--- title: "Install Éclair step by step" description: "Upload the folder, answer 4 questions and your site is live. The guide to install Éclair CMS screen by screen, common errors included." url: "https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/install-eclair" lang: "en" author: "Thierry Gustin" published: "2026-11-02" updated: "2026-11-02" --- # Install Éclair step by step > **Key takeaways** — To install Éclair, upload the contents of the eclair folder to your hosting's public folder, hidden .htaccess files included, then open your site's URL. A 5-screen wizard asks 4 questions and creates your site with its first pages. Complete it within 2 hours of the first visit. You install Éclair in two stages: you upload a folder to your hosting, then a wizard asks you 4 questions and creates your site. This lesson follows each screen, shows what gets created for each site type and gives the fix for the most common errors. > **Before you start** — Time: 15 minutes, including about 3 for the wizard. Prerequisites: the [Prepare your installation](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/prepare-installation) checklist ticked off, the archive unzipped on your computer and your FTP access at hand. ## What you'll be able to do ### 🚀 Put your site online Upload the right files and answer the wizard's questions. ### 🔒 Protect your admin Choose a custom address and a strong password from the start. ### 🔧 Unblock an installation Fix a 404 error, an outdated PHP version or a folder that isn't writable. ## Step 1: upload the contents of the eclair folder 1. Open your FTP client or your host's file manager, then the public folder (`public_html`, `www`…). 2. Turn on the display of hidden files. 3. On your computer, open the `eclair` folder and select **all of its contents**: `index.php`, `.htaccess`, `eclair-config.exemple.php` and the `app`, `assets`, `cache`, `data` and `media` folders. 4. Upload this selection to the public folder and wait for the transfer to finish. 5. Check that a `.htaccess` file is present at the root of the public folder. A classic mistake: uploading the `eclair` folder itself. Your site would then end up at `atelier-nova.fr/eclair/`, because Éclair detects a subfolder on its own. If that happens, move its contents up one level before going any further. ## Step 2: open your site's URL Type your site's address into your browser, preferably with `https://`: the setup wizard starts on its own. It speaks 7 languages, which you choose at the top of the screen. This first visit also starts the 2-hour countdown explained below. ## The wizard's 5 screens The wizard has 5 screens: a check, three question screens (visibility and the admin URL share the same one) and a summary. ### Screen 1: Welcome to Éclair The wizard checks your hosting. Items to fix appear first; the others are grouped under a line such as “14 checks passed: your hosting is ready”. A red item blocks the installation (“Fix the items in red with your host, then reload this page”); an orange item is just a tip. When everything is fine, click **Let's go**. ![Setup wizard welcome screen with the list of server checks](https://eclair.academy/media/2026/11/eclair-academy-install-welcome-en.webp) *Screen 1: the wizard checks your hosting* > **Clean URLs inactive** — The **Clean URLs (URL rewriting)** line must say “Active”. If it shows “Inactive: check that the .htaccess file was uploaded”, don't continue: upload the `.htaccess` again, then reload the page. Otherwise, all your pages except the home page will show a 404 error. ### Screen 2: Your site - **Site name**: “Atelier Nova”. - **Tagline (optional)**: “Ceramics studio in Lyon”. - **Site language**: English. It also sets the starting time zone (Europe/London for English, Europe/Paris for French), which you can change later. - **What kind of site?**: **Business website**, **Blog**, **Freelancer / portfolio** or **Landing page**. Camille chooses **Business website**. As the screen reminds you, you can change everything later. Click **Continue**. ![Your site screen with the name, tagline, language and the four site types](https://eclair.academy/media/2026/11/eclair-academy-install-site-en.webp) *Screen 2: your site's name, language and type* ### Screen 3: Your account Fill in **Your name** (Camille Martin), **Your email** and a **Password** of at least 10 characters. The **Show** button reveals what you type, and a meter measures its strength. The wizard's tip: a 4-word phrase, strong and easy to remember. A password is refused if it's too common, not varied enough, or if it contains your name, the start of your email address or the site name. With the address `camille@…`, a password containing “camille” is therefore rejected. This first account is an administrator. ### Screen 4: Visibility and admin URL - **Google and Bing can index my site**: checked by default. Uncheck it to build your site quietly, and remember to turn it back on before launch ([Essential settings before launch](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/essential-settings)). - **AI assistants (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini…)**: **Welcome** (recommended, they read and cite your site), **Citations only** (they cite you without training their models on your texts) or **No thanks**. - **Your admin URL**: `admin` by default. Replace it with a custom address, which keeps hacker bots away: 3 to 40 characters (lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens), or click **Generate a secret URL**. A few reserved words such as `blog` or `media` are refused. Camille chooses `atelier`. Write this address down right away, together with your password, somewhere safe. ![Visibility screen with Google and Bing indexing, the AI choice and the admin URL](https://eclair.academy/media/2026/11/eclair-academy-install-visibility-en.webp) *Screen 4: who can discover your site, and where your admin hides* ### Screen 5: Ready for takeoff? The summary lists the site, its address, its type, your account, the visibility and the admin URL. A mistake? **Back** takes you back. Otherwise, click **Create my site ⚡**. If a field is refused, the wizard returns on its own to the screen concerned and shows the error below the field. ### The confetti “Your site is live!” appears under a shower of confetti, with your admin URL and a tip to bookmark it. **View my site** opens your site in a new tab, and **Go to dashboard** takes you into the admin: you're already logged in. ![End of the installation with confetti and the View my site and Go to dashboard buttons](https://eclair.academy/media/2026/11/eclair-academy-install-done-en.webp) *Your site is live, with its first pages* ## What the wizard creates for each site type | Type | Pages created | Main menu | | --- | --- | --- | | Business website | Home (banner, features, latest posts), Services (with FAQ), About, Contact, Blog, legal pages | Services, About, Blog, Contact | | Blog | Home with the latest posts, About, Contact, a “Guides” category, legal pages | About, Contact | | Freelancer / portfolio | Home in your name, skills, About, Blog, Contact, legal pages | About, Blog, Contact | | Landing page | A sales page (banner, features, FAQ, form) and the legal pages, no blog | Empty | Except with the landing page, a sample post, “Getting started with Éclair: the 5-minute guide”, presents the available blocks: edit it or delete it. The legal notice and the privacy policy go in the footer menu, with an outline to complete. ## The 2-hour security window From the first visit, Éclair creates the `data/install-window.php` file. The installation must be completed within 2 hours, otherwise anyone could take over a site that was uploaded and then forgotten. After that, your address shows **Installation locked**. To reopen the wizard, delete `data/install-window.php` via FTP or with the file manager, then reload the page. Only someone with access to the server can do this: that's the whole point. ## How do you log in the first time? Right after installation, you're already logged in. Next time, type your admin URL, for example `atelier-nova.fr/atelier`. The login page asks for your **Email** and **Password**, then **Log in**. Bookmark this address: your public site doesn't reveal it. The full tour awaits you in [Get to know the Éclair admin](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/admin-tour). ## Install Éclair without errors: common cases | What you see | Likely cause | Solution | | --- | --- | --- | | 404 error on every page except the home page | `.htaccess` not uploaded (hidden file) or URL rewriting disabled | Upload the `.htaccess` again; if your host requires it, uncomment its `RewriteBase /` line | | “Éclair a besoin de PHP 8.1 ou plus récent.” (shown in French: Éclair needs PHP 8.1 or later) | PHP version too old | Change the PHP version in your customer area, then reload | | A red item on a “Folder … is writable” line | Insufficient permissions on `data`, `cache` or `media` | Give that folder 755 permissions via FTP, then reload | | 500 error right after uploading | A `.htaccess` directive refused (very rare) | Remove the block in question or contact your host | Other cases are described on the [Troubleshooting](https://eclair.academy/en/docs/troubleshooting) page. ## Key points - To install Éclair, upload the contents of the `eclair` folder, not the folder itself, hidden `.htaccess` files included. - The wizard has 5 screens and 4 questions, and checks your hosting before anything else. - Choose a custom admin URL and write it down with your password. - The installation must be completed within 2 hours of the first visit. - A 404 error on internal pages almost always comes from a missing `.htaccess`. ## Going further - [Get to know the Éclair admin](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/admin-tour): the dashboard, the menu and your first habits. - [Troubleshooting](https://eclair.academy/en/docs/troubleshooting): known errors and their solutions. - [Install Éclair on o2switch](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting/o2switch) and the other [hosting guides](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting), screen by screen. - Official source: the [Installation section of the Éclair guide](https://github.com/Jacckisback/eclair-cms/blob/main/docs/GUIDE.en.md#installation), on GitHub. ## Frequently asked questions ### How long does it take to install Éclair? The wizard itself takes about 3 minutes. Add the time it takes to upload the files, which is quick since the complete CMS weighs less than 1 MB. ### Can I change the site type after installation? The type mainly serves to create the first pages and menus. After that, you freely add, delete or reorganize pages, the blog and menus. ### I forgot my password right after installing. What should I do? Via FTP, create a `data/reset.php` file with three lines: ``, your email, then your new password. Log in within 24 hours with that email and password: the file is then deleted automatically. ### Can I change the admin URL later? Yes, in **Settings › Advanced › Admin URL**. Éclair may ask for your password again, then redirects you to the new address: remember to update your bookmarks.