Debugging PHP with VSCode using the vscode-php-debug extension

VSCode can now support debugging PHP projects through the marketplace extension vscode-php-debug.

This extension uses XDebug in the background, and allows you to use breakpoints, watches, stack traces and the like:

Installation is straightforward from within VSCode: Summon the command line with F1 and then type ext install php-debug

Answer from flexponsive on Stack Overflow
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Visual Studio Code
code.visualstudio.com › docs › languages › php
PHP in Visual Studio Code
November 3, 2021 - Add the php.validate.executablePath Open in VS Code Open in VS Code Insiders setting with the path to your PHP installation: { "php.validate.executablePath": "c:/php/php.exe" } { "php.validate.executablePath": "/usr/bin/php" } or { "php.validate.executablePath": "/usr/local/bin/php" } Visual Studio Code includes a set of common snippets for PHP.
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Fastsitephp
fastsitephp.com › zh-CN › documents › edit-with-vs-code
FastSitePHP | Use Visual Studio Code for PHP Development
With Code Runner you can run PHP files, JavaScript files, Python files or scripts from over 30 other languages. Simply right-click on the file and select [Run Code] or click the [Run] button in the upper-right corner of the screen. Console output will be displayed in the pane below your code.
People also ask

How do I debug PHP in VS Code?
Install the PHP Debug extension, configure XDebug in php.ini, and set up launch.json. Use breakpoints and press F5 to start debugging.
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wpwebinfotech.com
wpwebinfotech.com › wpweb infotech › blog › php › run php in visual studio code: easy setup & debugging tips
How To Run PHP In Visual Studio Code?
How do I enable error reporting in VS Code?
Add these lines to your PHP file or php.ini: error_reporting(E_ALL); ini_set('display_errors', 1);. Ensure your php.ini has display_errors = On for development.
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wpwebinfotech.com
wpwebinfotech.com › wpweb infotech › blog › php › run php in visual studio code: easy setup & debugging tips
How To Run PHP In Visual Studio Code?
What’s the best way to format PHP code?
Use PHP Intelephense or PHP-CS-Fixer with editor.formatOnSave enabled. Configure rules in .php-cs-fixer.php for consistent styling.
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wpwebinfotech.com
wpwebinfotech.com › wpweb infotech › blog › php › run php in visual studio code: easy setup & debugging tips
How To Run PHP In Visual Studio Code?
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DigitalOcean
digitalocean.com › community › tutorials › how-to-set-up-visual-studio-code-for-php-projects
How To Set Up Visual Studio Code (VS Code) for PHP Development | DigitalOcean
May 28, 2021 - In this guide, you’ll learn how to set up Visual Studio Code for working on PHP projects. To follow this guide, you’ll need to download and install the appropriate version of Visual Studio Code for your operating system. The instructions in this guide were validated on an Ubuntu 20.04 desktop computer, but they should work seamlessly in all operating systems that are supported by VS Code. Please note, though, that keyboard shortcut keys may need to be slightly modified for compatibility with MacOS systems.
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Microsoft
devblogs.microsoft.com › dev blogs › visual studio blog › php in visual studio
PHP in Visual Studio - Visual Studio Blog
November 3, 2022 - The server which is configured in the project (by default it’s PHP’s built-in Web server) will run and a browser opens. Then the breakpoint will get hit. Congratulations! You are debugging PHP in Visual Studio.
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WPWeb Infotech
wpwebinfotech.com › wpweb infotech › blog › php › run php in visual studio code: easy setup & debugging tips
How To Run PHP In Visual Studio Code?
December 30, 2025 - Learn how to run PHP in Visual Studio Code with this step-by-step guide. Set up a local server, debug with XDebug, and optimize your workflow.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/webdev › php setup in vscode
r/webdev on Reddit: PHP setup in VScode
July 31, 2023 -

Hi there - I need help setting up PHP on VScode - I'm currently just trying to learn how to set up an account creation form on my website and am trying to link my html form to the php file to save the data but it's not working (I'm assuming it's because I don't have php setup). Can anyone give me a clear setup of instructions to run PHP on Vscode? I'm on Mac if that helps - I'd really appreciate it. Thank you!

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AWS Builder Center
builder.aws.com › content › 39CcSeTA60aCt2iRjf1sQ2namtZ › how-to-run-php-in-visual-studio-code-step-by-step-guide
How to Run PHP in Visual Studio Code: Step-by-Step Guide
Connect with builders who understand your journey. Share solutions, influence AWS product development, and access useful content that accelerates your growth. Your community starts here.
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Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 59537824 › how-to-run-php-with-vscode
html - How to run PHP with vscode - Stack Overflow
You need PHP executable to execute it. ... VS Code is not a server, it is a highly specialized editor. In a nushell, this means that you cannot use it to accept HTTP request, and then preprocess those request using an executable.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/vscode › is there a "simple" way of running php soely through visual studio code?
r/vscode on Reddit: Is There A "simple" way of running PHP soely through Visual Studio Code?
April 1, 2024 -

So I've been using XAAMP to run PHP on my laptop and it works as it should. But it requires me to use a URL and then find the projects within the htdocs folder. I was wondering if there was something like Live Server that I could activate from Visual Studio and have it appear in the Web Browser.

I've done google searches on this already and it led me to download php extensions like php server and the php debugger extension.

However, I am a bit confused by these and what they do and I'm not sure if this is supposed to perform in a similar way that live server performs.

I've ran into issues though in getting VS Code to use the correct environmental variable. It keeps throwing an error that says the binaries couldn't be found or executed even though I have the path set in the json file to the folder holding the PHP related code.

I'm a bit confused and I'm also curious about whether or not what I'm trying to do is achievable or not.

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DevSense
blog.devsense.com › 2019 › install-vscode-mac
How to Install PHP Tools for VS Code on macOS - DEVSENSE Blog
Once you have the license key and close the pop-up window above, you can activate your copy of the extension using the VSCode's View - Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P), command PHP Tools: Activate extension.
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Quirkweb Studios
quirkwebstudios.co.ke › home › blogs › web development › how to run php in visual studio code
How To Run PHP In Visual Studio Code - Quirkweb Studios
January 5, 2026 - ... Extract the downloaded PHP files to C:\php. Add C:\php to your system’s PATH environment variable to run PHP from any command line. To run PHP code in Visual Studio Code, you need to install the PHP extension.
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Coding Campus
codingcampus.net › home › how to run php in visual studio code
How to Run PHP in Visual Studio Code - Coding Campus
December 2, 2022 - Once you have completed your PHP file, you’re ready to run the code! Follow the steps below: Click on the Run button on the top-right corner of VS Code. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl + Alt + N (Command + Option + N for Mac users).
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Devsense
docs.devsense.com › vscode
Getting Started - PHP Tools for Visual Studio - Documentation
Launch current script in console runs and debugs the currently opened PHP document as a console PHP program.
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Essential IT
essential-it.com › home › how to set up a php development environment in visual studio code
How to Set Up a PHP Development Environment in Visual Studio Code | Essential IT
May 6, 2025 - Open the Run and Debug view (Ctrl+Shift+D). Click on ‘create a launch.json file‘. Select ‘PHP‘ from the environment options. VS Code will generate a launch.json file with default settings.​
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Brainly
brainly.com › computers and technology › high school › how do you run php code in the visual studio code terminal?
[FREE] How do you run PHP code in the Visual Studio Code terminal? - brainly.com
Open the terminal in Visual Studio Code, type ‘php’ followed by the space key, and then the file path of your PHP file. To run PHP code in Visual Studio Code terminal, you first need to ensure that PHP is installed on your computer and that the path to PHP is added to your system variables.
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GitHub
gist.github.com › macx › 395a031aa3d4e237cffdee6969d9402d
PHP Server mit Visual Studio Code · GitHub
Installiere die Erweiterung PHP Server und aktiviere sie. Öffne die Einstellungen von Visual Studio Code mit STRG + , (Windows) bzw. Command + , (Mac) und gebe im Suchfeld liveserver ein.
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Quora
quora.com › How-do-I-run-PHP-codes-in-Visual-Studio-Code
How to run PHP codes in Visual Studio Code - Quora
Answer (1 of 2): Thanks for the A2A. Well it is true that you can’t run PHP or for that matter any code in VS Code it is a code editor but a modular and powerful editor. So you can have workarounds that seems to be running your code but it is just redirecting your output to VS Code.