Guide · Last updated: November 2026
PHP 8.6 is scheduled for 19 November 2026. Here's what that means on Windows: where the official build comes from, the one new requirement it brings, whether XAMPP will have it, what might break in older projects, and how to run it next to the PHP you already use.
The official PHP 8.6 schedule sets general availability for 19 November 2026, following alphas from July, betas from August and release candidates from September.
Dates can move by a week if a last-minute bug turns up. This page will be updated on release day with the final version and download links.
The official release comes on 19 November. You don't have to wait for it.
A pre-release version is available now: php-8.6.0RC7-Win32-vs18-x64.zip. This is the x64 Thread Safe build, the one that works with Apache. Avoid the zips with nts or x86 in the name. It's fine for testing on your own machine, not for live sites.
In ForgeKit (made by me), for the pre-release:
bin folder, for example C:\ForgeKit\bin\php-8.6.0-pre-release.For the official release, there's nothing to extract: PHP 8.6 will be in Manage Binaries, ready to install and use with one click.
Otherwise, extract it into its own folder, such as C:\php86, copy php.ini-development to php.ini and turn on the extensions you need. Check it with C:\php86\php.exe -v, then test a project with C:\php86\php.exe -S localhost:8086. If php.exe complains about VCRUNTIME140.dll, install the latest Visual C++ Redistributable (x64).
Probably, eventually, but not on release day. As of 12 November 2026, apachefriends.org offers XAMPP for Windows with PHP 8.5.12, 8.4.27 and 8.3.36, and doesn't mention 8.6.
Once PHP 8.6 is out, you can swap it into XAMPP yourself. It replaces XAMPP's PHP rather than adding a second one:
xampp\php folder somewhere safe.php8apache2_4.dll, only comes in the Thread Safe build.xampp\php with the files from the zip.php.ini from php.ini-development and copy across your settings and extensions (mysqli, pdo_mysql, intl, gd and so on).LoadModule line in xampp\apache\conf\extra\httpd-xampp.conf points at php8apache2_4.dll, then start Apache. If Apache won't start, xampp\apache\logs\error.log usually says why: the Non Thread Safe zip, a wrong LoadModule path, or an outdated Visual C++ runtime. To go back, put your saved php folder back.
session.use_strict_mode and session.cookie_httponly are now on, and session.cookie_samesite defaults to Lax. Sites that rely on the session cookie in a cross-site POST, such as some payment gateway callbacks or embedded iframes, need SameSite=None and Secure set explicitly.trim(), ltrim() and rtrim() now also strip the form feed character (\f) by default.array_filter() with an invalid mode, filenames containing NUL bytes, and sleep() above the platform limit now throw ValueError.is_integer(), is_long(), is_double(), doubleval(), strcoll(), spl_object_hash(), mysqli_stmt_init(), return inside finally, returning a value from a constructor, and the third argument of define(). Deprecations are warnings, not errors, but old plugins can fill your logs with them.? and ... placeholders.clamp() keeps a value between a minimum and a maximum.#[\Override] on class constants, __debugInfo() on enums, Time\Duration, the SortDirection enum and the Io\Poll polling API.Source: the PHP 8.6 UPGRADING notes, checked 12 November 2026. The full list is longer; check it if you maintain a library.
New projects can start on 8.6 while older ones stay on the version they were built for. For that you want a web server with each site on its own PHP version:
PHP 8.6 is scheduled for general availability on 19 November 2026, according to the official PHP 8.6 release schedule.
From windows.php.net/download once it is released. Choose the x64 Thread Safe zip for Apache's PHP module (as in XAMPP); for Nginx, IIS, FastCGI or the command line either build works. PHP 8.6 is built with Visual Studio 2026 (vs18), so install the latest Visual C++ Redistributable if php.exe won't start. Before release, x64 Thread Safe release candidates for testing are on php.net's pre-release builds page.
Not yet. As of 12 November 2026, XAMPP for Windows offers PHP 8.5.12, 8.4.27 and 8.3.36, with no PHP 8.6 build announced. Its PHP 8.5 build arrived about eleven months after PHP 8.5 was released.
Once PHP 8.6 is released, yes, by replacing XAMPP's php folder with the x64 Thread Safe build and recreating php.ini. This replaces XAMPP's PHP version rather than adding a second one, so back up the php folder first.
Usually not. The main things to check are the new session defaults (strict mode, HttpOnly cookies and SameSite=Lax), trim() now stripping form feeds, and deprecation warnings in older code such as is_integer(), strcoll() and spl_object_hash().
Yes. Unzip PHP 8.6 into its own folder and call it by its full path, run it through FastCGI next to your existing PHP, or use a tool such as ForgeKit that runs several PHP versions side by side.
ForgeKit is a free, native Windows environment that runs several PHP versions at once, so one project can move to a new version while the rest stay where they are.