Install PHP on Windows Server 2012 and later

This article describes how to install, test, and configure PHP on Microsoft® Windows Server® 2012 and later. The article uses the Microsoft Web Platform Installer (WebPI) for installation and does not cover installing PHP from the source.

Prerequisites

Before installing PHP on Windows Server 2012 and later, you should install the Internet Information Services (IIS) framework.

You should also install the Microsoft Windows Cache extension for PHP.

Install PHP with WebPI

1. Open the WebPI from the following location on your file system:

   C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Web Platform Installer\WebPlatformInstaller.exe
   

   Note: If the WebPI is not currently installed, you can download it from WebPI.

2. Click the Products tab, click Frameworks, and then scroll down the PHP choices.

3. Select Add next to the version of PHP you want to install and click Install.

   

4. When prompted to accept the license terms, review them and click I Accept.

5. Click Finish after the installation completes. The PHP runtime environment is stored on your local file system at the following location:

   C:\Program Files (x86)\PHP\%version
   

Test PHP

After you have successfully installed PHP, you can test its functionality with the following steps:

1. Create a file by using a text editor and insert the following code snippit:

   <?php phpinfo(); ?>
   

2. When you run this code, it presents detailed information about the current PHP configuration of the local system. Save the file as info.php in the IIS root directory.

   Note: The default IIS root directory is C:\inetpub\wwwroot.

3. Open a web browser and go to the following URL:

   https://localhost/info.php

   With PHP successfully installed, a screen displays that details the PHP configuration.

   Note: This information can be sensitive so be sure to delete the info.php file after the installation is successfully tested.

   

Customize PHP

The php.ini file that resides in the root of the local installation stores the configuration parameters for PHP. To customize PHP, use the following steps:

1. Open the File Explorer and set the path to the php.ini file.

   Note: You can find the currently loaded php.ini file by leveraging the phpinfo(); script used in the preceding section.

2. Open the file with a text editor and perform any necessary modifications.

   Note: For more information on PHP directives, see the official PHP Manual.

3. Save the file after you complete your modifications.

4. Next, restart the IIS service to load any configuration changes.

5. Open the Server Manager from the task bar.

6. From the Tools menu, select Internet Information Services(IIS) Manager.

7. Select the server in the right-hand screen and click Restart in the Manage Server section.

Modify the default document settings

To ensure that PHP content is served as the first option, you should modify the default document setting within the IIS Manager by using the following steps:

1. Open the Server Manager from the task bar.

2. From the Tools menu, click Internet Information Services(IIS) Manager.

3. In the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager, select the server homepage.

4. Double-click the Default Document option.

5. Select the index.php option and move it to the top of the list.

   

IIS now serves index.php files from the wwwroot folder before all other document types.