To set up WordPress on Windows using XAMPP, follow these steps:
Download XAMPP: Go to the Apache Friends website (https://www.apachefriends.org/) and download the XAMPP installer for Windows.
Install XAMPP: Run the downloaded XAMPP installer and follow the installation wizard to install XAMPP on your Windows machine. Choose the components you want to install, such as Apache, MySQL, and PHP. Keep the default installation directory.
Start Apache and MySQL: After the installation is complete, open the XAMPP Control Panel. Start the Apache and MySQL services by clicking on the “Start” button next to each component.
Configure MySQL: Open a web browser and navigate to http://localhost/phpmyadmin/. This will open the phpMyAdmin interface. Click on “New” to create a new database for your WordPress installation. Choose a name for your database (e.g., “wordpress”) and click on “Create”.
Download WordPress: Go to the official WordPress website (https://wordpress.org/) and download the latest version of WordPress.
Extract WordPress: Extract the WordPress zip file you downloaded in a directory of your choice. For example, extract it to the htdocs directory inside the XAMPP installation directory. This will create a “wordpress” folder.
Configure WordPress: Rename the wp-config-sample.php file located inside the “wordpress” folder to wp-config.php. Open the wp-config.php file in a text editor and provide the database details you set up earlier. Replace the following lines with your MySQL database information:
define('DB_NAME', 'database_name_here');
define('DB_USER', 'username_here');
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'password_here');
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');
Move WordPress files: Move the entire “wordpress” folder to the htdocs directory in the XAMPP installation directory.
Access WordPress: Open a web browser and go to http://localhost/wordpress/. This will start the WordPress installation process. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up your WordPress site, including providing a site title, username, password, and email.
Complete the installation: Once the installation is complete, you can log in to your WordPress site using the credentials you provided.
That’s it! You have successfully set up WordPress on Windows using XAMPP. You can now start building and managing your WordPress website locally on your Windows machine.
