How to install WAMP Server on Windows for WordPress local development
In this post I will show you how to install WAMP Server on Windows for local WordPress development.
WAMP (Windows, Apache, MySQL, PHP) is a very popular development platform which includes PHP, Apache, and MySQL in one handy package. It is commonly used to develop web applications on a local machine before transferring to a live server. So it is perfectly suited for a local install of WordPress where you can fully design and develop your website before you move it to a remote server. This makes WAMP a very popular choice among WordPress developers like me who like to work locally before taking the site to a live environment.
If you are new to WAMP, then don’t fear. In this post I will walk you through the process of how to get this development package installed, configured, and ready to roll for your next WordPress development project.
Here are the steps:
1. Downloading WAMP.
The first step is to download WAMP from wampserver.com/en/. Depending on your version of Window, you will need to choose the x32 bit or x64 version.
If you do not know which version of Windows you are using, you can check by doing a Right-click on Computer (Win 7) or This PC (Win 8) and selecting Properties.
Once you click on one of the options above, you will receive this message.
The Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio is required. If you do not have this installed, you will encounter the following error message:
The Program can’t start because MSVCR110.dll is missing from your computer. Try re-installing the program to fix this problem.
So if you are not sure you have it, head over to Control Panel\Programs\Programs and Features and see if it appears in your programs list.
If it does not, I recommend you download and install it before installing WAMP server. The link provided will take you to the download page.
Once you install MS Visual C++, download WAMP Server and save it to your favorite download folder.
2. Installing WAMP.
Once you have saved it, double click on it to run the installation program.
Allow the program to run by clicking ‘Yes‘
When you run the package you will get the following series of screens. Click ‘Next’
Accept the license agreement and click ‘Next’
Select the installation path and click ‘Next’. I recommend leaving the default path of C:\wamp
Select your preference and click ‘Next‘. I like to create a Desktop icon only.
You are ready to go! click ‘Install’..
WAMP will begin installing all necessary files..
Choose your default browser and click ‘Open’. I usually leave this as is and click ‘open’.
You can also leave this as default and click ‘Next’. For local development, you will likely not use this feature, but if you do, go ahead and enter your SMTP settings and your preferred e-mail.
You are all set. Click ‘Finish’ and sit back.
If Window’s User Account Control is still enabled you will then be prompted again to allow wampmanager.exe. Click ‘Yes’.
WAMP Server should now be running and you should see the wamp icon on your desktop.
3. Testing WAMP Server
If all ran as it supposed to, you will see the WAMP Server icon on your system tray and it should be color GREEN. This mean all services are running fine.
If something did not go as expected then you will probably have a RED or ORANGE icon light on the system tray. This means the WAMP services are not running or there may be an issue or conflict we need to address.
There are several things to check when you have a RED or ORANGE status light, for instance your HOSTS file, or you may have a conflict with other services running on port 80.
Check out my post on Troubleshooting the orange status light in WAMP Server for advise on what you can do to fix this.
Otherwise, if you have a green light then all is working as it should.
You can now go to the home page by entering http://localhost/ in your browser. If you see the page below then you are good-to-go.
The next steps is to configure WAMP Server for your WordPress development Projects. I will explain how to do this on my next Post “Configuring WAMP Server on Windows for WordPress local development“.
Let me know if you have any questions so far.. and thank you for stopping by.
Very good explanation , but still i have a problem ! ! ! ! … The problem is … i had Xammp on my system and without uninstalling it , i installed WAMP … So i check wamp the i uninstalled Xammp and tried to use wamp , but not working and it was always on orange colour icon on system tray … i did all these things that you said and still , not working ! don’t know what is the problem … can you tell me what should i do !?!
Hi Mohammed, try checking for any services that may still be running from Xamp server and make sure they are disabled. Check out this post which shows some of these services which may be of conflict with wamp and can cause the orange status light – http://blog.hsnyc.co/troubleshooting-the-orange-status-light-in-wamp-server/
Hi Henry, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! I’m a total beginner in web development and your step-by-step guide will surely help a lot! Great thanks!
Hi Lily, thank you. I hope the info helps out.
Hello Henry, i’m a beginner in web development and of course in wamp and i would like to ask you why does wamp have so many versions and which one do i use for wordpress testing on a localhost. Thanks in advance!
Hi Andra,
I have not check their site in a while.. I just visited and noticed there is only two options, the x32 and x64. You can use the one that matches your processor.