After downloading PrestaShop and uploading it to a server, go to http://www.yourwebsite.com/prestashop/(or whichever directory contains the PrestaShop files) to run the PrestaShop Installer. Learn more about downloading PrestaShop and uploading it to a server here.

Choosing the installer language

By default, the PrestaShop Installer is displayed in English. In the Choose your language step of the installer, there are options to switch the installer to Portuguese, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish and Russian. Changing the installer language will not affect the languages of the PrestaShop store. The store languages are configured after installation. Click the green Next button to go to the next step.

Accepting license agreements

The License agreements section of the installer displays the licenses used by PrestaShop. The core of PrestaShop is licensed under OSL 3.0 and the modules and themes are licensed under AFL 3.0. Tick theI agree to the above terms and conditions checkbox and then click the green Next button to continue.

Checking server compatibility

If the server is configured correctly to run PrestaShop, the installer will skip over to the Store Informationstep. Otherwise, the System Compatibility step will display with a list of items that need to be corrected. Even if this step was skipped, it is a good idea to click the Back button to view this step and see if there are optional parameters that can be changed to optimise the performance of PrestaShop. If any parameters are listed with a red stop sign icon, see the table below for solutions. The solution may be to change file permissions or create/modify the php.ini file in PrestaShop’s root directory. Depending on how PHP is configured, the php.ini file may also need to be copied to the install directory of PrestaShop. If the php.ini file doesn’t work, ask the host to install the missing extension.

Required parameters
PHP 5.1.2 or later is not enabled	Ask host to install PHP 5.1.2 or later
Cannot upload files	Check account has permission to upload files
Cannot create new files and folders	Check account has permission to create files and folders
GD Library is not installed	Ask host to install GD Library
MySQL support is not activated	Ask host to install MySQL
Write permissions
Any directory	Make sure the directory and its subdirectories are chmod 755
Optional parameters
Cannot open external URLs	Add allow_url_fopen = On to php.ini
PHP register global option is on	Add register_globals = Off to php.ini
GZIP compression is not activated	Add zlib.output_compression = On andzlib.output_compression_level = 6 to php.ini
Mcrypt extension is not enabled	Add extension = mcrypt.so to php.ini
Mbstring extension is not enabled	Add extension=php-mbstring.dll to php.ini
PHP magic quotes option is enabled	Add magic_quotes_gpc = Off and magic_quotes_runtime = Off and magic_quotes_sybase = Off to php.ini
Dom extension is not loaded	Ask host to install php-xml and restart the server
PDO MySQL extension is not loaded	Add extension=pdo.so and extension=pdo_mysql.so to php.ini

After correcting the parameters, click the Refresh button and they should disappear. Click the green Nextbutton to continue to the next step.

Configuring store information

In the Store Information section, enter the shop name and then choose the default country and timezone. Optionally, choose the main activity of the shop and upload the shop’s logo. The logo can be changed after installation. In the Your Account section, enter the name, email address and password for the administration account that will be used to log in to PrestaShop and change settings. The password must be an alphanumeric string with at least 8 characters and must be entered twice to confirm it has been typed correctly. By default, PrestaShop will send a newsletter to the administrator’s email address with news and PrestaShop including tips and information about new themes and modules. Untick the Sign-up to the newsletter checkbox to stop the newsletter being sent. Click the green Next button to continue to the next step.

Configuring the database

Enter the server address (usually localhost), name of the database where PrestaShop should be installed, login and password of a user who has access to the database and a unique table prefix if another version of PrestaShop has already been installed in the database. Learn how to create a database here. Leave the database engine as InnoDB unless there is a compelling reason to change it to MyISAM. InnoDB uses row locking instead of table locking, which allows more than one row in a table to be accessed at the same time. Click the Test your database now! button to check the database details are correct. If they are correct, click the green Next button to continue to the next step.

Finishing installation

After entering all the installation information, the PrestaShop Installer will begin installation and display a progress bar. Each installation step is listed as it is completed. The PrestaShop Installer will also display ads for modules and themes at the bottom of the page. After installation completes, the administrator account information is displayed. By default, the password is hidden. Click the Display link to reveal the password. There is also a Print my login information link that can be used to print the administrator account email and password. There is warning message displayed below the administrator account information that reminds the user to delete the install folder for security purposes. Learn how to delete files and folders here. Below the warning message are links to view the PrestaShop Back Office and Front Office. Learn more about the Back Officehere and the Front Office here. After clicking the Back Office link, notice that the PrestaShop Installer has added a random four-digit number after the admin folder name. This is to make it harder for hackers to find the administration panel. Make a note of the admin folder name or for more security, rename it to something unique but memorable. Learn how to rename files and folders here.