Install PHP 8.5 on Windows 11

Installer options

On Windows 11 the simplest path is the official zip archive from windows.php.net: no wizard, just files in a folder. Pick the VS16 x64 Thread Safe build of PHP 8.5 for learning, since it matches most tutorials and works with the built-in web server used in this course.

Thread Safe means the build works with multi threaded web servers, while x64 means it is built for 64 bit Windows. If you switch to a different server setup later, replace the folder with another build and repeat the steps below.

Install steps

Download the VS16 x64 Thread Safe zip archive of PHP 8.5 from windows.php.net and extract it to C:\php so that php.exe lands directly in that folder. Then add C:\php to the user PATH: open Settings, search for environment variables, edit the Path entry, and add the folder.

Open a brand new terminal afterwards, because already open windows keep the old PATH. Keep the folder tidy as well: configuration lives in C:\php next to the binaries, so a future upgrade is a simple folder swap.

Verify with php -v

Print the version in a fresh Command Prompt or PowerShell window:

Show the installed PHP version

php -v

PHP 8.5.0 (cli) (built: Nov 2026) (ZTS Visual C++ 2022 x64) Copyright (c) The PHP Group

The first line confirms version 8.5 and the command line build. If the terminal answers that the command was not found, the PATH step above did not finish - add the folder again and open a new window.

Enable extensions

Extra features such as multibyte strings ship as extensions that start disabled. Copy php.ini-development to php.ini inside C:\php, open the new file, and remove the semicolon in front of lines such as extension=mbstring to turn them on. Restart the terminal and list the active modules:

List loaded extensions

php -m

calendar Core date mbstring

Next: Install PHP 8.5 on Ubuntu

Article author: Arthur Isaev