At One Place

.php files

.php file
PHP Source
Server-side web code — it runs on the server, so browsers never see the source.

What opens a .php file

Windows
Visual Studio Code, PhpStorm, Notepad++, XAMPP (to run it)
macOS
Visual Studio Code, PhpStorm, MAMP (to run it)
Linux
Visual Studio Code, Text Editor (built in), php -S (to run it)

What a .php file is

PHP powers WordPress and a large share of the web. A .php file is plain text mixing code with HTML, executed by the server which sends only the resulting page to the visitor. Double-clicking one locally shows the code rather than a web page unless you have a local server such as XAMPP, MAMP or PHP's own built-in server running.

Converting it

A .php file is commonly converted to .html or .txt. It is a plain text format, so any text editor can open and edit it directly.

Details

Extension
.php
Full name
PHP Source
Category
Code and scripts
MIME type
application/x-httpd-php
Created by
The PHP Group
Format
Plain text

Common questions

How do I open a .php file?
On Windows use Visual Studio Code; on macOS use Visual Studio Code; on Linux use Visual Studio Code. Server-side web code — it runs on the server, so browsers never see the source.
What is a .php file?
PHP Source. PHP powers WordPress and a large share of the web. A .php file is plain text mixing code with HTML, executed by the server which sends only the resulting page to the visitor.
Can I convert a .php file?
Yes. It is usually converted to .html or .txt, either by exporting from one of the programs listed above or with a format converter.

Related pages

Sources

  1. Media Types Registry — IANA
  2. Official vendor product documentation — At One Place

How these figures are compiled and checked