How to Install Roundcube on Windows 10? Step-by-Step Guide

How to install Roundcube on Windows 10? Roundcube is a popular webmail client that provides a sleek, user-friendly interface for managing emails. It is often used with existing email servers to give users a modern way to access their email accounts. While Roundcube is typically installed on Linux servers, you can also set it up on Windows 10 for testing or personal use. This guide will walk you through the process of How to install Roundcube on Windows 10 machine.

Prerequisites

Before installing Roundcube, ensure that you have the following:

1. A Windows 10 system with administrative privileges.
2. PHP: Roundcube requires PHP 7.4 or later.
3. Web Server: Apache or IIS (Internet Information Services).
4. Database Server: MySQL, MariaDB, or PostgreSQL.
5. Composer: A dependency manager for PHP.
6. Email Server: IMAP and SMTP access from your email server.

How to Install Roundcube on Windows 10? Step-by-Step Guide

Step-1: Install a Web Server

Option A: Install XAMPP

XAMPP is a free and easy-to-use package that includes Apache, MySQL, PHP, and Perl.

1. Download XAMPP from the official website: https://www.apachefriends.org/index.html.
2. Run the installer and follow the setup instructions. Ensure you select Apache and MySQL during installation.
3. Once installed, open the XAMPP Control Panel & start the Apache and MySQL services.

Option B: Use IIS

If you prefer IIS:

1. Open the Control Panel & open Programs > Turn Windows features on or off.
2. Enable Internet Information Services and CGI under Application Development Features.
3. Configure PHP to work with IIS by installing the PHP Manager for IIS.

Step-2: Install PHP

1. Download PHP from the official site: https://www.php.net/downloads.
2. Extract the files to a directory (e.g., C:\php).
3. Add PHP to your system PATH:
   • Open the Control Panel, go to System > Advanced system settings > Environment Variables.
   • Under System Variables, select Path and click Edit.
   • Add the directory where you extracted PHP (e.g., C:\php).
4. Verify the installation by opening a Command Prompt & typing:
   php -v

Step-3: Set Up a Database

1. Open the XAMPP Control Panel and click Admin next to MySQL to open phpMyAdmin.
2. Create a new database for Roundcube:
   • Click on the Databases tab.
   • Enter a name for your database (e.g., roundcube) and click Create.
3. Create a database user:
   • Go to the Privileges tab.
   • Add a new user with a username, password, and permissions for the Roundcube database.

Step-4: Download and Configure Roundcube

1. Download the latest version of Roundcube from the official site: https://roundcube.net.
2. Extract the Roundcube files to your web server’s document root:
   • For XAMPP, this is typically C:\xampp\htdocs\roundcube.
   • For IIS, place it under the default web root (e.g., C:\inetpub\wwwroot\roundcube).
3. Open the config directory inside the Roundcube folder and copy config.inc.php.sample to config.inc.php.
4. Edit config.inc.php to configure the database:
   $config[‘db_dsnw’] = ‘mysql://username:password@localhost/roundcube’;
   Replace username, password, and roundcube with your database credentials.

Step-5: Install Composer

• Download and install Composer from https://getcomposer.org/.
• Open a Command Prompt, navigate to the Roundcube directory, and run:

composer install

Step-6: Set Up IMAP and SMTP

• Edit the config.inc.php file to configure IMAP and SMTP servers:

$config['default_host'] = 'ssl://imap.example.com';
$config['smtp_server'] = 'ssl://smtp.example.com';
$config['smtp_port'] = 465;

Replace imap.example.com & smtp.forexample.com with your email server details.

• Test the connection by logging into your email account via Roundcube.

Step-7: Finalize the Installation

• Open a web browser and navigate to http://localhost/roundcube/installer.
• Follow the installation wizard to verify your configuration and complete the setup.
• After installation, delete the installer directory for security:

del C:\xampp\htdocs\roundcube\installer

Troubleshooting Tips

• PHP Errors: Check the PHP error log (e.g., C:\xampp\php\logs\php_error_log) for details.
• Database Issues: Ensure the database credentials in config.inc.php are correct.
• SMTP/IMAP Errors: Verify your email server settings and ensure the ports are open.

Conclusion

How to install Roundcube on Windows 10? By following this guide, you’ve installed Roundcube on Windows 10, giving you a fully functional webmail client. While this setup is great for testing or small-scale use, consider deploying Roundcube on a dedicated server for production environments to ensure stability and security.