Windows features on or off Microsoft IIS – World Wide Web Services

Change default Apache TCP/IP port

Instead of removing the World Wide Web Services, you can configure Apache to run on a different TCP/IP port. To change the Apache listening port on XAMPP, use the steps: Once you complete the steps, the Apache server should run without issues on the new TCP/IP port specified.  httpd.conf change TCP/IP port number The only caveat with this configuration is that you’ll need to append the TCP/IP port number on the address whenever you want to connect to your website. For example, to access the Apache server on the web browser, you will need to type: “localhost:81/dashboard” instead of “localhost/dashboard.”

Manually stop World Wide Web Publishing Service.

Another way to fix the port problem is to stop the service and change its settings to start the service manually (only). To change the World Wide Web Publishing Service, use these steps: The best way to get Apache working again is by uninstalling the World Wide Web Publishing Service. However, you can change the TCP/IP port number or stop the service as necessary when that is not possible. World Wide Web Publishing Service World Wide Web Publishing Service settings

How to increase phpMyAdmin upload size on XAMPP

Another common problem with XAMPP is the default database upload limit. For instance, developers often will copy a website for troubleshooting purposes or work on-site without disrupting the live website. However, people using WordPress or another content management software will quickly find out that they can’t upload a database because it exceeds the maximum permitted upload size, 2048 KiB. To increase the database upload limit on phpMyAdmin, use these steps: Once you complete the steps, you should now be able to import large database files on phpMyAdmin. PHPMyAdmin increase upload

How to change phpMyAdmin password on XAMPP

By default, phpMyAdmin (MySQL) uses “root” as a username without a password, which means that if you are installing a WordPress site when asked, you only need to enter root as the username and leave the password field empty.  To change the phpMyAdmin password on XAMPP, use these steps: After you complete the steps, if you try to login to phpMyAdmin, you might get an access denied message: “Cannot connect: invalid settings.” MySQL edit root settings MySQL change root password

Fix phpMyAdmin access denied message.

In the rare case that you’re having problems signing into phpMyAdmin, you’ll need to configure the config.inc.php. To change the configuration settings in the config.inc.php file, use these steps: Once you complete the steps, you should be able to log in to the phpMyAdmin dashboard.

On $cfg[‘Servers’][$i][‘auth_type’] = ‘config’; replace config for cookie. On $cfg[‘Servers’][$i][‘AllowNoPassword’] = true; replace true for false. Config.inc.php Authentication type and info

Config.inc.php Authentication type and info Now XAMPP is configured and ready to use with any supported PHP-based software. Update January 13, 2022: This guide was published in March 2016, and it was revised in January 2022 to make sure the information still works with the latest version of XAMPP.  All content on this site is provided with no warranties, express or implied. Use any information at your own risk. Always backup of your device and files before making any changes. Privacy policy info.