How to Install Joomla Manually (Easy Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners)

Hello friends,

In this post, I will teach you how to install Joomla manually. This means we will do everything by ourselves without using any auto installer like Softaculous.

If you are a beginner, don’t worry. I will explain everything in a way that is very easy to understand.

✅ What You Need Before Starting

Before we begin, you need to have some things ready:

1. A domain name (like yourwebsite.com)

2. A web hosting account (where your site will live)

3. Access to cPanel or hosting control panel

4. Access to File Manager or FTP

5. A MySQL database

6. The Joomla installation zip file

📥 Step 1: Download Joomla

1. Visit the official Joomla website:
   https://downloads.joomla.org

2. Download the latest Full Package (.zip) file.

3. Save the zip file to your computer.

📁 Step 2: Upload Joomla Files

You will now upload Joomla to your web hosting.

📌 Option 1: Using File Manager

1. Login to your hosting control panel (like cPanel).

2. Go to File Manager.

3. Open the folder called public_html (this is your main website folder).

4. Click Upload, and select the Joomla .zip file you downloaded.

5. After uploading, extract (unzip) the file.

6. The Joomla files will now appear in public_html.

📌 Option 2: Using FTP (like FileZilla)

1. Connect using your FTP software.

2. Go to the public_html directory.

3. Upload and extract the Joomla files there.

🛢️ Step 3: Create a MySQL Database

Now we need to create a database that Joomla will use.

1. In cPanel, find MySQL® Databases.

2. Create a new database (example: joomdb).

3. Create a new database user and password.

4. Add the user to the database and give it all privileges.

Write down this info:

• Database Name

• Database Username

• Database Password

• Hostname (usually localhost)

🌐 Step 4: Start the Joomla Installation

Now open your browser and go to your website:
https://yourdomain.com

You will see the Joomla installation screen.

🧾 Step 5: Configuration Page

On the first page, fill in your website details:

• Site Name → Example: My Joomla Site

• Description → A short sentence about your site

• Admin Email → Use your email

• Admin Username → Your login name (e.g. admin)

• Admin Password → Create a strong password

• Confirm Password → Type it again

Click Next to continue.

⚙️ Step 6: Database Settings

On the next screen:

• Database Type → MySQLi

• Host Name → localhost

• Username → Your database username

• Password → Your database password

• Database Name → The database name you created

• Table Prefix → Random letters (or use the one provided)

• Old Database Process → Leave it as is

Click Next.

📊 Step 7: Final Review

You will now see a page with all the info you added.

• Scroll down and click Install.

Joomla will now set up everything. This may take a few seconds.

✅ Step 8: Success Page

Once done, you will see:

Congratulations! Joomla is now installed.

Before you continue, click the button to remove the “Installation folder”. This is important for security.

Now you can choose:

• Visit your site → To see your new Joomla site

• Administrator → To login and manage your website

🔐 Login to Joomla Admin Panel

To manage your site, go to:
https://yourdomain.com/administrator

Enter your admin username and password to log in.

🛠️ What You Can Do Next

• Change the template (your website design)

• Add new articles (like blog posts or pages)

• Install plugins (to add features)

• Create menus and links

• Set up users and permissions

Joomla is a powerful CMS, and installing it manually helps you understand how it works. If you follow this guide step by step, you will have Joomla working in no time.

If you have any problem or question, feel free to ask below. I will try to help.

Thanks for reading and good luck with your new website! 😊