Installing WHMCS

Downloading WHMCS

Reseller Customers
If you obtained your license key from a reseller and you don't have a login for our members area, your reseller can provide the latest WHMCS files to you.

To download WHMCS:

Visit https://download.whmcs.com/
Click Download under the Full Release heading. This will be the latest release version.

Installing Ioncube

WHMCS is encrypted using ionCube Loader® to protect the source code. Most hosting providers compile ionCube support into the PHP build by default.

If you need to install ionCube on your server, see our Ioncube Installation Tutorial.

Creating a Database

WHMCS uses a MySQL® database to store settings and data. You must create one during the installation process, or create one before you begin. For more information, see our System Environment Guide.

Database Privileges

WHMCS requires the following database privileges:

DELETE
INSERT
SELECT
UPDATE
LOCK TABLES
ALTER
CREATE
DROP
INDEX

Installing WHMCS

Watch the video tutorial for this feature

To install WHMCS, you can use the following process:

Unzip the contents of the .zip file to a folder on your computer.
Rename the configuration.php.new to configuration.php.
Upload the entire whmcs folder to your website. If you experience problems, try uploading the folder in binary mode.
Optionally, rename the folder (for example, billing).

Note: The administration area uses an admin folder. You cannot use admin as the installation folder name.

Navigate to the installation script at http://www.yourdomain.com/whmcs/install/install.php to run the installation. If you see an ionCube-related error message, perform the ionCube steps above.
Follow the instructions to install WHMCS. This will include setting file permissions (see below), entering your license key, and setting up your primary administrator account.

When complete, delete the installation folder from your web server and check the configuration.php file permissions again.

Required file and folder permissions

/configuration.php CHMOD 400 Readable /attachments CHMOD 777 Writable /downloads CHMOD 777 Writable /templates_c CHMOD 777 Writable

The directory example permissions above may be overly permissive. I.E. world read/write permission might not be necessary or appropriate for your hosting environment:

For suPHP or PHP suEXEC, you will need to restrict directories further. If you use DSO as your PHP handler, you must use 644 permissions.
Limit access to only the account that owns the web server process. Make sure that no other system or user accounts can read your configuration file or modify any WHMCS-related files.

Need help with installation? Check our available servicesServices

Installing WHMCS In cPanel

If you use cPanel, you can also install WHMCS directly from within the interface. To do this:

Check whether your hosting provider has installed WHMCS using the WHM Site Software feature. For more information, see Configuring WHMCS in cPanel Site Software.
Log in to cPanel and click the Site Software icon.
Click WHMCS.
Select the domain where you want to install WHMCS.
Click Install.
The installation may take up to 30 seconds. After it finishes, you will see a success message, a link to the login page, and automatically-generated default login credentials.
Visit the provided link to log in for the first time.
Upon logging in for the first time, the interface will prompt you to review and agree to the End User License Agreement.
The interface will prompt you to activate WHMCS. To do this, enter an existing WHMCS license key if you already have one, or follow the link to purchase a new license.
After entering your license key, click Activate to validate and complete the process.

WHMCS is now installed and ready to use.

Restricting Database Privileges

If you wish, once WHMCS is installed, you can remove certain privileges:

ALTER
CREATE
DROP
INDEX

Important
These privileges would need to be granted again when upgrading WHMCS, and when activating and deactivating modules.

Post Installation Suggested Steps

After you complete installation, we recommend that you configure WHMCS in the following order:

Perform the recommended Further Security Steps.
Log in to the Admin Area and configure your general settings (Configuration () > System Settings > General Settings or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, Setup > General Settings).
Set up your payment gateways (Configuration () > System Settings > Payment Gateways or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, Setup > Payment Gateways).
Set up your products and services (Configuration () > System Settings > Products/Services or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, Setup > Products and Services).
Configure your domain pricing (Configuration () > System Settings > Domain Pricing or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, Setup > Domain Pricing).
Set up your support ticket departments (Configuration () > System Settings > Support Departments or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, Setup > Support Departments).
Set up email piping so you can manage tickets using the WHMCS Support Desk. For more information, see Email Piping.
Make sure that the WHMCS cron job is set up and configure automated tasks (Configuration () > System Settings > Automation Settings or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, Setup > Automation Settings).
Place some test orders on your website to check your setup.