Going back to absolute basics here. The answers on this page and a little googling have brought me to the following resolution to my issue. Steps to restart the apache service with Xampp installed:-

  1. Click the start button and type CMD (if on Windows Vista or later and Apache is installed as a service make sure this is an elevated command prompt)
  2. In the command window that appears type cd C:\xampp\apache\bin (the default installation path for Xampp)
  3. Then type httpd -k restart

I hope that this is of use to others just starting out with running a local Apache server.

Answer from Username_null on Stack Overflow
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Apache Software Foundation
httpd.apache.org › docs › current › platform › windows.html
Using Apache HTTP Server on Microsoft Windows - Apache HTTP Server Version 2.4
To run httpd from the command line as a console application, use the following command: ... You can also run httpd via the shortcut Start Apache in Console placed to Start Menu --> Programs --> Apache HTTP Server 2.4.xx --> Control Apache Server during the installation.
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Oracle
docs.oracle.com › cd › B14099_19 › web.1012 › q20206 › platform › windows.html
Using Apache with Microsoft Windows - Apache HTTP Server
To run Apache from the command ... Control-C. You can also run Apache via the shortcut Start Apache in Console placed to Start Menu --> Programs --> Apache HTTP Server 2.0.xx --> Control Apache Server during the installation....
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Apache Software Foundation
httpd.apache.org › docs › 2.4 › invoking.html
Starting Apache - Apache HTTP Server Version 2.4
The location of this file is set at compile-time, but it is possible to specify its location at run time using the -f command-line option as in · /usr/local/apache2/bin/apachectl -f /usr/local/apache2/conf/httpd.conf · If all goes well during startup, the server will detach from the terminal and the command prompt will return almost immediately.
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Strawberry Perl
mid.as › midas › kb › support › article 00143
How to install & configure Apache on Windows | MIDAS Knowledge Base
3 weeks ago - If you opened a command prompt, start Apache by entering the following command: ... & "D:\Apache\bin\httpd.exe"(Replace D:\Apache\ with the location where you previously extracted your Apache server)
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RACKSET
rackset.com › home › learn › server › server administration › how to install apache web server on windows
How to Install Apache Web Server on Windows
January 30, 2026 - Write the following command, and then press ‘ Enter’ within the Command Prompt window. ... Find the server “Apache HTTP Server.” It should show “Automatic” on the left side of the line. If not, you can change the startup type in the form of “Automatic” by double-clicking it.
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Medium
medium.com › @princestephenmordi_27379 › how-to-install-configure-apache-on-windows-d8707a95b19
How to install & configure Apache on Windows | by Prince Stephen Mordi | Medium
May 28, 2023 - Simply open an administrative command prompt or PowerShell prompt again, and this time enter the following, for a Command Prompt: ... This ensures that PowerShell is running as an administrator. Then enter: ... (Replace D:\Apache\ with the location where you previously extracted your Apache server)You should then see a message that the Apache2.4 service has been successfully installed. ... To allow you to monitor the current state of your Apache server, as well as allow you to quickly start/stop/restart the server, Apache comes with a small utility called "Apache Monitor".
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Liquid Web
liquidweb.com › home › how to install apache on a windows server
How to Install Apache on a Windows Server | Liquid Web
February 18, 2025 - From your Command Prompt window ... that line you should see “Automatic.” If you do not, double-click the line and change the Startup Type to “Automatic.”...
Find elsewhere
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › installation guide › how-to-host-apache-http-server-on-microsoft-windows
How to Host Apache HTTP Server on Microsoft Windows? - GeeksforGeeks
December 6, 2025 - DocumentRoot: Specify the directory where your web files are located (e.g., C:/Apache24/htdocs). ServerName: Enter the domain name or IP address of your server (e.g., localhost or 127.0.0.1 for local development). ... After making the necessary changes, save and close the httpd.conf file. 1. Start the server : In the Command Prompt (running as Administrator), use the following command to start the Apache service:
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Medium
medium.com › @nothanjack › setting-up-apache-on-windows-11-a-complete-tutorial-4ca5ce9e5055
Setting Up Apache on Windows 11: A Complete Tutorial | by Jack Nothan | Medium
January 7, 2024 - To start Apache, type “httpd.exe -k start” and press Enter. To stop Apache, type “httpd.exe -k stop” and press Enter. By following these steps, you should now have a fully functional instance of Apache running on your Windows 11 machine.
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LayerStack
layerstack.com › resources › tutorials › How-to-install-Apache-web-server-on-Windows-Cloud-Servers
LayerStack Tutorials - LayerStack - How to install Apache web server on Windows Cloud Servers
June 16, 2020 - For this, click on Start icon and type in cmd. Right-click on the Command Prompt option, and select Run as administrator. Change to the directory where the Apache binary files have been extracted C:\Apache24\bin.
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YouTube
youtube.com › internet services and social networks tutorials from howtech
How to Start Apache from Command Line - YouTube
Learn how to disable apache service. Furthermore, learn how to re-enable it with the help of command line by changing the httpd configuration file. Don't for...
Published   May 8, 2013
Views   100K
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SitePoint
sitepoint.com › blog › programming › how to install apache web server on windows
How to Install Apache Web Server on Windows — SitePoint
November 6, 2024 - You can start, stop, and restart the Apache service from there. Alternatively, you can use the command prompt and run httpd -k start, httpd -k stop, and httpd -k restart from the Apache installation directory.
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HostAdvice
hostadvice.com › how to › web hosting › windows › how to install apache web server on windows 2022
How to Install Apache Web Server on Windows 2022
Step 2: Then, write the following command and press ‘Enter‘ In the Command Prompt window. ... Look for the service “Apache HTTP Server.” You should see “Automatic” towards the left of that line. If you don’t, change the Startup Type to “Automatic” by double-clicking the line.
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BINASSS
binasss.sa.cr › manual › windows.html
Using Apache with Microsoft Windows
To run Apache from a console window, select the "Start Apache as console app" option from the Start menu (in Apache 1.3.4 and earlier, this option was called "Apache Server"). This will open a console window and start Apache running inside it. The window will remain active until you stop Apache.
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Virtono
virtono.com › community › tutorial-how-to › how-to-install-and-run-apache-web-server-on-windows-10
How To Install And Run Apache Web Server On Windows 10 - Virtono Community
June 21, 2023 - This has to be done because the Web Server’s daemon runs as a Service on windows. Step 12. Press win+R, or open Run. Write · services.msc · Find the ‘Apache’ service, right click on it and press start. Step 13.
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Scratch99 Design
scratch99.com › web-development › php › restart-apache-via-command-prompt-xampp-windows-no-uac-prompt
Restart Apache Via Command Prompt In XAMPP Windows With No UAC Prompt | Scratch99 Design
We won’t follow that exactly, but go through steps 1 to 6, setting up a task called Restart Apache, setting it to run with the highest privileges and configuring it for Windows 10. Instead of entering %windir%\System32\cmd.exe as the action in step 7, just enter the path to the restart-apache.bat file we created above. There’s no need for any optional arguments in step 8. Note: You can set it up to run the batch file using cmd.exe and start as per the article, but it doesn’t close after restarting Apache – running the batch file directly will close itself when done.
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Apache Software Foundation
httpd.apache.org › docs › 2.0 › platform › windows.xml
https://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.0/platform/windows.xml
To run Apache from the command ... Control-C. You can also run Apache via the shortcut Start Apache in Console placed to Start Menu --> Programs --> Apache HTTP Server 2.0.xx --> Control Apache Server during the installation....