This article shows how to install the phpMyAdmin web application on a computer running Windows. PhpMyAdmin was created to manage a MySQL database using any internet browser. However, in order to take this step, you must first have installed and configured a MySQL server on your computer. To automatically install phpMyAdmin on the web server on your computer, you can use the free WAMP program.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Use an Existing Apache Server
Step 1. Make sure you have installed the Apache web server, PHP development environment and MySQL database
Apache, PHP and MySQL are the three software tools that must be installed and configured correctly on your computer before you can install and use the phpMyAdmin web application following the procedure shown in this article.
Step 2. Log in to the website to download phpMyAdmin
Use the internet browser of your choice and the following URL:
Step 3. Press the Download button
It is green in color and located in the upper right corner of the page. The phpMyAdmin installation file will be downloaded to your computer in ZIP format.
Next to the wording Download the number of the version available will also be present (for example, in June 2018 the version of phpMyAdmin downloadable from the site is the 4.8.1).
Step 4. When prompted, press the Close button
This will redirect you to the main page of the phpMyAdmin site.
Step 5. Access the contents of the phpMyAdmin compressed archive
Double-click the ZIP file you just downloaded.
Step 6. Copy the contents of the phpMyAdmin compressed archive
This is the phpMyAdmin folder which contains all the files for the installation. Select it and press the key combination Ctrl + C.
Step 7. Navigate to the Apache server folder in which to install the web application
It is normally named "htdocs" and is located inside the "Apache" folder of the web server. You should find it on your computer's main hard drive ("C:").
- The Apache folder where applications and websites are to be installed normally contains a text document called "index.php" (or something similar).
- The fastest way to access the indicated Apache folder is to select the entry This PC listed in the left bar of the "File Explorer" window, select the directory Apache with a double click of the mouse and access the folder htdocs (or the one named in a similar way) by selecting it with a double click of the mouse.
Step 8. Paste the phpMyAdmin folder into the Apache tree
Press the key combination Ctrl + V to paste the phpMyAdmin web app files inside the Apache installation folder.
Step 9. Rename the folder you just pasted to the name phpmyadmin
Select it with a single click of the mouse, access the tab Home, push the button Rename located inside the toolbar, type the keyword phpmyadmin and press the Enter key.
Step 10. Navigate to the PHP installation folder
It should be located inside the "C:" hard drive, where the "Apache" directory is also located. After locating the PHP folder, double-click it to log in.
Step 11. Locate the "php.ini-production" file and rename it
You will need to change its name to php.ini.
Step 12. Double click on the "php.ini" file
Its content will be displayed within the system default text editor (for example Notepad). In some cases you will be shown a list of programs that can open the chosen file. If so, select "Notepad" from the list and press the button OK.
Step 13. Locate the text line "extension = php_mbstring.dll" and delete the semicolon at the end of the line
To speed up the search, press the key combination Ctrl + F to access the "Search" function, with which you can search for the indicated text string
Step 14. After you have also removed the semicolon placed at the end of the "extension = php_mysqli.dll" text line, the phpMyAdmin web application will be ready to be used
Step 15. Save the changes to the configuration file and close the "Notepad" program window
Press the key combination Ctrl + S to save the new settings, then click the icon X located in the upper right corner of the "Notepad" program window to close it.
Step 16. Start the Apache server
Open a "Command Prompt" window in administrator mode. Select the button Start
placed in the lower left corner of the desktop with the right mouse button, choose the item Command Prompt (Admin), then press the button Yup when required. At this point, follow these instructions:
- Type the command cd / Apache24 / bin and press the Enter key (replace the string "Apache24" with the full name of the Apache installation folder on your computer);
- Type the command httpd -k restart and press the Enter key.
Step 17. Check the operation of the phpMyAdmin web application
Open an internet browser, then type the URL https:// localhost into the address bar and press the Enter key. This way you should have access to the login page of the phpMyAdmin app.
Method 2 of 2: Use WAMP
Step 1. Make sure the MySQL database is installed on your computer
WAMP allows you to interact with a database already present on your computer, but does not allow you to perform its installation and configuration.
Step 2. Determine the type of hardware architecture of the computer you are using
In order to download the correct WAMP version installation file for your system you need to find out if it uses a 32-bit or 64-bit architecture.
Step 3. Log in to the official WAMP website
Use the internet browser of your choice and the following URL
Step 4. Scroll down the page and select WAMPSERVER 64 BITS or WAMPSERVER 32 BITS, according to your needs.
The version you will need to download depends on the hardware architecture of the system you are using. In both cases a pop-up window will appear.
Step 5. Select the download link directly
It is located in the upper right part of the appeared window. You will be redirected to the Source Forge website where you can download the WAMP installation file.
Step 6. Press the Download button
It is green in color and is located at the top of the page. The download of the program installation file will begin.
The download will take several minutes to complete
Step 7. Install WAMP
Double-click the file you just downloaded, then follow these instructions:
- When prompted, press the button Yup;
- Select the installation language and press the button OK;
- Select the "I accept the agreement" checkbox and press the button Next;
- Push the button Next placed in the next three screens of the installation wizard;
- Push the button Install.
Step 8. Wait for WAMP installation to complete
This step will take a few minutes.
Step 9. Choose an internet browser when prompted
Push the button Yes, select the EXE file for the internet browser you want to use and press the button Open.
- For example: to use Chrome, you will need to locate and select the folder Google listed on the left of the "File Explorer" window, navigate to the directory Chrome and select the Chrome icon.
- If you prefer to use Internet Explorer, simply press the button No.
Step 10. If necessary, choose a text editor other than the one proposed
If you don't want to use the "Notepad" program as your default editor, press the button Yes when prompted, then locate the EXE file of the program you want to use and press the button Open.
If you want to use "Notepad" as your default text editor instead, just press the button No.
Step 11. Complete the setup
Awards Next, then press the button Finish located in the final screen of the WAMP installation wizard. At this point the development environment is ready.
Step 12. Launch WAMP
Double click on the pink icon called "Wampserver" on your computer desktop. When prompted, press the button Yup so that the server starts automatically.
Step 13. Select the WAMP icon visible in the notification area of the Windows taskbar
It is located at the bottom right of the desktop near the system clock. At the point indicated you should see the orange or green WAMP icon. A small context menu will appear.
To make the WAMP icon visible, you may first need to click the "Show hidden icons" icon with an arrow pointing upwards
Step 14. Choose the phpMyAdmin option
It is one of the items listed at the top of the menu that appeared. If the WAMP server has been installed successfully, you should see the phpMyAdmin login page appear within the browser window you selected.
