Debugging PHP in VS Code (Windows)

macOS guide: https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/37128419

Stack: VS Code + PHP Debug extension + phpStudy + Xdebug.

Install VS Code

Download from https://code.visualstudio.com/ and install.

Install PHP Debug extension

Search for “PHP Debug” in the Marketplace and install it.

phpStudy

Use phpStudy for a quick PHP + Apache + MySQL stack. Switch PHP versions as needed.

Verify phpMyAdmin opens and connects locally. Then pick your target PHP version.

Enable Xdebug

phpStudy ships with Xdebug. Open php.ini (Other options → Open config file → php-ini) and add:

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xdebug.remote_enable = 1
xdebug.remote_autostart = 1
zend_extension="C:\\phpStudy\\php\\php-5.5.38\\ext\\php_xdebug.dll"

Restart phpStudy services.

VS Code settings and launch config

Set php.validate.executablePath to your php.exe path (from phpStudy). Then add a PHP debug configuration (Listen for Xdebug) in launch.json.

Start debugging, set breakpoints, and hit the target page — VS Code should break into the PHP code. Use F10/F11/F5 as usual.

Notes for other stacks: configure php.ini, install the matching Xdebug DLL, and set php.validate.executablePath correctly.