PhpStorm 2018.3 Help

Install and set up PhpStorm

Installation requirements

Hardware requirements

  • 2 GB RAM minimum, 4 GB RAM recommended

  • 1.5 GB hard disk space + at least 1 GB for caches

  • 1024x768 minimum screen resolution

Software requirements

JRE 1.8 is bundled with the PhpStorm distribution. You do not need to install Java on your computer to run PhpStorm.

Windows

macOS

Linux

32-bit or 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows 10, 8, 7 (SP1), or Vista (SP2)

macOS 10.8.3 or later
(only 64-bit systems are supported)

  • OS Linux (note that a 32-bit JDK is not bundled, so a 64-bit system is recommended)

  • KDE, Gnome or Unity desktop environment recommended

Download and install PhpStorm

  1. Download PhpStorm for your operating system.

  2. Do the following depending on your operating system:
    • Windows installation:
      1. Run the PhpStorm-*.exe file you've downloaded.

      2. Follow the instructions in the installation wizard.

    • macOS installation:
      1. Open the PhpStorm-*.dmg package that you've downloaded, and drag PhpStorm to the Applications folder.

    • Linux installation:
        1. Unpack the PhpStorm-*.tar.gz file you have downloaded to a different folder if your current Downloads folder doesn't support file execution:
          tar xfz PhpStorm-*.tar.gz <new_archive_folder>

          The recommended install location according to the filesystem hierarchy standard (FHS) is /opt. To install PhpStorm into this directory, enter the following command:

          sudo tar xfz PhpStorm-*.tar.gz -C /opt/
        2. Switch to the bin subdirectory:

          cd /opt/PhpStorm-*/bin

        3. Run PhpStorm.sh from the bin subdirectory.

    Earlier PhpStorm versions are available for download on the Previous PhpStorm Releases page.

    Run PhpStorm for the first time

    Import PhpStorm settings

    When you start PhpStorm for the first time, or after you have upgraded it from a previous version, the Complete Installation dialog opens where you can select whether you want to import the IDE settings:

    ps_complete_installation_dialog

    If this is your first instance of PhpStorm, choose the Do not import settings option.

    Select the user interface theme

    Next, you will be prompted to select the UI theme. You can choose between the Default and the Darcula themes:

    ps set UI theme

    Create Launcher Script

    ps create launcher script

    For the Linux and macOS users, PhpStorm suggests the ability to use command line to open projects and separate files by specifying the directory or file name:

    • Select the Enable opening files and projects from the command line checkbox, and specify the name the command-line launcher script to be created.

    Windows users can simply complete the dialog, since there is no need to specify a command line tool. Later, for opening a file or project from command line, it will be enough to launch the *.exe file with the project or file name as a command line argument.

    Download and install additional plugins

    On the next step, PhpStorm prompts you to download and install additional plugins from the PhpStorm plugins repository.

    ps set featured plugins

    Start a project in PhpStorm

    After you have completed initial PhpStorm configuration, the Welcome screen will be displayed. It allows you to:

    ps welcomeScreen

    Register PhpStorm

    To try and evaluate PhpStorm, you can download and install its trial version for free. The trial version is available for 30 days, whereupon you need to obtain and register a license.

    1. Do one of the following:

      • On the Welcome screen, click Configure | Manage License

      • On the main menu, select Help | Register

      The License Activation dialog
    2. Select how you want to register PhpStorm:

      Option

      Description

      JetBrains Account

      Register using the JetBrains Account.

      For more information, see What is JetBrains Account?

      Activation code

      Register using an activation code.

      License server

      Register using a License Server.

      To override the URL of the system proxy during initial PhpStorm startup, use the -Djba.http.proxy property, which can be added as a JVM option.

      When performing silent install or managing PhpStorm installations on multiple machines, you can set the JETBRAINS_LICENSE_SERVER environment variable to point the installation to the license server URL.

    If you have plugins that require a license, then instead of the License Activation dialog, open the Licenses dialog by clicking Help | Licenses from the main menu.

    The Licenses dialog

    The Licenses dialog contains a list of licenses and shows their states:

    • Expired: Renew your license to continue.

    • Grace period: You have several days until the license expires.

    • Evaluation period: Use without an active license.

    • Active license: Use until the expiry date.

    To configure a license, click the Edit button, which opens the License Activation dialog.

    Update PhpStorm

    Out of the box, standalone PhpStorm installation is configured to check for updates automatically. It will notify you when a new version is available:

    Platform and Plugin Updates

    PhpStorm updates are usually patch-based: they are applied to the existing installation and only require you to restart the IDE.

    If the patch download takes a long time, you can send it to the background and continue working. Once download is complete, you will be prompted to restart, which should finalize the update.

    If you do not want to install the proposed update for some reason, you can ignore it by clicking the Ignore This Update button in the update dialog box. The ignored build's number will be added to the Ignored updates list, and you will not be prompted to install this particular build until you remove it from the list.

    Manage PhpStorm through Toolbox App

    Toolbox App is a control panel that allows you to manage all JetBrains developer tools, including PhpStorm, as well as your projects, from a single point of access. It lets you launch the IDEs, maintain different versions of the same tool, install updates and roll them back if needed. It also remembers your JetBrains Account and uses it to automatically log you in when you install and register new tools.

    1. Download Toolbox App.

    2. Launch the setup file.

    3. When the installation is complete, accept the JetBrains privacy policy and sign in to your JetBrains Account.

    Now you can manage existing tools, install new tools, and download updates:

    PhpStorm in the Toolbox app

    Perform silent installation on Windows

    Silent installation is performed without any user interface. It can be used by network administrators to install PhpStorm on a number of machines and avoid interrupting other users.

    To perform silent install, run the installer with the following switches:

    • /S: Enable silent install

    • /D: Specify the path to the installation directory

    • /CONFIG: Specify the path to the silent configuration file

    For example:

    PhpStorm-*.exe /S /CONFIG=d:\temp\silent.config /D=d:\IDE\PhpStorm

    Silent configuration file

    You can download the silent configuration file for PhpStorm at https://download.jetbrains.com/webide/silent.config

    The silent configuration file defines options for installing PhpStorm. With default options, silent installation is performed only for the current user (mode=user). If you want to install PhpStorm for all users, open the silent configuration file with a text editor, change the value of the installation mode option (mode=admin) and run the installer as an administrator.

    Uninstall PhpStorm silently

    To silently uninstall PhpStorm, run the uninstaller with the /S switch as an administrator. The uninstaller is located in the installation directory under bin.

    Run cmd (Windows Command Prompt) as administrator, change to the PhpStorm installation directory, and run the following:

    bin\uninstall.exe /S

    Install PhpStorm as a snap package on Linux

    You can install PhpStorm on Linux as a self-contained snap package. Since snaps update automatically, your PhpStorm installation will always be up-to-date.

    PhpStorm is distributed via two channels:

    • The stable channel includes only stable versions. To install the latest stable release of PhpStorm, run the following command:

      $ sudo snap install phpstorm --classic
    • The edge channel includes EAP builds. To install the latest EAP build of PhpStorm, run the following command:

      $ sudo snap install phpstorm --classic --edge

    When the snap is installed, you can launch it by running the phpstorm command.

    To list all installed snaps, run sudo snap list. For more information, see the Snapcraft documentation.

    Last modified: 18 March 2019

    See Also