# Download PHP from: https://windows.php.net/download/ # Choose the Thread Safe version for XAMPP, Non-Thread Safe for IIS # Extract PHP to C:\php # Add PHP to System PATH: 1. Right-click on 'This PC' → Properties → Advanced system settings 2. Click 'Environment Variables' 3. Under 'System variables', find 'Path' and click 'Edit' 4. Click 'New' and add 'C:\php' 5. Click OK to save all changes # Verify PHP installation in Command Prompt: php --version

Configure PHP for Laravel

# Copy php.ini-development to php.ini: copy C:\php\php.ini-development C:\php\php.ini # Edit php.ini and enable these extensions (remove semicolon): extension=curl extension=fileinfo extension=mbstring extension=openssl extension=pdo_mysql extension=tokenizer extension=xml # Set required memory limit: memory_limit = 512M max_execution_time = 300 # For file uploads (if needed): upload_max_filesize = 100M post_max_size = 100M

Step 2: Install Composer

PHP Dependency Manager Installation

# Method 1: Using Composer-Setup.exe (Recommended) 1. Download Composer-Setup.exe from: https://getcomposer.org/download/ 2. Run the installer and follow these steps:  - Select "Install for all users"  - Browse to your PHP installation (C:\php)  - Check "Add to PATH"  - Click Install # Method 2: Manual Installation php -r "copy('https://getcomposer.org/installer', 'composer-setup.php');" php composer-setup.php php -r "unlink('composer-setup.php');" # Move composer.phar to make it globally accessible: move composer.phar C:\php\composer.phar # Create a batch file (composer.bat) in C:\php: @php "%~dp0composer.phar" %* # Verify Composer installation: composer --version

Step 3: Install Node.js and NPM

For Frontend Asset Management

# 1. Download Node.js installer from: https://nodejs.org/ # 2. Choose the LTS version (Long Term Support) # 3. Run the installer with these options:  - Accept license agreement  - Choose installation path (default: C:\Program Files\nodejs)  - Select "Add to PATH"  - Click Install # 4. Verify installation in Command Prompt: node --version npm --version # 5. Update npm to latest version: npm install -g npm@latest # 6. Install additional tools (optional but recommended): npm install -g yarn npm install -g @vue/cli

Step 4: Install Laravel 12

Creating Your First Laravel 12 Application

Method 1: Using Laravel Installer (Recommended)

# Install Laravel Installer globally: composer global require laravel/installer # Add Composer's global bin directory to PATH: 1. Find Composer's global directory:  composer global config bin-dir --absolute  # Typical path: C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\Composer\vendor\bin 2. Add this path to System PATH (same as PHP) # Create a new Laravel 12 project: laravel new my-laravel-app # Or specify Laravel 12 explicitly: laravel new my-laravel-app --version=^12.0 # Navigate to your project directory: cd my-laravel-app

Method 2: Using Composer Create-Project

# Create Laravel 12 project using Composer: composer create-project laravel/laravel my-laravel-app ^12.0 # Or for the latest version: composer create-project --prefer-dist laravel/laravel my-laravel-app # Navigate to project directory: cd my-laravel-app # Install PHP dependencies: composer install # Install Node.js dependencies: npm install

Step 5: Configure Environment

Setting Up Your Laravel Application

Generate Application Key

# Copy .env.example to .env: copy .env.example .env # Generate application key: php artisan key:generate # Configure database in .env file: DB_CONNECTION=mysql DB_HOST=127.0.0.1 DB_PORT=3306 DB_DATABASE=laravel_db DB_USERNAME=root DB_PASSWORD= # For SQLite (simpler for development): DB_CONNECTION=sqlite DB_DATABASE=database/database.sqlite # Create SQLite database file: mkdir database type nul > database/database.sqlite

Run Database Migrations

# Run database migrations: php artisan migrate # Or with seed data: php artisan migrate --seed # Create symbolic link for storage (if needed): php artisan storage:link # Clear configuration cache: php artisan config:clear php artisan cache:clear php artisan view:clear

Step 6: Serve Laravel Application

Running Your Laravel 12 Project

Method 1: Laravel Development Server

# Start Laravel development server: php artisan serve # Specify host and port: php artisan serve --host=127.0.0.1 --port=8000 # Run on all network interfaces (for mobile testing): php artisan serve --host=0.0.0.0 --port=8000 # Output will show: Starting Laravel development server: http://127.0.0.1:8000 Press Ctrl+C to stop the server # In a separate terminal, compile frontend assets: npm run dev # For production build: npm run build

Method 2: Using XAMPP/WAMP

# 1. Move your Laravel project to XAMPP htdocs: C:\xampp\htdocs\my-laravel-app # 2. Configure virtual host in XAMPP: # Edit C:\xampp\apache\conf\extra\httpd-vhosts.conf <VirtualHost *:80>  DocumentRoot "C:/xampp/htdocs/my-laravel-app/public"  ServerName laravel12.test  <Directory "C:/xampp/htdocs/my-laravel-app/public">  Options Indexes FollowSymLinks  AllowOverride All  Require all granted  </Directory> </VirtualHost> # 3. Add to Windows hosts file (C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts): 127.0.0.1 laravel12.test # 4. Restart Apache from XAMPP Control Panel # 5. Access your site at: http://laravel12.test

Step 7: Verify Installation

Testing Your Laravel 12 Setup

# Check Laravel version: php artisan --version # Should output: Laravel Framework 12.x.x # Run Laravel's built-in tests: php artisan test # Check application status: php artisan about # Verify all services are working: php artisan inspire # Create a test route to verify: # Add to routes/web.php Route::get('/test', function () {  return response()->json([  'message' => 'Laravel 12 is working!',  'version' => app()->version(),  'timestamp' => now(),  ]); }); # Visit: http://127.0.0.1:8000/test

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Solving Installation Problems on Windows

Common Problems and Solutions

# Check PHP configuration: php --ini php -m # Check Composer diagnostics: composer diagnose # Clear all Laravel caches: php artisan optimize:clear # Check storage permissions: icacls storage /grant Users:(OI)(CI)F /T icacls bootstrap/cache /grant Users:(OI)(CI)F /T # Update all dependencies: composer update npm update # Check for Windows-specific issues: echo %PATH% where php where composer where node

Conclusion

You’ve Successfully Installed Laravel 12 on Windows!