Prerequisites

• Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit)
• Administrator privileges
• Internet connection
• Web server (e.g., Apache or IIS) installed (optional)

Installation

1. Visit the official PHP website: https://windows.php.net/download/
2. Download the PHP 8.0 zip package (Thread Safe or Non-Thread Safe, depending on your web server)
3. Extract the downloaded zip file to a directory of your choice (e.g., C:\php)
4. Rename the extracted folder to "php"
5. Add the PHP directory to your system's PATH environment variable:
   • Right-click on "Computer" and select "Properties"
   • Click on "Advanced system settings"
   • Click on "Environment Variables"
   • Under "System variables", find "Path" and click "Edit"
   • Add ";C:\php" to the end of the Variable value
   • Click "OK" to close all windows
6. Copy php.ini-development to php.ini in the PHP directory
7. Open php.ini and uncomment necessary extensions by removing the semicolon (;) at the beginning of the line
8. Restart your computer to apply changes

Verification

1. Open Command Prompt
2. Type "php -v" and press Enter
3. You should see output similar to:

   PHP 8.0.x (cli) (built: Month Day Year) ( ... )
   Copyright (c) The PHP Group
   Zend Engine v4.0.x, Copyright (c) Zend Technologies
           

4. Create a test PHP file (e.g., test.php) with the following content:

   <?php
   phpinfo();
   ?>
           

5. Save the file and run it through your web server or PHP's built-in server:

   php -S localhost:8000 test.php
           

6. Open a web browser and navigate to http://localhost:8000
7. You should see the PHP information page, confirming that PHP 8.0 is installed and working correctly