---
title: "Installing Mediawiki Is Much Easier Than The Instructions Suggest – My Quick 10 Step Tutorial for Installing Mediawiki"
date: 2007-06-14
description: "$( document ).ready(function() { // Handler for .ready() called. $('#toc').toc({ minimumHeaders: 3, listType: 'ul', showSpeed: 0, headers: '#content h2, #content h3, #content h4, #content h5, #content h6' }); /*..."
canonical_url: https://idratherbewriting.com/2007/06/14/installing-mediawiki-is-much-easier-than-the-instructions-suggest-my-quick-10-step-tutorial-for-installing-mediawiki/index.html
---

> For AI agents: a documentation index is available at https://idratherbewriting.com/llms.txt. Markdown versions of all pages are available by appending .md to any page URL.

# Installing Mediawiki Is Much Easier Than The Instructions Suggest – My Quick 10 Step Tutorial for Installing Mediawiki

[![Mediawiki](https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/idbwmedia.com/images/mediawiki1.jpg)](https://mediawiki.org/)If you glance at the [instructions for installing Mediawiki](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Installation), it looks like you have to run complicated scripts with shell access to your server and other geeky stuff. In reality, it's about as easy [to install as Dokuwiki](https://idratherbewriting.com/2007/05/06/installing-dokuwiki/) -- assuming you have a typical hosted account, such as with Blue Host or Lunar Pages. Here's how to do it.

To install Mediawiki:

[![MySQL Database Management](https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/idbwmedia.com/images/mysql1.gif)](http://pluto3.lunarpages.com/tutorials/)

1. Run the Mediawiki installer by simply going to http://yourdomain.com/wiki (or wherever you installed the Mediawiki files). It should automatically bring up a configuration screen that requires a handful of field inputs (including the database information from the previous step) before telling you to click an installation link.
2. Proceed through the installation wizard, entering the database information in the fields and selecting the options you want.
3. After Mediawiki installs, you will be prompted to download the Localsettings.php file and upload it to the root directory. The Localsettings file is a key file that you add information to in order to customize your wiki. For example, no doubt you'll want to customize the logo area. Using a tool like [Notepad++](http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/uk/site.htm), add the following code (but change the path): $wgLogo = "http://stc-suncoast.org/wiki/stclogo.gif";. The http path is the path for your logo, so you should have an image file uploaded there. Don't forget the semicolon at the end of the statement.
4. After Mediawiki installs, it shows you links to user guides. To customize your sidebar, search for Mediawiki:Sidebar (using the search box in your new wiki site). It will show you the page you need to modify.

## Update Mediawiki

To upgrade Mediawiki, just download the latest Mediawiki files. Upload them to your root to overwrite the previous Mediawiki files. Then go to yoursitepath.com/mw-config. You'll be prompted to upgrade your wiki. As part of the upgrade process, you'll be asked to enter a key that you find your localsettings.php file.