Install Joomla Manually

While it's strongly suggested that you use Fantastico to install Joomla, which is only 2.7 megabytes of data (less than two floppy disks), manually installing Joomla isn't so hard either.

If you choose a host other than BlueHost or HostMonster, and that host does not have Fantastico, then follow these simple instructions to install Joomla to your web host.

Installation instructions for Joomla 1.0

The latest version of Joomla is 1.5, however at the moment I recommend using Joomla 1.0 for its stability and available add ons. 

Step 0.  Domain name and Hosting Services

If you haven't already done so, choose a domain name and a web hosting provider. 

This step is fully explained here.

Note: Make sure that the hosting provider you choose meets the requirements of Joomla.  Most web hosting providers today support Joomla, however you're uncertain, sign up for hosting that I've tested alerady, Bluehost or HostMonster.

Step 1.  Download Joomla and save it to your computer

The Joomla installation files are available in at least 3 formats.  Since Windows, Linux, and Macintosh all can work with zip files, just download the zip file version.

For your convenience, you can download it from this link: Joomla zip file

You should end up with a zip file that is about 2.7 megabytes called "Joomla_1.0.15-Stable-Full_Package.zip"

Step 2. Unzip and save the Joomla installation files

When you unzip the Joomla installation file you will see 13 folders and 14 files.  Save these folders and files to your local hard disk in a filder named "Joomla_folder". 

Step 3. Transfer the files to your web hosting account via FTP

All web hosting providers will give you FTP access so that you can transfer your website files to the computers that will be serving your website.

Transfer the 13 folders and 14 files inside the "Joomla_folder" (not including the folder itself) to the "public_html" folder of your web hosting account.  This "public_html" folder is the base folder of your website.  If you would like your Joomla site to appear in a sub folder of your base website, for example http://easy-website-design.com/mysubfolder then create a folder called "mysubfolder" and transfer the folders and files to that folder. 

Step 4. Finish installing Joomla using its web browser installation interface

Now that you've transfer all the installation files to your web account, you can finish the Joomla installation by opening a web browser and navigating to your domain, or domain/subfolder, ie. http://www.easy-website-design.com/mysubfolder.  Once you're there, you'll see the Joomla Pre-installation check.  

On this page, you'll see two boxes "Pre-installation check..." and "Recommended settings".

You should see all green on this page, if not then your Joomla install may not be successful.  If you see any red values for the settings, then you should correct them before moving on. 

A common incorrect setting is an "Unwritable" configuration.php.  To make configuration.php writeable change its ownership settings using your FTP software.

If you get stuck with the Pre-installation check and/or don't know what to do about any settings, call your hosting service provider and explain to them what you see.  They will definitely be able to understand these settings -- if not, that's not a sign of a good web host!  Joomla or no Joomla!

On the license page, click Next to accept Joomla's GNU License.

This will bring you to step 1 in Joomla's web-based install. In this step you tell Joomla the information about the MYSQL database you setup.  BUT WAIT -- you haven't set one up yet. So let's do that now.

The easiest thing to do is ask your web host provider's tech support to do it for you.  Tell them you want a new database for a Joomla install, and that you want it's name to be "joom1" (or any other short name you choose).  You should also specify a username and password for this database.  After the database is created, you can then move on to filling in this form with the respective information. 

Note: Host Name is almost always "localhost" and "jos_" is a fine choice for MySQL Table Prefix.  Also choose Install Sample Data.  This will create some example content for you to see once this installation is complete.

In the next step enter your site name.  This can be your url if you wish or if you have an official company name or site title, specify it here.

On the step 3 page fill in the full url of your site, including the http:// portion.  Path is the full path to your Joomla installation, this is probably already pre-populated.  Your email should be an email of the same domain of your site for admin purposes.  Usually I create an email account such as This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   -- something off-nominal to avoid spam, but one that still indicates administrator status.  Create a password for your administrator account as well. 

As for file permissions, leave both File and Directory Permissions selection to "Don't CHMOD".  Before you click next, make sure you remember your password!

When you click next, your installation is pretty much complete!  Congratulations!  There's really only one more thing to do.  Delete the "installation" folder from your Joomla directory.  Having this folder around actually poses a security threat and it should be deleted.  Your installation is done anyways so blast it!