Prerequisites

• Windows 10 (64-bit recommended)
• Administrative privileges
• Internet connection
• Web server (e.g., Apache, IIS) if you plan to use PHP for web development

Installation

1. Visit the official PHP website: https://www.php.net/downloads.php
2. Download the latest PHP 8.3 Windows ZIP package (Thread Safe version recommended for most users)
3. Extract the ZIP file to a directory of your choice (e.g., C:\php)
4. Add the PHP directory to your system's PATH environment variable:
   • Right-click on 'This PC' or 'My Computer' and select 'Properties'
   • Click on 'Advanced system settings'
   • Click on 'Environment Variables'
   • Under 'System variables', find and select 'Path', then click 'Edit'
   • Click 'New' and add the path to your PHP directory (e.g., C:\php)
   • Click 'OK' to save the changes
5. In the PHP directory, rename 'php.ini-development' to 'php.ini'
6. Open php.ini in a text editor and make any necessary configurations
7. If using a web server, configure it to work with PHP

Verification

1. Open a command prompt and type php -v. This should display the installed PHP version.
2. Create a file named phpinfo.php in your web server's document root with the following content:

   <?php phpinfo(); ?>

3. Access the file through your web browser (e.g., http://localhost/phpinfo.php). This should display detailed PHP configuration information.