How to Install Magento

1 Get Your Server Ready

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Before you can actually install Magento, you’ll need a web server to install it on. When you sign up for a web hosting plan, you’re purchasing space on a web server to use as your own, which means you’ll have a place to upload your Magento software later on.

If you’ve already signed up for a web hosting plan, then you’re ready for step two. But if you haven’t yet picked a host, or are thinking of transferring to a new host, then we recommend SiteGround. SiteGround is a top choice for Magento sites because it offers automatic Magento installation for free. You can choose to manually install Magento if you’d like, but you also have the option to auto-install it with just a few clicks on your SiteGround account.

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Now, back to installing Magento manually!

2 Download Magento

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Before you can install Magento on a server, you’ll need to download the Magento software onto your local computer. When you arrive on the download page, you’ll see three different Magento installation options: Composer, Git, and Archive.

In this article, we’ll explain how to install Magento by downloading the Archive version, because it’s the easiest to install and the most geared towards beginners. Downloading the archive file means downloading a compressed file that contains the Magento software onto your computer.

You can download the archive file in either ZIP or TAR format. Once downloaded, you’ll be able to run Magento software on a local server – meaning your own computer. Having the file downloaded to your computer makes it possible to upload to a remote server via your hosting provider later on.

Including Sample Data With an Archive Download

When you download the archived Magento software, you’ll have the option to include sample data with the download. We recommend you include sample data because it’s still free, and it’s designed to help you learn Magento faster.

Sample data provides you with a template storefront that you can use to see what a Magento store filled with products actually looks like. You can add around 250 products under different categories to the sample data storefront, and it’s a great way to test performance and scalability.

3 Create a Database on Your Host

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The following steps will be roughly the same with most hosting providers. But since SiteGround is the best Magento host in our book, we’ll use it as an example whenever we go into greater detail.

Once you have Magento downloaded, the first step you’ll need to take with your actual hosting provider is to create a new MySQL database and user for your Magento software.

To create a new database, first log in to your hosting account’s control panel and navigate to the database section. In the SiteGround control panel, you’ll find it under Site Tools > Site > MySQL. In the database section, find and click the ‘Create Database’ button.

At this point, some hosting providers will prompt you to name the new database, but SiteGround automatically generates a database name.

Once the database is created, navigate to the ‘Users’ tab and click ‘Create User.’ Once set, you’ll receive a notice with the new username and password, which are also automatically generated.

In order for a user to manage a new database, the user permissions for that database need to be set. You can do this by clicking the ‘Add New Database’ button next to the new username.

On the page that opens, choose the desired user privileges (usually ‘All Privileges’) and click ‘Confirm.’

Congrats – your new database is ready to go! Now onto the next step of our Magento tutorial.

4 Upload and Unpack Magento

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Upload Magento

Next, you need to upload Magento to the server associated with your hosting account. To do this, you can either use the ‘File Manager’ section of your control panel, or use a file transfer protocol (FTP) client. In this guide, we’re going to use the File Manager option, because it’s easier and more time-efficient.

Once you’re in the File Manager section, select the root folder of your website. For SiteGround users, this is usually the public_html folder that you’ll see on the screen.

Once there, click the ‘Upload’ button and select the folder of files you downloaded from Magento in step two.

Unpack Magento

Once the Magento folder is uploaded, you’ll need to extract the files from it into your website’s directory (this is all done in the File Manager). To do this, simply right click the folder and choose ‘Extract.’

5 Set Up Magento

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At this point, all of the files will be ready, and the next step is to start the Magento installation process!

To get started, access your website by typing your domain into the browser. This will pull up the Magento installer application. Click the ‘Agree and Setup Magento’ button to continue.

You’ll then see a timeline of five steps that the Magento installer will run through before the actual installation:

1. Readiness check
2. Add a database
3. Web configuration
4. Customize your store
5. Create admin account

Below, we’ll explain each step and the actions you’ll need to take. The Magento installer app will walk you through the entire setup process, so it’s mostly a matter of inputting information and clicking ‘Next!’

Readiness Check

You don’t have to do much at this stage – just click ‘Start Readiness Check,’ and Magento will verify that you have the correct PHP version, PHP settings, extensions, and file permissions to support the software.

Add a Database

This is where you’ll input information about the database you set up in step three, like the database name, username, and password.

Web Configuration

At this stage, you’ll have the option to edit your store address and your Magento admin address. Your store address is the URL by which users access your storefront, and your admin address is the relative URL by which you can access the Magento Admin. You can leave the store address as it is displayed, but you’ll want to change the admin address for your site to keep it safe from hackers.

Under ‘Advanced Options,’ you can also choose whether you want to use a Magento-generated encryption key or your own. Use a Magento-generated key if you want Magento to encrypt sensitive data in the database for you.

In this case, ‘sensitive data’ means that Magento encrypts the following:

• Credit card information
• Usernames and passwords for payment gateways
• CAPTCHA values sent over the network

Magento does not encrypt:

• Administrative and customer usernames and passwords
• Addresses
• Phone numbers

Customize Your Store

This step is where you’ll edit the default time zone, currency, and language of your store (don’t worry, these can also be changed from your Magento admin panel later!).

Create Admin Account

This step is straightforward. Just fill in the username, password, and email account you’ll use to manage your store.

6 Install and Finish

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At this point, you’ll have arrived at the “Install Now” button. Click on it, and let the application do the rest – it won’t take very long!

Once the installation completes, a page will open with a recap of the details. Click ‘Launch Magento Admin’ at the bottom of this page to get started with your Magento store!