Quick install for beginners

Last updated March 1, 2012. Created by eric_sea on December 13, 2010. Edited by jhodgdon, jn2, arianek. Log in to edit this page. This page provides basic installation instructions for beginners installing Drupal 7 from Drupal.org on an account at a localhost or webhost where you do not have ssh (command line) access. For more detailed instructions on how to install Drupal 7 in other ways or in other configurations, see the main Installation guide. Before you start, make sure that your web host meets the minimum requirements. Most web hosts meet these requirements. However, a few stand out by also supporting the Drupal community. If you need a host, consider selecting one of our reviewed web hosts.

Download Drupal
To download Drupal and copy it to your Web Server: 1. Using your web browser, navigate to http://drupal.org/project/drupal. 2. Click the appropriate "tar.gz" or "zip" file link beside the version of Drupal you
want to download. This will allow you to save the file to your computer. The file is a compressed archive, which contains many files and folders. Make note of the name of the file and where you save it on your computer.

Upload the Drupal files to your web hosting account

1. Log in to your hosted accounts control panel (your hosting company will have provided this address to you). 2. Navigate to your HTML directory. If you are hosting multiple sites, be sure to consider how you will organize your folders. When you are done with the upload process, you want to end up with a new folder containing all of the files and folders from the Drupal-7.0.tar.gz archive. This new folder should be on the same level as any other websites that you are hosting.

3. Hopefully your ISP allows you to upload a compressed file and un-archive
(uncompress or unzip) the file-set on the server. You may want to explore your upload and uncompress options or refer to your ISP's documentation. Uploading and uncompressing the archive is definitely preferred over decompressing on you PC and uploading the individual files. The archive contains many folders and many files and you definitely do not want to try to upload them piecemeal. It can be done but it is too easy to make a mistake, especially if your ISP only allows you to upload a few files at a time OR if your ISP allows you to upload a folder, but has restrictions on either the number of files or the total size permitted in one transfer. 4. Upload your compressed .tar.gz or .zip file.

5. Uncompress or Unarchive the file on the server. (This process will vary from one
ISP to another.) Uncompressing the file will create a new folder or directory, which contains all of the files and folders in the archive. The new folder contain the uncompressed copies will have the same name as the archive file but without the .tar.gz or .zip extension in the name. If you are installing Drupal version 7.0 the name of your file will be Drupal-7.0.tar.gz and the name of your folder Drupal-7.0.

6. Rename the folder from its current name: Drupal-X.X to the name you want
to use to refer to your site, such as myD7site As an alternative to uploading and extracting the archive on your webhost, you can extract the files locally (on your computer) and then upload them. Generally, you can double click on the archived (.tar.gz or .zip file) and uncompress it locally. If your computer does not already know how to open this file, you may need to locate a tool to extract compressed filesyou can do an Internet search using the name of your Operating System (e.g. Mac OSX, Ubuntu, Red Hat, or Windows) and extract tar.gz or 'unzip' and you should find a free utility which would do the job. Please note: Attempting to upload the contents of the archive one by one or in small groups is best avoided, as the arrangement of these files must be maintained if Drupal is to function properly. Also, if you are going to upload the uncompressed files manually, you will want to create a new folder to put them in first, as our recommended approach creates the folder for you. Again, the folder for your new site should be created at the same level as your other websites within the HTML directory on your webhost. Important: (if you are using this alternative approach of uploading uncompressed files, be sure to navigate into your new empty directory before you start to upload the files. If you do not you risk polluting the HTML directory with files that should be in your site directory. Read more information about downloading and uncompressing Drupal.

Set up a Domain and point it to the directory containing Drupal's files

To set up and configure a domain name which points to this new directory, you will need to refer to your Internet Service Provider (ISP). This process can be accomplished in a variety of ways and the process is specific to the tools provided by your ISP. In general you want to: Register a Domain Name e.g. http: / / e xample.com . Configure your hosting account to use this domain name. Point the domain name to your new folder/directory, which contains the uncompressed Drupal files

Note: These steps can take some time. Many ISPs provide an Add Domain function, which allows you to simply specify the domain name to be used and the directory which it points to. It can take minutes or hours for this setup to go into effect. If you are registering a sub-domain, the portion of the name that is before the domain name, perhaps in place of the www (e.g. http : / / i n t e rna l . example.com ), these tend to process almost immediately, but again it depends on your ISP.

Create the configuration file and grant permissions

In order to set up your new site, it is necessary to be able to modify the settings.php file via your browser. By default when you unarchive these files, only the default.settings.php file exists and the permissions are set to Read Only. You will need to copy the file, rename it to settings.php, and then temporarily change the permissions so that the server can Read and Write to this file when a user makes changes via a web browser. You then need to move up one level to the /s i t e s directory and change the permission on the /defau l tdirectory (folder), as this is the place where files created or uploaded via the web interface will be stored. 1. Copy the file default.settings.php and rename it to settings.php 1. Use your ISPs file manager to navigate to the /s i t e s / de faudirectory lt 2. Select the defaul t . s e t t i ngs .php (usually done by checking a box next file to the file) 3. Copy the file, naming the new copy settings.php 2. Change the permissions of the settings.php file. 1. In your ISPs file manager select the file settings.php and click on permissions. 2. Add the permissions for the file to be written by the web server (i.e. web users). If your system is asking you to use a numeric value to CHMOD the file you will want to use 666, this will set the file to be written by anyone. 3. Save your changes. Please note: The installation script that runs when you first visit your site should change the permissions of the settings.php file back to read-only when you are finished the initial configuration of your site; however, it is recommended that you check that the permissions for settings.php have been set back to Read Only once you are finished. 3. Change the permissions of the /defaul tdirectory. 1. In your ISPs file manager select the /defaul tfolder and click on permissions. 2. Add the permissions for the folder to be written by the web server (i.e web users). 3. Save your change.

Create the Drupal database

You must create a new, empty database for Drupal to use. You must also add a user who has full access to this newly created database.

The way in which you create a database will likely depend on your ISP. One of the most popular tools used to administer databases is "phpMyAdmin". It is possible that you will have privileges to create new databases using this tool. However, it is more likely that your ISP provides access to phpMyAdmin so that you can work with content in your database. When you create a new site, the related database must be created using the ISPs control panel. Option 1: Create a new Database using your ISPs Control Panel In many cases your ISP will provide you with a database section in your accounts control panel. Here you will be able to create the database, adding a username and password to access the database. The approach and steps here will vary depending on your ISP, but generally you will be specifying: A name for the database to be created (usually a shorthand version of the site name) A username and A password The combination of these three things will be used by your website, and perhaps by you, to administer the new database. Please note: Some ISPs will host the databases on a separate server than the server which hosts your website. In this case, you may also need to specify which server the database is on. Your ISP will let you know if this is necessary. Option 2: Create a new Database using phpMyAdmin 1. From your ISPs control panel, open phpMyAdmin. 2. In the Create new database field, type the name you want to use for your new Drupal database and then click Create. 3. Click the Privileges tab. 4. Click Add a new User. 1. In the User name field, type the username that you want to add (this will be the username for site to access the database, not your own username). 2. In the drop-down menu beside the Host field, select Local. 3. In the Password and Re-type fields, type a password to use for the new user. 4. In the Database for user section, select Grant all privileges" on the database you just created. 5. In the Global privileges section, leave all of the global privileges checkboxes unselected. 6. Click Go.

This should mark the end of the work that is necessary it in the ISPs control. From here we are going to use a web browser to configure your new site.
Read more about Creating the Drupal Database.

Run the installation script

To run the Drupal installation script:

1. Using your web browser, navigate to the base URL of your new website,
e.g. http: / / e xample.com you have registered a new Domain name and it has . (If has yet to go into effect, it is possible that you will still be able to access the website with a link provided by your ISP or even using a numeric IP address.) When you go to your new website, you should see the Drupal installation page. The installation wizard will guide you through the process of setting up your Drupal website.

When you first visit your new website having completed the step above, if you receive an error similar to the following Parse error : syntax error , unexpected '{ ' in . . . / i n c l udes /boots t rap . i n c on l i nemay be because you are attempting to install it 679 your new site on a server that is running an old version of PHP. Drupal 7 requires at least PHP 5.2.4. See the system requirements page for more information. 2. On the Select an installation profile page, select Standard. Click Save and continue. 3. On the Choose language page, select English. Click Save and continue. 4. On the Database configuration page, select the type of database that you are using. Type the database name, database username and database password (the same ones you used to set up your database). Please note: If your database host is located on a different server, if your database server is listening to a non-standard port, or if more than one application will be sharing this database then you can configure Drupal options

for this by clicking the Advanced options link. Click Save and continue. The Installing Drupal page is displayed.

5. On the Configure site page, do the following: 1. In the Site name field, type the name you want to give your site. In the Site email address field, type the email address that automated messages from your Drupal site will be sent from. 2. In the site maintenance account section, type a username, email address and password to use for the maintenance account. 3. In the server settings section, select a country from the list and then select a time zone. 4. If desired, select Check for updates automatically and Receive email notifications (recommended to keep your site's security up to date). 5. Click Save and continue. 6. On the Drupal installation complete page, click the Visit your new site link.

You should see a newly installed Drupal homepage, as shown in the screenshot above. The administrator account is automatically logged in, and if you chose the "Standard" install, the black administration toolbar will be displayed across the top of the page. Read more about Running the installation script

Installation is complete
Now that you've installed Drupal, there are a few additional tasks you'll need to do.

Please see After Installation for next steps.

Additional Help
There are a variety of ways you can get help. Here are a few suggestions: The complete Installation Guide. Your are reading the Quick install for beginners guide, which is a simplified version of the main installation guide, which has more detail. IRC, which is an online text chat where you can get support from community members. The Get Started with Drupal section of Drupal.org The Community & Support section of Drupal.org The Drupal Forums Drupal Users Groups (by region or subject) Free training webinars, videos, archives and other events can be found onThe Drupal Dojo (a Drupal Learning Resource Center) and the Drupal Dojo Group, as well as on various other corporate websites and video hosting sites (which you can find easily by searching the web).

Attachment Select an installation profile | Drupal_1263712911366.png Installing Drupal | Drupal_1263713246159.png Welcome to My Drupal 7 Site | My Drupal 7 Site_1263714155192.png

Size 48.73 KB 42.15 KB 69.01 KB

Quick install with FTPupQuick install for developers (command line)

Login or register to post comments Looking for support? Visit the Drupal.org forums, or join #drupal-support in IRC.

Comments
.htaccess
Posted by binford2k on December 13, 2010 at 10:32pm

A stupid newb misconfiguration just hit me and I thought I'd make a note of it here. If you place the contents of the .htaccess file in a global configuration, for whatever reason...MAKE SURE to delete the .htaccess or your gzip rules will be applied twice!
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Well written!
Posted by TWagner on December 16, 2010 at 9:48pm

I've installed D7 5 or 6 times locally, but not on remote server. Instructions are well written and accurate. I will add that on the database setup step, some host services, in this case, Media Temple provides a somewhat restricted access to phpMyAdmin. The database is set up with funky menus; not via phpMyAdmin. Same for usernames. phpMyAdmin serves no purpose, at least in the setup phase, because a new db can not be created within that interface.
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DID U USE A XAMPP OR A WAMP SERVER?

Posted by Frank_P on March 23, 2011 at 6:21pm

I'm trying to install the for the first time on a WAMP localhost but thing looks complex for me. For example there's no settings.php file in my drupal 7 files as I'll need to change some settings as directed here. Also, how do u compare the Drupal 7.0 and Drupal 7.x-dev. I downloaded Drupal 7.0.
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I installed Drupal on wamp

Posted by JaDrupal on March 23, 2011 at 8:11pm

I installed Drupal on wamp localhost as well. I didn't make any changes in settings.php. I also used Drupal 6 as Drupal 7 is just launched and i wanted to give it some time to

settle. Anyway this video really helped: http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=ooQONqyb_gU&feature=related. Especially the part about setting the php version to 5.2.11 on wamp server.
Nicky

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Finding the 'settings.php' file

Posted by bradley.beckner on March 28, 2011 at 10:49pm

I believe the settings.php file that you are looking for is \"myD7site'\sites\default\default.settings.php. Above it directed to copy and rename this to "settings.php" and make sure that you gave it full read/write access. Giving you the real file that you are looking for at \"myD7site'\sites\default\settings.php.
Bradley Beckner

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Don't Forget SQLite on D7 Setup

Posted by wolfrage on January 2, 2011 at 4:50pm

SQLite should be a branch for the setup path of Drupal 7, that a user can take. SQLite is fast and easy to setup in Drupal, as long as the host has php5-sqlite installed. Additionally SQLite may be bigger than the Drupal Community expects as it provides as extremly fast light weight database that can handle up to 2 Terabyte's of data. Which is more than enough for 95% of sites.
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Installed but without "Administer"?

Posted by Redsuperted on February 13, 2011 at 5:35pm

Hi - I just completed installation of Drupal 7 on my web server, but a funny thing has happened. On my "welcome to ..." page, I'm missing the "Administer" button and the "Change the Default Front PAge" Button. Any idea what might be going on? Thanks! R.
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These are some of the new

Posted by Pistachio Pony on February 17, 2011 at 10:56pm

These are some of the new changes in Drupal 7 ! Check out the drupal dojo on installing and test driving Drupal for more info on the changes...at drupaldojo.com cheers
Knowledge in itself is power

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Here you can have the steps to install Drupal locally in Ubuntu
Posted by sudev on July 7, 2011 at 5:55pm

this is my blog where i have explained how to install drupal 6 locally in ubuntu. Click Here http://sudevshares.blogspot.com/2011/07/installing-drupallamp-in-ubuntu.... http://sudevshares.blogspot.com
sudevdev@gmail.com

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Cant install on webhost

Posted by arkokoley on August 22, 2011 at 3:20pm

When i navigate to my site the page displays this: Warning: ini_set() has been disabled for security reasons in drupal_environment_initialize() (line 494 of /www/zxq.net/n/x/t/nxtclass/htdocs/includes/bootstrap.inc). Warning: ini_set() has been disabled for security reasons in drupal_environment_initialize() (line 497 of /www/zxq.net/n/x/t/nxtclass/htdocs/includes/bootstrap.inc). Warning: ini_set() has been disabled for security reasons in drupal_environment_initialize() (line 498 of /www/zxq.net/n/x/t/nxtclass/htdocs/includes/bootstrap.inc). Warning: ini_set() has been disabled for security reasons in drupal_environment_initialize() (line 499 of /www/zxq.net/n/x/t/nxtclass/htdocs/includes/bootstrap.inc). Warning: ini_set() has been disabled for security reasons in drupal_environment_initialize() (line 501 of /www/zxq.net/n/x/t/nxtclass/htdocs/includes/bootstrap.inc). Warning: ini_set() has been disabled for security reasons in drupal_environment_initialize() (line 503 of /www/zxq.net/n/x/t/nxtclass/htdocs/includes/bootstrap.inc). Warning: ini_set() has been disabled for security reasons in include_once() (line 253 of /www/zxq.net/n/x/t/nxtclass/htdocs/sites/default/settings.php). Warning: ini_set() has been disabled for security reasons in include_once() (line 254 of /www/zxq.net/n/x/t/nxtclass/htdocs/sites/default/settings.php). Warning: ini_set() has been disabled for security reasons in include_once() (line 262 of /www/zxq.net/n/x/t/nxtclass/htdocs/sites/default/settings.php).

Warning: ini_set() has been disabled for security reasons in include_once() (line 269 of /www/zxq.net/n/x/t/nxtclass/htdocs/sites/default/settings.php). Warning: ini_set() has been disabled for security reasons in drupal_settings_initialize() (line 592 of /www/zxq.net/n/x/t/nxtclass/htdocs/includes/bootstrap.inc). On selecting my language english when i click Save and Continue i am asked to download the Intall.php
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"You must create a new, empty database for Drupal to use."

Posted by uusijani on September 9, 2011 at 6:31am

This claim made in the guide almost kept me from trying Drupal in the first place. You don't need a new, empty database. If you already have a database, even with data from other apps, it'll do just fine. Drupal won't erase it or refuse to install because the database isn't empty and reserved exclusively for Drupal.
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Thanks for this information

Posted by Jone robine on October 22, 2011 at 7:56am

Thanks for this information because i am beginner.

Destoner, redler conveyor, screw conveyor

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Hi, Thanks for the

Posted by 1websitedesigner on October 29, 2011 at 11:37am

Hi, Thanks for the tutorial. If you're using a host with cPanel (e.g. Hostgator), then you can follow the instructions here to install Drupal: http://www.1websitedesigner.com/installing-drupal-using-cpanel
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nice!
Posted by sarojg on March 31, 2012 at 8:58pm

Really appreciated your cpanel instructions... haven't tried them, but they are very clear.
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Posted by shamio on April 6, 2012 at 5:43pm

These are some other great resources including a step by step tutorial and a video for installing Drupal through cPanelk for new users who have problem for installing Drupal through cPanel:
http://drupalpunk.hubpages.com/hub/Install_Drupal_with_Cpanel_and_Fantastico www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkQYKXmyA-8 Shamio

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Tight
Posted by jhealy on December 12, 2011 at 5:20am

Thank you, my 1st installation on a shared server went flawlessly following this. When does that ever happen?
Justin