How to Install phpMyAdmin on Windows

Today, Mytour will guide you through the process of installing phpMyAdmin on your Windows computer. phpMyAdmin enables you to manage your MySQL server directly from a web browser, but first, you’ll need to set up a MySQL server on your machine. You can also use the free program WAMP to automatically install phpMyAdmin on the server.

Ensure that Apache, PHP, and MySQL are already installed. Apache, PHP, and MySQL must be installed and configured on your computer before you can install phpMyAdmin this way.

Visit the phpMyAdmin download page. Access https://www.phpmyadmin.net/ in your browser.

Click on the green Download button at the top-left of the page. The phpMyAdmin ZIP file will start downloading to your computer.

• You will also see the version number next to the Download button (e.g., for the November 2017 version of phpMyAdmin, you would click Download 4.7.5).

Click on the Close (Close) button when prompted to return to the phpMyAdmin website.

Double-click on the phpMyAdmin ZIP folder to open it.

Copy the contents of the phpMyAdmin folder. Select the phpMyAdmin folder in the ZIP window, then press Ctrl+C.

Navigate to the Apache's root folder. This is typically a folder named "htdocs" within the "Apache" directory on the "C:" drive.

• The root directory of Apache often contains a file named "index.php" or something similar.
• The quickest way to reach this folder is by clicking on This PC on the left side of the window, double-clicking on the Apache folder, and then double-clicking on the htdocs folder (or something similar).

Paste the copied folder into the root directory. Press Ctrl+V to paste the phpMyAdmin folder from the clipboard into the Apache root folder.

Rename the copied folder to phpmyadmin. Click on the phpMyAdmin folder, go to the Home tab, select Rename from the toolbar, type phpmyadmin in the name field, then press ↵ Enter.

Open the PHP folder. This folder is located in the "C:" drive alongside the "Apache" folder. Once located, double-click to open it.

Find and rename the file "php.ini-production" to php.ini.

Double-click the file "php.ini". The default text editor (such as Notepad) will open, but you may need to select Notepad from the list and click OK first.

Locate the line "extension=php_mbstring.dll" and remove the semicolon. You will see a semicolon next to this line of text. Alternatively, press Ctrl+F to open the 'Find' window and enter this line of text to locate it.

Find the line "extension=php_mysqli.dll" and remove the semicolon. Once done, the phpMyAdmin server will be ready for access.

Save the changes and exit Notepad. Press Ctrl+S to save, then click the X in the top-right corner of the Notepad window to exit.

Test phpMyAdmin. Open a web browser, then type http://localhost in the address bar and press ↵ Enter. This will direct you to the phpMyAdmin login page.

Ensure that MySQL is installed. WAMP doesn't create a server on its own; it merely allows interaction with an existing server on your computer.

Check your computer's bit version to determine which version of WAMP to download.

Visit the WAMP website. Go to http://www.wampserver.com/en/ using your browser.

Scroll down and click on either WAMPSERVER 64 BITS or WAMPSERVER 32 BITS. Depending on your computer's bit version, click the appropriate option. A pop-up window will appear afterward.

Click on the download directly link located at the top right of the pop-up window. You will be redirected to Source Forge to download the WAMP version.

Click on the green Download button near the top of the page. WAMP will begin downloading onto your computer.

• Wait a few minutes for the download to finish.

Install WAMP. Double-click on the WAMP installer file and follow these steps:

• Click Yes when prompted.
• Select your language and click OK.
• Check the box for "I accept the agreement" and click Next.
• Click Next three times.
• Click Install to begin the installation.

Wait a few minutes for the WAMP installation to complete.

Select a browser when prompted. Click Yes, browse to the EXE file of your preferred browser, select it, and click Open.

• For example, to select Chrome, you must find and click on the Google folder in the left panel of File Explorer, double-click the Chrome folder, and select the Chrome icon.
• If you prefer to use Internet Explorer, click No.

Select a different text editor if needed. If you don't want to use Notepad as your server's text editor, click Yes when prompted, then locate and select the EXE file of the text editor you prefer, and click Open.

• Click No if you wish to keep Notepad as the default text editor.

Complete the setup process. Click Next, then click Finish on the final WAMP window. WAMP will now be successfully installed on your computer.

Launch WAMP. Double-click the pink "Wampserver" icon on your desktop, and click Yes when prompted. Your server will now start.

Click the WAMP icon in the system tray. Click the orange or green WAMP icon located on the right side of the Windows taskbar. A menu will appear.

• You may need to click the upward-facing arrow in the taskbar to view the WAMP icon.

Click on phpMyAdmin near the top of the dropdown menu. If the server has been correctly installed, the phpMyAdmin login page will open in your default browser.

• If you have configured a web server with a service other than Apache, you can install phpMyAdmin by copying the phpMyAdmin folder into the root directory of your chosen service. The directory location will vary depending on the service you use.

• phpMyAdmin is not set up to run directly on a computer that has not installed the relevant server services (such as Apache).