Step-by-Step Guide: How to Install Magento 2 on Windows

Magento 2 is a powerful eCommerce platform known for its flexibility and scalability. While it’s commonly hosted on Linux servers, you can also set it up on Windows for development and testing purposes. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the installation process of Magento 2 on a Windows machine, ensuring you have a solid environment to work with.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following installed on your Windows system:

1. XAMPP or WAMP: A local server environment that includes PHP, MySQL, and Apache.
2. Composer: A dependency manager for PHP that helps in managing Magento packages.
3. Magento 2: The latest version of the Magento 2 package (you can download it from the official Magento website or GitHub).

Step 1: Install XAMPP or WAMP

1. Download XAMPP/WAMP:
   • Visit the official XAMPP or WAMP website and download the installer.
2. Install the Software:
   • Run the installer and follow the prompts. Choose components as needed, but make sure Apache and MySQL are selected.
3. Start the Server:
   • Open the XAMPP/WAMP control panel and start the Apache and MySQL services.

Step 2: Configure MySQL Database

1. Access phpMyAdmin:
   • Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost/phpmyadmin.
2. Create a New Database:
   • Click on “Databases” and create a new database for your Magento installation (e.g., magento2).

Step 3: Install Composer

1. Download Composer:
   • Visit the Composer website and download the Composer-Setup.exe file.
2. Run the Installer:
   • Follow the installation steps. Make sure to select your PHP executable (located in your XAMPP or WAMP installation folder).
3. Verify Installation:
   • Open Command Prompt and type composer -V to check if Composer is installed correctly.

Step 4: Download Magento 2

1. Open Command Prompt:
   • Navigate to the directory where you want to install Magento (e.g., C:\xampp\htdocs or C:\wamp\www).
2. Clone Magento Repository:
   • Use the following command to clone the Magento repository (replace 2.x.x with the version you want):

composer create-project --repository-url=https://repo.magento.com/ magento/project-community-edition magento2

1. Enter Authentication Keys:
   • You’ll need your Magento authentication keys. These can be obtained by creating an account on the Magento Marketplace and generating keys in your account settings.

Step 5: Set Up File Permissions

1. Configure Permissions:
   • Open Command Prompt and navigate to the Magento installation folder:

cd C:\xampp\htdocs\magento2

Run the following command to set permissions (this is more relevant for Linux, but useful for consistency):

chmod -R 777 var pub generated

Step 6: Install Magento 2

1. Open the Web Installer:
   • In your browser, go to http://localhost/magento2.
2. Follow the Installation Steps:
   • Readiness Check: Ensure all requirements are met.
   • Database Configuration: Enter the database details:
     • Database Name: magento2 (or whatever you named it)
     • Username: root
     • Password: (leave blank if you haven’t set one)
   • Web Configuration: Set up your admin URL, and store URL.
   • Create Admin Account: Fill in the admin account details.
3. Complete Installation:
   • Click “Install Now.” The installation process may take a few minutes.

Step 7: Post-Installation

1. Access Admin Panel:
   • Once installation is complete, you can access your Magento admin panel at http://localhost/magento2/admin.
2. Configure Your Store:
   • Begin setting up your Magento store by configuring products, themes, and settings.

Troubleshooting Tips

• If you encounter issues with the installation process, ensure that your PHP version meets Magento’s requirements.
• Check the Apache error log for any issues related to server configuration.
• Make sure that all necessary PHP extensions are enabled (like mbstring, curl, xml, etc.).