Xampp ошибка при запуске apache

There are many possible answers for this problem. The most common and most likely is that you’re running another program which is blocking port 80 or 443. If you’ve installed Skype, then you’ve found your problem! Change apache’s port settings to 81 and apache will work. There’s a good tutorial on that To check this you can open up your command line by clicking the start menu, and typing ‘cmd’, and enter the command

    netstat -nab

this wil return a list of programs that will vaguely resemble this pattern

    [someprogram.exe]
    UDP     [fe80::numbers:numbers:numbers:numbers%numbers]:portnumber

You need to find a line (or lines) ending in :80 and terminate them in order to start apache. If there is no line ending in :80, there are more things you can do.

First, navigate to xampp’s directory (default is c:\xampp) and double click apache_start.bat. This will open up a comand line and return more detailed errors about why apache can’t run. Mostly, be looking for syntax errors that you could’ve created by editing your httpd.conf, or httpd-ssl.conf files. This is very easy to do if you’ve edited it and are a new user.

If still this fails, your last hope is to check the apache error log by clicking on the logs tab in apache’s row in the xampp control panel and clicking error log.

If none of this works, don’t give up! You got this!

Edit: If you change the port of apache, you will also have to go into httpd.conf (located in xampp/apache/conf) and near line 184, replace

ServerName localhost:80

with

ServerName localhost:81

It is also possible to specify port 81 in the url of your localhost, i.e.

localhost:81/my_project.php

In a previous article, we’ve explored the issue of Apache being unable to start on macOS devices. In this article, we will be exploring the same thing, but for the Windows version of XAMPP.

What should you do if XAMPP’s Apache service does not run on your Windows machine? Read on to find out.

Update 6 April 2023: Added some new solutions to the article.

1. The problem
2. Possible causes and fixes
   1. Changing the default XAMPP Apache port
   2. Disabling the World Wide Publishing Service (W3PS)
   3. Re-installing XAMPP
3. Troubleshooting using XAMPP logs
   1. Getting output from apache_start.bat
   2. Reading Apache logs
4. Conclusion

1. The problem

If Apache is unable to start on your XAMPP Control Panel, you will likely see the following error shown below:

When you try to start Apache Web Server, the XAMPP Control Panel will attempt to do so, but end up failing abruptly, mentioning that “Apache shutdown unexpectedly” (like the red text shown in the photo above).

Below is a transcription of the error, with the shutdown message highlighted.

[Apache] Attempting to start Apache app...
[Apache] Status change detected: running
[Apache] Status change detected: stopped
[Apache] Error: Apache shutdown unexpectedly
[Apache] This may be due to a blocked port, missing dependencies,
[Apache] improper privileges, a crash, or a shutdown by another method.

2. Possible causes and fixes

If XAMPP’s Apache cannot start, it is very likely that your default HTTP port (80), is blocked or being used by another application. To fix that, you can explore the solutions below.

a. Changing the default XAMPP Apache port

To determine if port 80 being blocked is your actual problem, you can change the default port number for Apache and see if it fixes your issue.

To change XAMPP Apache’s port number, refer to the steps below:

1. Click on the Config button next to the Apache Web server (refer to the image below), and select httpd.conf.
2. In the file, search for Listen 80 and change it to Listen 8080.
3. Once done, try starting Apache on XAMPP again. If the problem was due to a blocked port, Apache should now start with no problem.

Article continues after the advertisement:

Note that if you are using any other port than 80 or 443, you will have to append the port number at the end of the URL to access the page(s) on XAMPP. For example, if Apache listens to port 8080, the URL you will have to access will be localhost:8080 instead of the default localhost.

Note that for pre-existing virtual hosts on your XAMPP Apache, you will also need to update them to listen to port 8080 instead of 80.

If XAMPP still fails to start after changing your port, that means that the problem is not caused by a blocked port. In this case, you will want to undo the changes made to httpd.conf, so that Apache is back to using Port 80.

b. Disabling the World Wide Web Publishing Service (W3PS)

If you are running a Windows server machine, you may have a process running called the World Wide Web Publishing Service (W3PS). The W3PS is a component of Windows’ Internet Information Services (IIS) — which is responsible for providing HTTP and HTTPS services on Windows machines — may be using port 80, thereby not allowing XAMPP Apache to connect to the same port.

Below, you can read instructions on how to either deactivate or stop the W3PS service, so that port 80 can be freed up for Apache’s use.

To deactivate the W3PS service (so that it doesn’t automatically start on your Windows device):

1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Select View by > Large Icons, so that all the icons in the Control Panel appear. Then, select Programs and Features.
3. In the Programs and Features window, click on Turn Windows features on or off.
4. In the newly-opened window, expand the Internet Information Service field, and uncheck the World Wide Web Services checkbox (see the image below).
5. Once done, reboot your device, then try to start XAMPP Apache again. It should be able to run on port 80 now.

To stop the W3PS service (for this current boot) on your Windows device:

1. Open the Windows Service Manager by pressing Windows ⊞ + R keys, and in the popped window, type in services.msc and press Enter.
2. Search for the World Wide Publishing Service option under the Name column and open its properties by double-clicking on it.

1. In the General tab, click Startup Type and switch it to manual. Now, you are able to turn on/off W3PS manually.
2. Stop the service and click OK.
3. Try to start the XAMPP Apache web server again.

c. Re-installing XAMPP

If neither of the 2 fixes above worked for you, then there is likely a misconfiguration in your XAMPP installation or Apache config files. In such a case, you have 2 options:

1. Read the log files to find out what happened, or;
2. Re-install XAMPP (here’s the official source)

In most cases, re-installation will be the easier option. If you can uninstall it through the Add or remove programs interface, that would be best. Otherwise, if you can’t find XAMPP on Add or remove programs, you will have to find the folder where XAMPP is and manually remove the folder (it is usually found in C:\xampp). Always uninstall through Add or remove programs (or the Control Panel) if you have the option.

If you can’t find where XAMPP is installed on your computer, you can also do a search for xampp-control.exe on your File Explorer. The folder that contains xampp-control.exe is where XAMPP was installed.

3. Troubleshooting using XAMPP logs

If you still have trouble starting Apache after trying the solutions above, then your issue is very specific to your machine. In such a case, you will have to consult Apache’s or XAMPP’s log files to pinpoint what the error is.

a. Getting output from apache_start.bat

Funnily enough, the XAMPP Control Panel doesn’t actually output the messages that Apache outputs. Hence, if Apache doesn’t start, you can actually try running the apache_start.bat file in your XAMPP install folder (for most of you, it should be in C:\xampp\apache_start.bat). This will try to start XAMPP’s Apache using the Command Prompt, and output messages that you might otherwise not see in the Control Panel.

b. Reading Apache logs

You can also read Apache’s logs (error.log is probably the most useful one) to see if it provides you with any insight. The logs can be accessed from XAMPP Control Panel, using the Log button beside the line for the Apache module.

These logs will not be as helpful as the output from apache_start.bat however, as these logs are usually filled up when Apache is running; but our problem here is that it can’t even start.

4. Conclusion

Having read the article and applied the described solutions, we hope you could manage to fix your problems. Of course, there can be many more problems that cause this, and many with different solutions for these problems. If you are facing one of them that is not described in the article, please leave us a comment so that we can add this to the article (and credit you). Hence, your comment will help us make this article more and more helpful to everyone.

Article continues after the advertisement:

I’m using XAMPP, and I can start Apache, but, MySQL (phpMyAdmin) start!

When I start, I get this error;

10:07:49 [Apache] Error: Apache shutdown unexpectedly.
10:07:49 [Apache] This may be due to a blocked port, missing dependencies,
10:07:49 [Apache] improper privileges, a crash, or a shutdown by another method.
10:07:49 [Apache] Press the Logs button to view error logs and check
10:07:49 [Apache] the Windows Event Viewer for more clues
10:07:49 [Apache] If you need more help, copy and post this
10:07:49 [Apache] entire log window on the forums

I search on it, and, change the port of Apache in Config -> Service and Port setting. I have;

Service name: Apache 2.4
Main port: 122
SSL port: 444

I also uninstall Skype (Windows 8/10/Metro version). Nothing is working. In the httpd.conf file I have;

Listen 122
ServerName localhost:122

I start it via apache_start.bat and get;

(OS 10013)An attempt was made to access a socket in a way forbidden by its access permissions.  : AH00072: make_sock: could not bind to address [::]:445
(OS 10013)An attempt was made to access a socket in a way forbidden by its access permissions.  : AH00072: make_sock: could not bind to address 0.0.0.0:445
AH00451: no listening sockets available, shutting down
AH00015: Unable to open logs

Please note that all the log files don’t exists!
Skype is uninstalled.

XAMPP is a helpful development tool. However, you may run into problems at some point, such as receiving the notification: “Apache shutdown unexpectedly”. This error might seem to come out of nowhere, so identifying the cause – let alone the solution – can be puzzling.

Fortunately, there is a common explanation for Apache’s sudden shutdown. With a few simple modifications, you should be able to fix the problem and get Apache up and running again. All you have to do is update some settings in the configuration files.

In this article, we’ll discuss the common cause of this Apache error in XAMPP and then walk you through four steps to fix it, both on Windows and macOS.

Let’s get started!

An Introduction to the XAMPP “Apache Shutdown Unexpectedly” Error

XAMPP is a free, open source server stack that includes the Apache server and MariaDB database:

It runs PHP and Perl scripts, and is used to develop and test dynamic websites on local machines. This means that if you are building a website, you can install WordPress locally on your computer. You can use XAMPP without having to upload your site’s files to your web hosting service.

If you’re reading this article, we’ll assume you’re already at least somewhat familiar with XAMPP. However, what may be new to you is the “Apache shutdown unexpectedly” error you’re seeing.

This message is most commonly caused by a blocked port. Usually, it means that another application installed on your computer, such as Skype, is using the same port as XAMPP. Additionally, you may notice that the error message indicates the problem may also be attributed to “missing dependencies, improper privileges, a crash, or a shutdown by another method.”

In any event, the easiest fix is to simply modify the XAMPP default settings. However, the method for resolving the error varies slightly between Windows and macOS. Also, the interface may look a bit different depending on the XAMPP version you’re using. We will provide instructions for both operating systems below, starting with Windows.

How to Fix the XAMPP Error “Apache Shutdown Unexpectedly” in Windows

If you’re using a Windows device, you can follow these four steps to update your default port settings in XAMPP.

Step 1: Open the Configuration Settings from the XAMPP Control Panel

The first step is, of course, to launch XAMPP. This will open the XAMPP control panel. From here, you can update the configuration settings for the server stack.

Since this error is related to Apache, we’ll focus on those settings. In the “Apache” row of options, click on the Config button.

This will open a drop-down menu of files. We’re going to be editing two of these files, starting with httpd.conf.

Step 2: Change the Default Port Settings of the httpd.conf File

From the menu of files, click on Apache (httpd.conf). Once you do, the file will open in your computer’s default text editor:

Within this file, there are three settings you’ll want to update. To get started, press Ctrl + F, then enter “80” in the search field:

This will display all instances of the number 80 in the file. Locate “Port 80” and change it to “Port 8080”. Once the port setting is updated, search for “Listen 80” and update it to “Listen 8080”.

Finally, search for “servername localhost:80”. Once you find it, modify it to “servername localhost:8080”. When you’re finished, save and close the file.

Step 3: Update the Default Port Settings in the http-ssl.conf File

Now it’s time to move on to the second file. To do so, you can return to the XAMPP control panel, then select Config under the Apache settings again. This time, open the Apache (http-ssl.conf) file.

When the file opens in your text editor, press Ctrl + F, and then enter 443 in the search field. Locate “Listen 443” and update this to “Listen 4433”.

Next, search the file for the next instance of “443”. It should be “<VirtualHost _default_:443>”. Once you find it, you can go ahead and change it to “<VirtualHost _default_:4433>”. When you’re finished, remember to save and close the file.

Step 4: Restart Apache

Once you’ve updated the settings in both files, the final step is to stop Apache. You can do this by clicking on the Stop button along the same Apache row. After Apache has been stopped, click the Start button to complete the restart process.

That’s it! Your port numbers will be updated and Apache should now run without error.

How to Fix the XAMPP Error “Apache Shutdown Unexpectedly” in macOS

Depending on what version of macOS you’re running, you may already have Apache installed on your computer. This default application of Apache will use the same default port settings as the Apache server in XAMPP, so this may be the cause of the “Apache shutdown unexpectedly” error.

If you’re using macOS, you can follow these four steps to update the default port settings.

Step 1: Open the XAMPP Apache Configuration

To start, open the XAMPP Application Manager if you haven’t already done so:

Next, select the Manage Servers tab next to the Welcome tab at the top:

On this screen, you’ll find a list of options. You can click on Apache Web Server, followed by the Configure button.

Step 2: Open the Conf File

From the Configure Apache Web Server box, select Open Conf File:

A warning box will appear, stating that the file is for advanced users:

You can click on Yes to continue. This will open the httpd.conf file.

Step 3: Update the Port Settings

Once the file opens in your text editor, the next step is to update the port settings. To do so, you can hit Ctrl + F, and then enter “80” in the search field. This will display instances of the number 80:

Locate the these lines:

#Listen 12.34.56.78:80
Listen 80
Once you do, go ahead and change them to the following:
#Listen 12.34.56.78:8080
Listen 8080

When you’re done, you can save and close the file. In the Configure Apache Web Server box, click on OK.

Step 4: Restart Apache

The final step is to stop and restart Apache, which you can do from the XAMPP Application Manager’s Manage Servers tab. Once Apache is stopped, click on Start to restart:

That’s it! Your port numbers will be updated and Apache should now run without error.

Summary

The XAMPP error “Apache shutdown unexpectedly” is commonly caused by another program, such as Skype, using the default Apache port. While this can be frustrating, it usually has a simple resolution.

As we discussed in this article, the easiest way to fix this problem is to update XAMPP’s Apache configuration settings. You can do this by editing the httpd.conf file and the http-ssl.conf file (for Windows users). Once this is done, you should stop and restart Apache to resume normal operation.