Table of Contents
Start by downloading the latest release of Kickstart from https://www.akeeba.com/download.html. It is a ZIP archive. Do not try to install it in Joomla!, or WordPress etc. Instead you'll have to unzip it first. The extracted file is calledkickstart.php. Before using it you should either create a configuration file for it (to protect it with a password), or rename it to a different file name which does not contain the terms kickstart, ks, or akeeba. In the latter case, make sure the file extension is still .php. You can read more about that in the Security section of our documentation.
The second step is uploading this file to your server. Upload it to your server, where you would normally place Joomla's or WordPress' index.php file. On most servers it appears as a directory named public_html, httpdocs, htdocs, www, or your domain name when you connect to your account by FTP or SFTP. If unsure, ask your host. If you are using FTP to upload this file you must use the Binary transfer mode; do not use Auto or ASCII as it will corrupt Kickstart's PHP file. SFTP and your hosting control panel's file manager always use the equivalent of Binary transfer mode.
If you have not done so already, make sure that your backup archive files are uploaded next to Kickstart's PHP file, or are present in the default backup output directory of Akeeba Backup for Joomla, Akeeba Backup for WordPress, or Akeeba Solo. While you can find and extract backup archive files stored elsewhere on your server, it's more complicated and might confuse you.
If you have to upload your backup archives, please keep the following in mind:
Two words of caution:
If you are uploading the backup archive files using FTP, you must use the Binary transfer mode. If you are using FileZilla you can do so by clicking on the Transfer menu, then the Transfer Type submenu and making sure that Binary is selected. Do not use the Auto or ASCII transfer mode; it will corrupt your backup archive files. If you are using SFTP or your hosting control panel's file manager you don't have to deal with this as these methods always use the equivalent of the Binary transfer mode.
If you had created a multi-part archive you have to transfer all files. In the case of a JPA or JPS file they have the same name and extensions of .jpa/.jps, and then .j01, .j02 etc. In the case of a ZIP file they have the same name and extensions of .zip, .z01, .z02 etc. If any of the parts is missing, an extraction error will occur. The first file of the backup set is the one with the .j01/.z01 file extension, whereas the last is the one with the .jpa/.jps/.zip file extension.
Do note that the installer is included in the beginning of the archive. Even in the event of a partial restoration you will most likely be able to start the restoration procedure but your site will not work properly as many files will be missing!
When you are done, you can launch Kickstart by visiting its URL. It usually has the form of https://www.example.com/kickstart.php.
If you have renamed Kickstart, use the file name you renamed it to. For example, if you renamed kickstart.php to foobar.php and your site is accessible in the URL https://www.example.com then you need to access the URL https://www.example.com/foobar.php.