Change PHP version used by Composer on Windows

I have already use WAMP 2.5 with PHP 5.5.12, and with Composer. The php is on:

For new project, I need to use nginx and installed PHP 7. The php is on:

Now, using GitBash MINGW32, I tried to install laravel 5.3 using Composer create-project but it said

I already put both C:\wamp\bin\php\php5.5.12 and C:\nginx\php on Windows System PATH variable.

How do I change the PHP version used by Composer?

2 Answers 2

Three ways to do this, really.

Create an alias in .bashrc to always run composer with the corresponding version

Something like alias ncomposer=`/path/to/php /path/to/composer.phar `

Specify the path to PHP version inside composer.phar itself

This is specified at the start of the file: #!/path/to/php php . Then composer should run with composer.phar

NB! The line will disappear upon self-update, so it’s not a reliable solution.

Move up the path with the newest PHP version

If you place C:\nginx\php first, it should be used by default when using composer.

Hope this helps!

Although this question was solved, the answer didn’t help me. I will explain how I managed to make composer to work in a version of PHP different from the one which is installed by default on my OS (PHP 7.1.1) as well as in my environment variables (these will not be changed !). Note that I’m using Xampp, but the principle remains the same for Wamp.

1. Start up Git Bash
2. Type cd

/ to go to your home folder

Type touch .bash_profile to create your new file.

Edit .bash_profile with your favorite editor

In my case I have a folder named php733 inside xampp folder which corresponds to PHP 7.3.3. This is this other answer that helped me in creating the alias :

Then, type . .bash_profile to reload .bash_profile and update any functions you add. Notice the space between the two dots !

Finally, type this command in Git Bash :

Example : in the project that requires at least PHP 7.1.3

Using composer :

Using composer733 (the alias I created) :

It works, without having to change the environment variables

Change php version used by composer on windows #6277

Comments

crashbdx commented Mar 19, 2017

I don’t understand why my composer is using a 5.4.45 php version when i don’t see such version on my computer, i use wamp with php 5.6.25 , in my environmemt variable i have the this version on top of the list of path value.
Is there a want to change the version composer is using please ?

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alcohol commented Mar 20, 2017

I don’t understand why my composer is using a 5.4.45 php version

Please explain what this means, where this information comes from, or what you are basing this on. Because it makes zero sense without any actual context.

Seldaek commented Mar 20, 2017

@crashbdx the PATH value should contain the directory of the php.exe, not the full path including php.exe, just in case there is some confusion there.

Composer is not at fault in any case as this is OS/shell-level resolution.

If you’re on windows you can type where php to see which php is used, or in bash on linux/OSX type which php .

denisdulici commented Jul 5, 2017

@crashbdx the only way is to uninstall and install it again 😉

@alcohol @Seldaek it would be nice if there were an option to change the following option without having to uninstall => install:



alcohol commented Jul 5, 2017

@denisdulici such requests should really be posted to composer/windows-setup. Then @johnstevenson can have a look at it and see how feasible it is 🙂

treetechsuman commented Dec 25, 2017

the only way is to uninstall and install it again 😉 work for me

geeky3 commented Mar 9, 2018

You can change php version of composer without uninstalling it, follow these steps :

1. Search for system environment variables in cortana.
2. Click on the button «Environment variables».
3. Under «System variables» select path and click on edit, you will see one entry like this «C:\wamp\bin\php\php5.6.13».
4. Just change this to the folder name of the php located at your wamp/bin/php7.1.9, here bin7.1.9 is folder name.
5. Replace php5.6.13 with bin7.1.9, it will look like these «C:\wamp\bin\php\php7.1.9», just click ok on all the boxes.
6. You are done.
7. To verify, first close all the cmd windows, than open cmd and type «php -v», press enter and you should see php7.1.9.
8. If you don’t see change in php version than just restart your pc and run php -v again in cmd , it will work.

linslin commented Aug 3, 2018 •

IMO there is no need to switch the environment variables just for running composer commands with a different PHP Version (which were not set in your env paths.). Just run your composer.phar with a absolut PHP execution file path and you will be fine. Command pattern: $

This should do it if you have composer installed globally:

• On windows e.g.: C:\xampp\php\php.exe C:\ProgramData\ComposerSetup\bin\composer.phar install
• On *ngix run e.g.: /usr/bin/php /usr/local/bin/composer install

AndrasZiegenham commented Aug 17, 2018

DependencyResolver easily eats up over 1GB and 32bit php is limited to 2GB memory use and oddly enough I get fatal errors near 1.3GB, so I have to use a 64bit php just for composer.

So according to this (and this: composer/windows-setup#72) topic the devs apparently don’t care about this sort of problem and want you to change your whole system’s environment to a different php. noice.

The only workaround seems to be the one mentioned by @linslin even though one can end up with monsters like this (using GitBash on windows):

/c/php/php-7.2.9-Win32-VC15-x64/php.exe -d memory_limit=-1 «c:\ProgramData\ComposerSetup\bin\composer.phar» update

Really, am I supposed to write this instead of «composer update»? Legit.

RahulDey12 commented Feb 24, 2020


check out this i have composer installed and php command working on my pc but there is no php in path variable

stof commented Feb 24, 2020

@RahulDey12 check both the user list and the system list. Both provide values for the PATH variable.

jonathanlaf commented Aug 19, 2020

Same has @RahulDey12 I can’t find it, even on user list and system list! Where the heck did Composer created that link 😲 ?

Change php version windows

With very few exceptions, the default version of PHP on our servers is PHP 5.3. This is because many customers still run software which hasn’t been updated to support anything more recent.

On our Split-Dedicated or Managed Dedicated Servers, you can change the default version of PHP in cPanel. We’ve created a custom tool to allow you to make this change. To do this, go to «PHP Config» in cPanel, and then Select the Version of PHP you prefer. Once you’ve picked the preferred PHP version, select «Set as Default PHP».

Making sure you are on the right version of PHP

The easiest way to do this is to simply make a «PHP Info» file. It’s simple to do. Just make a file and name it something like myphpinfo.php, or anything that ends with .php. Then just simply place the following line of code in the empty file.

Once you’ve created and saved that file, you need to view it in your browser. Once you view the file in your browser, you’ll see the PHP version at the top of the page.

An advanced approach to PHP versions and .htaccess regular expressions

For more advanced web applications, you may find yourself in a situation where multiple scripts in the same directory require different PHP versions. In that situation, you can use the «Files» or «FilesMatch» directive in your .htaccess file. The example below looks for URI requests that contain «mynewscript», and uses PHP 5.5. In the event the URI contains «mynewerscript», it uses PHP 5.6. If neither of these are matched, it uses the default PHP version (or whatever is set above this in this in the .htaccess file.)

Picking a PHP version for command line and cron scripts

The way you would typically call a PHP script is by starting your command with «php». As an example, the following line will let you see the default version of PHP on your server (for command line only).

Now many scripts may require you to run a different or more recent version of PHP. That’s easy to do. As an example, you can replace «php» with «php-54» to request PHP 5.4. Below are some examples of how to call the various versions of PHP.

How to Update PHP Version in XAMPP

Many web developers, especially beginners, have a common question “How to update PHP version in XAMPP?”. After getting a lot of queries on the topic, we decided to write a short and simple tutorial on how you can easily update PHP version in Windows XAMPP.

Table Of Content:

XAMPP plays a significant role for web developers and it’s one of the most popular stacks that developers use to build and test websites locally. What makes it popular among developers is that even if something goes wrong with the code, it doesn’t affect the live web platform.

Working on the localhost is indeed a good practice to boost your web development skills and it is also common among WordPress developers. However, most users are left asking “How to change PHP version in XAMPP?” Or “How to upgrade PHP version in XAMPP?”.

Related Posts:

How to Install XAMPP and Install WordPress on Localhost (XAMPP).

If your website is ready, then migrate your site from localhost to live server.

In this tutorial, I will show you how easily you can update your PHP version in XAMPP through 4 simple steps. However, before embarking on the process you need to know why it is important to upgrade PHP version on XAMPP and when is the right time to change the PHP version.

Reasons to Upgrade PHP Version in XAMPP

The PHP version requirements often vary with specifications of the project you are working on. Sometimes it’s the users who demand a newer PHP version which can compel you to update it. In most cases, whenever a new PHP version is rolled out, users and developers waste no time in updating their current versions to avoid security threats.

As a member of various developers’ community, I often see many developers still using the older version of XAMPP(i.e. XAMPP 3.2.1 or older) that runs on PHP 5. What they are mostly concerned with is updating the PHP version in their current XAMPP without reinstalling it all together.

PHP 7 offers an advanced set of functionalities as compared to PHP 5, which are all reasons why you should update your PHP version as soon as it is launched. To check the PHP version, type http://localhost/phpinfo.php in your browser and a new screen will appear with the PHP version information.

Let’s look at why PHP 7 has the upper hand over PHP 5.

1. For starters, PHP 7 is faster than any other version available, including PHP 5. Suppose, you have written a PHP code in PHP 5, if you run the same code on PHP 7, you will see a significant upgrade in performance.
2. PHP 7 provides ease in error handling as compared to other older versions of PHP. If you are using PHP 5 then you would know how hard it is to handle fatal errors.
3. PHP 7 supports anonymous class, a feature that is not available in any of the older PHP versions. Anonymous class is used to speed up the execution time which is common in other OOP languages like JAVA, C#, etc.
4. PHP 7 supports 64 bit (large) files which you can run on 64 bit OS architecture. This feature is also not available on PHP 5.
5. PHP 7 also includes null coalescing operators, accurate type declarations and many advanced features.

Now that we have understood how important it is to update your PHP version in XAMPP, let’s move forward and see how you can update your PHP version in 4 simple steps.

How to Update PHP Version in Windows XAMPP in 4 Simple Steps

The beauty of the XAMPP lies in the fact that it’s a development server, not a production server. This means that you can play with its configuration and make simple changes like changing its PHP version without affecting your live application.

Note: I would recommend that before you upgrade PHP version in XAMPP, make a backup for your site files or project files. ALWAYS MAKE A BACKUP FOR DATA.

Updating PHP version in XAMPP is simple. All you need to do is follow these 4 simple steps.

Step 1: Download the latest version of PHP (i.e. PHP 7.x)

First, you need to click here to download the latest binary version of PHP. Make sure you download the Thread Safe Zip file depending upon your Windows version( x86 for 32-bit and x64 for 64-bit ), as you can see in the image below.



In the above image, you can see that I have downloaded the VC14x64 Thread Safe because my windows version is 64-bit.

Step 2: Extract the Zip File and Create PHP Folder

Next, create a new folder in your Windows desktop and name it PHP. Then, extract the Zip file into that new folder(i.e. PHP).



Step 3: Rename the Old PHP Folder

Next, go to XAMPP folder and select the php folder and rename it with something like php_5 and then paste the extracted-new-php folder on XAMPP directory. You can see in the below image, how I did this.

How to upgrade php version on Windows 10

I’m trying to get my Laravel project to work. But when I use composer update it says the following:

This package requires php >=5.6.4 but your PHP version (5.5.12) does not satisfy that requirement.

I’m using WAMP which runs php version 7.0.4 this is also confirmed in the browser if I echo the php version. But when I use php -v in the console it shows that I’m using PHP version 5.5.12 (cli).

I’ve searched a bit around on google and I found out that it uses my windows PHP version instead of my webserver’s version. But I couldn’t find out how to update my PHP version on Windows.

My PATH contents are as shown in the following image





4 Answers 4

You can uninstall composer, and while re-installing it will ask you to point at your PHP directory which is going to be C:\wamp64\bin\php (usually) at that point you can choose which PHP version you would want to use. good luck.





This means you have yet another installation of PHP in your system. Check your Programs in Control Panel and remove such installation.

However, you can modify your PATH environment variable as well. Procedure

Just remove the path that points to any PHP installation directory.

Else, otherwise, if you are unsure about changing the PATH variable (which can lead to serious problems if not set well), you can just delete the directory that the PATH variable points to. (I mean the PHP directory)

The totally better solution is to add the path of your PHP7 bin directory at the beginning of the PATH variable. You should also make available composer in this PHP7 bin directory.

Such as, replace the C:\php in your path with C:\wamp\bin\php7 or whatever the location of the PHP7 path is..