Install Joomla manually on cPanel hosting

Joomla is a flexible open-source CMS. Softaculous installs it in one click, but a manual install is useful when you need a specific version or want to understand the setup. Here is how to install Joomla manually on cPanel.

Before you start

• A cPanel account and a domain with SSL active.
• The Joomla full package ZIP from joomla.org and its PHP requirements (Joomla 5 needs a recent PHP 8 version).

Choose the PHP version

1. Open cPanel → Software → Select PHP Version or MultiPHP Manager.
2. Pick a supported PHP version for the domain.
3. Make sure json, mysqli/pdo_mysql, zip, gd, intl, mbstring and xml are enabled.

Create the database

In cPanel → Databases → Manage My Databases, create a database and user, then add the user to the database with ALL PRIVILEGES.

Upload Joomla

1. In File Manager, go to public_html (or the domain's document root).
2. Upload the full package ZIP and extract it there. The folder should contain index.php, administrator, installation and so on, not a subfolder.
3. Delete the ZIP after extracting.

Run the web installer

1. Visit https://example.com; the installer opens.
2. Enter the site name and choose the language.
3. Create the Super User: name, username (avoid "admin"), a strong password and email.
4. Database: type MySQLi, host localhost, the full username, password and database name, and a random table prefix (the default random one is fine).
5. Click Install Joomla. When done, Joomla removes the installation folder automatically; if not, delete it.

Recommended settings

• Search engine friendly URLs: in System → Global Configuration → Site, enable URL Rewriting, and rename htaccess.txt to .htaccess in File Manager.
• Force HTTPS: Global Configuration → Server → Force HTTPS: Entire Site.
• Mail: set the mailer to SMTP with a cPanel mailbox under Server → Mail.
• Caching: enable Conservative caching, plus LiteSpeed Cache for Joomla on LiteSpeed servers.

Secure Joomla

• Enable multi-factor authentication for Super Users (built in since Joomla 4.2).
• Keep Joomla and extensions updated from System → Update.
• Install extensions only from trusted developers via the Joomla Extensions Directory.
• Protect /administrator with cPanel → Files → Directory Privacy for an extra password layer.
• Back up regularly (Akeeba Backup or your hosting's JetBackup).

Troubleshooting

• Error displaying the error page / 500 error: check error_log; usually a PHP version or extension issue. Set Error Reporting to Maximum temporarily in Global Configuration.
• 404 on all pages after enabling URL rewriting: htaccess.txt was not renamed to .htaccess.
• Database connection error: check the full prefixed names in configuration.php.
• Admin login does not work: clear cookies, check that $live_site in configuration.php is empty or correct.

Joomla FAQ

Softaculous or manual install?

Softaculous is quicker and offers automatic updates and backups; manual installs give full control.

Can I upgrade from Joomla 3 or 4?

Yes, using the Joomla Update component after checking extension compatibility with the pre-update check. Back up first.

Joomla or WordPress?

Joomla has strong built-in multilingual and access control features; WordPress has a bigger plugin and theme ecosystem.

Next steps

• Install Joomla with Softaculous
• LiteSpeed Cache for Joomla
• MySQL databases in cPanel