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Xampp PHP version update

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The detailed steps to update the PHP version in XAMPP are as follows:

Step 1: Download the new version of PHP​

  1. Open PHP official download page。
  2. Choose the appropriate PHP version for your operating system, making sure to download the "Thread Safe" ZIP archive for XAMPP.
  • If you are using Windows, usually download the "Windows x64" or "Windows x86" version.
  1. After downloading, extract the ZIP file to a temporary folder for later use.

Step 2: Back up old PHP files​

  1. Open the XAMPP installation directory (usually C:\xampp).

  2. Find the php folder in it, for example C:\xampp\php.

  3. To back up the old version, copy

    php

    Rename the folder to

    php_old

    (or any other name you like, such as

    php_backup

    ）.

    • This step ensures that old PHP files are not lost and can be restored at any time.

Step 3: Copy the new PHP files to XAMPP​

  1. Copy all the contents of the new PHP folder you just unzipped.

  2. Create a new php folder in the XAMPP installation directory, for example C:\xampp\php.

  3. Paste all the files in the new PHP folder into this php folder.

Step 4: Update the php.ini configuration file​

  1. Find and open the php.ini-development or php.ini-production file in the new php folder.

  2. Rename the file to php.ini.

  3. If necessary, you can rename it according to the previous version

    php_old\php.ini

    File configuration to adjust the new

    php.ini

    , for example, modify:

  • max_execution_time: the maximum time for script execution.

  • memory_limit: the maximum memory usage allowed by PHP.

  • upload_max_filesize: the maximum file size allowed for upload.

Step 5: Update Apache configuration files (optional)​

  1. Open the C:\xampp\apache\conf\extra directory.

  2. Find and edit the httpd-xampp.conf file.

  3. Find

    LoadModule php_module

    config line, making sure it points to the path to the new version of PHP, for example:

    LoadModule php_module "C:/xampp/php/php8apache2_4.dll"
  • You need to ensure that the .dll files contained in the new PHP folder are compatible with the version of Apache.

Step 6: Restart XAMPP​

  1. Open the XAMPP control panel.
  2. Click "Stop" to stop the Apache service, and then click "Start" to restart Apache.
  3. Check if Apache is running properly and there are no errors.

Step 7: Verify PHP version​

  1. Create a new phpinfo.php file in the htdocs directory of XAMPP (for example, C:\xampp\htdocs).

  2. Enter the following content in the file:

    <?php
    phpinfo();

  3. Visit http://localhost/phpinfo.php in your browser and check if the PHP information page shows the new version you installed.

Additional Tips​

  • Restore from old version: If there is a problem with the update, you can delete the new php folder, rename the php_old folder back to php, and restart Apache.
  • Apache configuration file backup: Before modifying httpd-xampp.conf, it is best to back up the original file.

After completing these steps, your XAMPP will use the new version of PHP!

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