How to Install Contao on Windows 11

Contao is a popular open-source content management system (CMS) that allows users to create and manage websites easily. In this tutorial, we will walk you through the steps to install Contao on Windows 11.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, make sure that:

• You have a working internet connection
• Your computer meets the minimum system requirements for Contao
• You have administrative privileges on your Windows 11 machine

Step 1 - Install XAMPP

To run Contao on your Windows 11 machine, you first need to install XAMPP, a popular cross-platform web server solution. Follow the steps below to install XAMPP:

1. Download the XAMPP installer for Windows 11 from the official Apache Friends website at https://www.apachefriends.org/index.html

2. Run the installer and choose the components you want to install. For Contao, you need to install Apache, MySQL, and PHP.

3. Choose a directory where you want to install XAMPP. By default, it is installed in C:\xampp.

4. Click on the "Next" button and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

Step 2 - Download Contao

Once XAMPP is installed, you need to download the Contao installation files from the official website at https://contao.org/en/download.html.

1. Click on the "Download" button for the latest stable version of Contao.

2. Extract the downloaded package to your XAMPP's htdocs directory, which is typically located at C:\xampp\htdocs.

3. Rename the extracted folder to something simple, such as contao.

Step 3 - Create a Database for Contao

Contao requires a MySQL database to function properly. Follow the steps below to create a new database for Contao:

1. Open your web browser and go to http://localhost/phpmyadmin, which is the web interface for MySQL.

2. Click on the "Databases" tab and enter a name for your new database, such as contao_db.

3. Choose a collation for your database. The default utf8_general_ci should suffice.

4. Click on the "Create" button to create the new database.

Step 4 - Install Contao

Now that you have XAMPP, Contao, and a database ready, you can proceed with the installation:

1. Open your web browser and go to http://localhost/contao, where you will see the Contao installation wizard.

2. Choose your language from the dropdown menu and click on the "Start installation" button.

3. In the next screen, confirm that your server meets the minimum system requirements for Contao.

4. Enter the database details you created in Step 3. These include the database name, database username (which is usually root), and database password (which you set during the XAMPP installation).

5. Click on the "Continue" button to proceed to the next step.

6. In the next screen, enter your website's title, your administrator account details, and choose your default theme.

7. Click on the "Install Contao" button to complete the installation process.

Step 5 - Log in to Contao

Once the installation is complete, you can log in to your new Contao site:

1. Go to http://localhost/contao/login.php to log in as a Contao administrator.

2. Enter your administrator username and password that you set during the installation.

3. You will be redirected to the Contao backend, where you can start building your website.

Congratulations, you have successfully installed Contao on your Windows 11 machine!

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