How You Can Install XAMPP And WordPress On Windows Locally?

You might know about the security risks that come with WordPress as a CMS if you are already having a WP site. The untested plugins, WP themes created by some third-party users can pose the risk for your site. All these threats can affect your site severely. To avoid such risk, you need to test themes plugins and themes locally. Here is where XAMPP becomes helpful. In this blog, we will see how to install xampp WordPress windows.  

What Is XAMPP?

XAMPP is a cross-platform software that is available free of cost. This free of cost software stack package is developed and distributed by Apache Friends and it consists of an Apache HTTP server, MariaDB database, and interpreters that have been made by making use of Perl and PHP programming languages.

That is why XAMPP is not only useful in WordPress but also in others that involve the requirement of Perl and PHP-enabled web server. With XAMPP, you can set up any kind of WordPress install including professional WP themes as well as plugins quite efficiently in a quick time. Apart from this, XAMPP helps you to avoid any issues and difficulties while working on your WP website. Security is yet another benefit that you can get while developing your WordPress site. It helps you to work offline which is great as it minimizes the risk of exposing your site to hackers and other online threats.

So if you are thinking of installing XAMPP and WordPress on Windows locally, you need to follow this post properly.

Installation Of XAMPP

The installation process of XAMPP does not involve you doing complicated things. It is actually very easy. For completing the entire installation process, you just have to follow the steps listed below.

Step 1: Download And Install XAMPP

This is the very first step in your way to install WordPress. You have to download and install the XAMPP software and to do this, you can download the Windows installer file from Apache Friends and this might take some minutes as it is a big file of more than 100 MB. The time required for download also depends on your connection. Once you have finished the download, you need to run the downloaded file to launch the XAMPP installer. If there is antivirus software running in your system, you might see a warning message flashing. But go ahead and click Yes to continue further with the installation. You might also see a prompt about User Account Control (UAC) depending upon the configuration of your Windows. Just continue through the prompt. After you are through all the prompts, you will get to see the standard installer screen:

Click on NEXT to continue.

The next screen shows you the components as you can choose among these components to install. For installing XAMPP and WordPress, there is no need to select all the components. All that you need is:

• MySQL
• PHPMyAdmin

These are the only two things needed for installing WordPress locally. You need to uncheck everything else and click on Next.

now, you can select the folder in which you want to install XAMPP. You may also leave it to default. It is totally up to you.

The next screen shows the prompt which asks you to install Bitnami for XAMPP. There is absolutely no need to get Bitnami to install XAMPP WordPress windows. So simply uncheck the box.

Click Next and you are ready to run the install. The entire install process may require a few minutes. After it is finished, you can launch the control panel in order to start working with XAMPP.

Step 2: Test The Server

In order to install XAMPP WordPress on windows, you have to run two modules ie. Apache and MySQL.

From the XAMPP control panel, you can start both these modules. After you have launched them, it is expected that you should see their status turn to green.

Once the status turns green, you should now be able to test if your local server is working or not by going to http://localhost/  in any web browser.

If everything goes as per discussion, you will now have a well-functioning XAMPP server working on your Windows system. The next step is to install WordPress. Here is how you will be able to get a WordPress site up and running on XAMPP.

Step 3: Add WordPress Files

Go to wordpress.org and download the latest WordPress version.

Then in your Windows system, navigate to the folder where XAMPP is installed. It is C://xampp for me and it must be something similar to you too (unless you have decided to install XAMPP in some other drive). In that particular folder, you need to find the htdocs subfolder.

Now you have to create a new folder in htdocs for your test site. The name that you give to this recently made folder will become the sub-name used for accessing your website. Consider an example: if you have made a folder named testsite then you will be able to access your website by going to http://localhost/testsite.

After you have created a folder, you need to extract the downloaded WordPress.zip file from wordpress.org into that folder.

Step 4: Creating Database For WordPress

Creating a MySQL database for your WordPress install in the next step. To do this, go to your XAMPP  control panel and launch PHPMyAdmin.

Click on the Databases option at the top. Now enter a name for your database and hit Create. You can name it anything but do remember this name because you will be needing it in the very next step.

As you are installing XAMPP and WordPress locally, you will never have to worry about creating a database user unlike installing WordPress on a live web server.

Step 5:Installing WordPress Locally

When you go to your test site, you should see the normal WP installer. Your test site is http://localhost/FOLDERNAME.

This process differs from a normal install in the step where you have to enter the database details. You need to enter the database details like this:

Database Name: It's the name of the created database in PHPMyAdmin

Username: ‘root’

Password: leave it blank

Now finish the rest of the WordPress install process. After you have completed the entire process, you will see your new WordPress install running smoothly on your localhost.

To Conclude:

Once you know how to install XAMPP WordPress on Windows locally for the first time, you will be able to set up things quickly for new sites whenever you need.