While the newest versions of XAMPP come with PHP 8.x, many developers still require for legacy projects, specific CMS versions, or older frameworks. PHP 7.2 (released in 2017) was a significant, stable release, but because it is no longer officially supported, finding the right installer requires accessing the Apache Friends archive.
Because PHP 7.2 is officially End-of-Life (EOL), it does not receive security patches. Never use this version for a live, public-facing website. It is only for local development.
If you need to manage multiple PHP versions, look into using Docker or tools like Laragon, which make switching between PHP 7.2 and PHP 8.x easy.
Here is a comprehensive guide to downloading and installing on Windows. Why Choose XAMPP with PHP 7.2?
Choose which components you need. It is recommended to keep Apache and MySQL checked. You can uncheck options like Tomcat or FileZilla if you don't need them.
